In Game 4 the Lakers and Celtics added another memorable chapter to their storied rivalry. It began much like Game 3, with the Celtics struggling on offense. But this time, Boston did what they’ve done all season – they bounced back.

Led by their bench, the Celts erupted in the fourth quarter. Paul Pierce had one of his better playoff games. Tony Allen was sound and solid on the defensive end and did a great job guarding Kobe. Glen Davis and Nate Robinson were superb off the bench, boosting the offense and energizing the defense. Big Baby played with force and with passion. He was in the zone and on a mission, racking up 18 points in 22 minutes. Meanwhile his accomplice Robinson put pressure on the defense while firing up his teammates and the crowd. Everybody on the bench had an impact.

The NBA Finals are now tied at two games apiece heading into Game 5. The time off between Game 4 and Game 5 will be beneficial to both teams. Phil Jackson questioned whether Kobe was fatigued at the end of Game 4 and whether he finished the way he is normally capable of finishing. The Celtics starting five also appeared fatigued as the energy and hustle factors were primarily in favor of the reserves. Hopefully after having a couple days off to rest up both teams will come back with the energy and legs to play an outstanding Game 5.

Though the Celtics demonstrated toughness and determination in Game 4, for Boston to come back and take the next one against the Lakers it’s going to take more than just one of The Big Three or two of the The Big Four to do it. The Celtics haven’t been able to put three guys having a good game together on the same night. They’ve always been missing a key component. One guy will have a big night but the other two starters will have a bad game, and the next night somebody else will step up. So it’s been a lack of consistent play from the players that they really count on that has made a big difference in each game. Boston needs energy and productivity from the first unit.

At the same time you have to give a lot of the credit to the Lakers defense for causing them problems on offense. Artest for example, has done a solid job controlling Pierce. But they need to do a better job rebounding – Boston pulled down twice as many offensive boards in the last game. Controlling Rondo will also be key because if they can’t control him off the dribble, he’s going to penetrate and create opportunities. At the same time if they put Kobe on him to try and chain him, Kobe may use up so much energy that he winds up losing steam come crunch time.

With fresher legs Boston is going to try to up the tempo of the game once again. In Game 4 the Celtics had 15 fast-break points and the Lakers only had 2. So Boston will elevate the tempo of the game to get more transition opportunities. In their favor, they had a 54-34 advantage when it came to points in the paint, so they were +20 – that’s a huge differential. That’s fast break layups, offensive rebounds, drives to the basket – Boston did a great job there. And again Boston will have to dominate the glass.

For the Lakers, Gasol will also need more touches and more shot opportunities. But the big question is whether Bynum will be able to play and if so for how long? They really missed Bynum the last game. That’s why the points in the paint situation was the way it was. That second big man factor that Bynum along with Gasol provides for the Lakers was not there. They drained Bynum’s knee after Game 4 and he’s had almost 72 hours to recuperate. There’s a gamble here – the long-term effect on Bynum’s knee if they do wind up playing him. But without him they’re not the same on the interior. And obviously if Bynum doesn’t play, Odom moves into the starting lineup which weakens the Laker bench so it’s a trickle down effect.

Game 5 airs tonight on ABC at 8:00 PM ET.

We’ve seen different players come to the fore in each game of this seesaw series. In Game 3 Garnett and Odom both bounced back with big effects after subpar performances in Game 2. But the Game 3 MVP was veteran guard Derek Fisher, who delivered a superb, pressure-packed performance and carried the Lakers home down the stretch, sinking big shot after big shot in the final minutes.

The Lakers looked sharp out of the gates, ending the first quarter with a nine-point lead and extending it to twelve by the half. They led almost the entire game, stretching the gap to 17 points in the second quarter. However when all was said and done, most of their starters struggled on offense. Despite a whopping 29 attempts, Bryant made only 10 shots. Gasol went 5 of 11, while Artest was 1-4 and Bynum 3-9.

In light of Kobe, Gasol and Bynum struggling with shots, the Lakers defense was superb when it had to be. The Lakers forced six turnovers in the fourth quarter. Extra attention paid by the Lakers to Ray Allen paid off. Allen was 0-8 from three-point range, a stark contrast to his record-breaking performance in Game 2 when he came away with 8 threes en route to 32 ppg.

