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The Los Angeles Lakers defeated their eternal rival, the Boston Celtics, 97 to 94 in what is surely the last battle in the four-year war waged by these franchises. Flanked by World Peace, the Lakers' frontcourt was able to cut through the Boston defense and score at will down the stretch.
Pau Gasol had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 20 points and 14 rebounds, along with a clutch basket that will surely bring out the Abbott articles in droves. Kobe Bryant struggled from two-point land, only going 9-20, but was strong behind the arc and fed his teammates the ball en route to seven assists.
The Lakers had built a 15-point lead before losing it to the Celtics. At that point, it became a classic Celtics-Lakers bout, and the game of attrition was on. Asked about losing leads, Kobe had this to say:
It’s a little concerning. We’ve got to do a much better job keeping the rhythm as soon as the substitutions happen. It’s hard because guys come off the bench not really used to the pace or the rhythm of the game and it’s a different line up than they’re accustomed to playing with in practice.
Derek Fisher praised the efforts of Metta World Peace, as he was instrumental in yesterday's win. I think MWP just flat out loves to play against Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics, but that's just me.
There were a couple of flashes of Ron out there today but he’s doing a good job of moving on but still making major contributions. He played really well today.
Elsewhere Around the League, Lowry out 2-4 weeks, former D-Fenders player Gerald Green has a ridiculous dunk, Blake Griffin flops is knocked out and Chris Paul joins the mask club.
↓ Much more after the jump ↓
Lakers News
- Lakers 97, Celtics 94: March 11 Running Diary | Lakers Blog
- Celtics vs. Lakers | NBA.com
- Kobe Bryant's late push helps Lakers rally past by Celtics
- Boston Celtics have something missing against Los Angeles Lakers
- Andrew Bynum steps up as a closer for Los Angeles Lakers
- Rapid Reaction: Lakers 97, Celtics 94 | ESPN LA
- Five things to take from Lakers () to Boston Celtics | LA Times
- Kobe Bryant drew up final play for Andrew Bynum | LA Times
- Kobe gives it up for Andrew Bynum, and Lakers get win over Boston | LA Times
- Celtics' Rajon Rondo is subject of trade talks | LA Times
- Celtics' Big Three could be nearing an end | LA Times
- Bynum, Kobe rally Lakers past Celtics | OC Register
- Was this a major Laker step or just a decoy? | OC Register
- World Peace gives the Lakers a fighting chance | OC Register
- Kobe and KG: Friends and foes for life | OC Register
- Lakers 97, Celtics 94 | OC Register
NBA.com
- Sixers vs. Knicks
- Notebook: Warriors 97, Clippers 93
- Arena Link: Ken Berger
- Notebook: Hawks 106, Kings 99
- Notebook: Grizzlies 94, Nuggets 91
- Connection to players runs deep for Blazers trainer Jensen
ESPN
- Lou Williams-led 76ers extend Knicks' skid to 5 losses in a row
- Dwight Howard lifts short-handed Magic by Pacers
- Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry remains hospitalized
- Clippers' Chris Paul suffered broken nose vs. San Antonio Spurs | ESPN LA
Yahoo! Sports
- Wolves' Ricky Rubio out for season with ACL tear
- Dwight Howard among five NBA trade scenarios to watch as deadline nears
- Howard scores 30 as Magic get past Pacers 107-94
- Warriors blow 21-point lead, beat Clippers 97-93
- Celtics-Clippers Preview
ProBasketball Talk
- Report: Chris Paul has nasal fracture, will wear mask just like you know who
- Dwight Howard just wants to win. Which is why he’s refusing Chicago, still. Obviously. Because that makes sense.
- Celtics Chris Wilcox out indefinitely with heart condition
- The New York Knicks and a partisan divide
- Andrew Bogut’s elbow is as good as it’s going to get.’
- Lakers tell players to cool it with "external chatter"
- LeBron comes up big, then not so much vs. Pacers, but that’s OK, DWade’s got him
- Funny story, Gerald Green may have had the best in-game alley-oop ever
- LeBron, Wade talk about passing off the game-winning shot
Dime Mag / SLAM Online
- Dwight Howard Shows Derrick Rose What He’s Missing | Dime Magazine
- Jeremy Lin Makes The Funniest Face Ever | Dime Magazine
- Andrew Bynum Grows Up; Dwight Howard Blows Up | Dime Magazine
- Pau Gasol Sees ‘a Certain Level of Selfishness’ in Lakers’ Play | SLAM Online
Blogs and Other Links
- ‘The Announcement’ Highlights Magic’s Life, AIDS Awareness | Lakers Nation
- Kobe Bryant: I Called Play For Andrew Bynum vs. Celtics | Lakers Nation
- Video: Kobe Bryant Hits Game-Winner Against Boston Celtics | Lakers Nation
- Marc Gasol makes all the throws | NBA Playbook
- Lakers/Celtics: Coming Up Big Down The Stretch | Forum Blue & Gold
- Plays of the Week – Here They Stayed and NBA Owners Behaving Badly | Hardwood Hype
- Kobe Doesn’t Care About Winning, and That’s Okay | HoopSpeak.com
- Reports: Celtics F Chris Wilcox out indefinitely with heart issue | Eye On Basketball
- Reports: Clippers G Chris Paul broke nose, will wear face mask | Eye On Basketball
- Rockets G Kyle Lowry out 2-4 weeks with 'bacterial infection' | Eye On Basketball
- Magic Johnson: LeBron James has 'lost his confidence' in crunch time | Eye On Basketball
- Kobe Bryant: I called play for Andrew Bynum against Celtics, not Mike Brown | Eye On Basketball
- Heat 93, Pacers 91: LeBron is clutch, then not clutch, clutch enough? | Eye On Basketball
- Analyzing The Anomalous: Greg Stiemsma vs. Portland | Shaky Ankles
- Ep. 775: The Overdose, Mar. 9 | The Basketball Jones
Multimedia
- Postgame: Mike Brown
- Postgame: Andrew Bynum
- Postgame: Pau Gasol
- Postgame: Metta World Peace
- Sunday's