Despite trailing most of the game, the Celtics certainly had their opportunities. Glen Davis was instrumental off the bench, helping Boston close the deficit and work their way back into the game. And Kevin Garnett gave his best performance of the playoffs so far, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists. Boston made a push and got within one early in the third. But they missed a few clutch shots and were unable to convert on some key possessions. The Lakers showed resilience and withstood every rally. Derek Fisher was huge, making 11 of 16 in the fourth quarter and helping his teammates clinch a big road victory to regain home court advantage.

There has been a lot of buzz about the officiating heading into Game 4. Foul trouble has been a running theme in this series, afflicting a number of key players throughout the first three games. Early foul problems plagued chief guys on both teams in Game 3, forcing Artest, Perkins, Pierce and Rondo to the bench in the first quarter. Without shifting the blame entirely, both coaches have voiced complaints about the officiating. Jackson pointed to unfair calls against Fisher in Game 2, claiming he was forced to back off of Allen which in turn led to unchallenged shots. And with Allen, Garnett and Pierce having to sit out big stretches in Games 1, 2 and 3 respectively, Doc suggested the Big Three have spent too much time on the bench rather than on the court due to heavy-handed officiating. Even fans have complained about excessive fouls ruining the rhythm of the game. It will be interesting to see how the officials respond in Game 4.

But what matters most is how the Celtics and Lakers respond in what will be a potentially decisive matchup. No team in NBA Playoff history has ever come back after being down 3-1 in the finals. Will the Lakers be complacent after reclaiming their home court advantage or will they be able to hold off the Celtics, who face a deficit that will be nearly impossible to overcome if they drop another game at home? The Celtics need to turn it up on offense, defense and both boards tonight in order to tie the series. Rondo has to push the ball, attack and create opportunities while Boston’s primary scorers Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett must get in synch and finish at the rim when opportunity knocks.

Game 4 airs tonight on ABC at 9:00 PM ET.

With pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg set to make his much anticipated MLB debut for the Washington Nationals and Game 3 of the Celtics-Lakers finals getting underway shortly, sports fans have a lot on their plates tonight.

After dropping Game 1 the Boston Celtics captured an impressive bounce-back victory in Los Angeles on Sunday to even up the series. The Celtics came back with the grit and determination that they themselves felt was missing from their Game 1 loss. Ray Allen was simply spectacular, particularly in the first half when he sank seven straight 3-pointers. He went on to finish with 32 points and set a new NBA Finals record for 3-pointers in a game with his eighth of the night in the third quarter. Other key contributions came from Rajon Rondo, who took over in the fourth quarter and finished with a triple double – only the eighth in Finals history. And both Wallace and Robinson delivered off the bench.

But Doc Rivers could be the MVP of the game. He saw that Ray Allen had a red-hot hand and ran play after play for him. His defensive matchups were effective. And most significantly, he ran out on the court late in the fourth and demanded a decisive timeout when he realized his team was struggling to advance the ball past half-court. His timeout to avoid the eight-second backcourt violation was critical as the Celtics retained possession of the ball, thwarted an opportunity for the Lakers to make it a one-possession game, and extended their lead to seven on their next trip down the floor.

Matchups will be key tonight, as well as players stepping up who didn’t get the necessary productivity in Game 2. Although Pau Gasol and Bynum had huge games along with Kobe’s 21 points, the low productivity from Lamar Odom was a major factor in the Lakers not playing to the same level that they did in Game 1. I look for Odom to be much more active in Game 3. Defensively, I think that the Lakers will go back to playing Kobe on Ray Allen more consistently rather than having him chase Rondo around the floor. This may be one of the adjustments Phil Jackson makes tonight.

The Celtics accomplished what they had to do, which was to win one game on the visiting court. Now the series moves back to Boston for the next three games, and the Celtics have a chance to go back home and try to take a 2-1 advantage in Game 3.

Game 3 airs tonight on ABC at 9:00 PM ET.

The 2010 NBA Finals kicks off tonight at the Staples Center with the Lakers hosting the Celtics in Game 1 of the series. For some, the NBA Finals has lost appeal as a result of LeBron James’ absence from what would have been billed as a Kobe-LeBron matchup to decide once and for all who is the league’s best player. For others however, particularly older NBA fans, this Lakers-Celtics matchup is as appetizing as can be.

In the history of the league there have been 63 titles won. In 52 appearances the Boston Celtics and Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers have accounted for more than half of those with a combined total of 32: seventeen banners for Boston and fifteen for the Lakers. Regardless of who comes out victorious in the next battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy, the latest installment will augment this incredible history of two-team dominance and intensify what is arguably the greatest rivalry in sports.

It’s very difficult to discuss today’s Lakers-Celtics rivalry and not think back to their legendary rivalry in the 80’s when both teams dominated their respective conferences for much of the decade. In fact, there are some parallels and interesting storylines when comparing the two. For example:

• The current Celtics Big 3 of Garnett-Pierce-Allen and the old front-line of Bird-McHale-Parrish
• The Lakers guard/center combos of Kobe/Gasol and Magic/Kareem
• Kobe going for his 5th title to match Magic as perhaps the greatest Laker of all time
• Pierce potentially elevating himself into the pantheon of all-time Celtics greats should he win another title

Having said that, there are many differences in today’s rivalry. Most notably, it does not feature the two best players in the game. The fact that Magic and Bird had a personal rivalry dating back to college which extended to their being the leaders of the two best teams in the NBA made those Lakers-Celtics games among the most compelling the league has ever seen. The 80’s matchups also featured teams with diametrically opposite styles. While today’s Lakers are certainly more offensive minded than the stingy Celtics, they certainly do not have the freewheeling, fast-breaking approach of the old Showtime Lakers who personified Hollywood glamour.

Today’s Celtics may not have the marquee player they had in Bird years ago, but they do have the same offensive balance those teams did (if not more), and they also win with great halfcourt defense and clutch shot-making. In Rajon Rondo, they not only have a player on the verge of stardom, but they also have perhaps the most athletic player on the floor which the old Celtics teams certainly did not have. By contrast, today’s Lakers rely much more heavily on one player than the Lakers of the past did. While Pau Gasol is by all accounts an outstanding NBA player, he may not pose the same threat that the great Kareem once did. Also missing are the James Worthy and Byron Scott types who made those Lakers so hard to handle. Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Ron Artest are significant contributors to this team, and they will have to be for the Lakers to win. But there is no denying that this team is about Kobe.

That brings us to our next storyline, which is Kobe’s attempt to elevate himself into undeniably one of the greats to ever play this game. In some people’s minds he is already there, but for others he needs to win this series in order to fully cement his legacy. For Kobe, a fifth championship would be his second “solo” effort without Shaq and put him one shy of Michael Jordan’s six rings with the Bulls (the comparison to the ubiquitous Jordan has always been inescapable for Kobe). Given the way the 2008 series ended, the Celtics are arguably the one team left in the league that presents a psychological hurdle for Kobe to overcome. To win another championship under these circumstances will not make his legacy as extraordinary as Jordan’s but it will make the comparison between the two much more logical than it ever has been.

There are a number of other subplots to take into account when considering the outcome of this series:

• Will the Lakers be able to defend home court against the Celtics, who this season became the first team in NBA history to reach the Finals with a better road record than home record?
• Does Kevin Garnett have enough spring in his legs (we all know he’s never lost that raging fire in his heart) to win another title for Celtic Nation?
• Can Pau Gasol extend his excellent post-season play and help deflect some defensive attention from the Mamba, #24?
• Will Coach Doc Rivers and his Celtics staff be able to match chess moves with the Zen master Phil Jackson and his record resume of 10 coaching championships?
• How will Andrew Bynum’s gimpy knee and Rondo’s hip soreness affect their abilities to play and contribute?
• Can proud son of Inglewood, CA, Celtic Captain and 13-year NBA vet, Paul Pierce keep floating and spinning and snaking and stepping back and scoring with former defensive player of the year Ron Artest draped over him?
• Which bench player will have the biggest impact on the series: Lamar Odom, Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis?

The main plot of the 64^th NBA Finals series is straightforward: One team will outplay its opponent by a margin necessary to win four games and be crowned Champion. But the subplots are where the seasoning, spice and multi-layered intricacies lie. Yes, the rich, ring-filled legacies of these teams will amplify the series. And yes, the rosters of players from past championship incarnations wearing these same uniforms will be present with most NBA fans and writers and talkers. But the 2010 NBA Finals will be decided by the 13 players on each Conference Champion squad and the coaches who helped guide them to this moment.

Watch the first chapter of this page-turner unfold tonight on ABC at 9:00 PM ET.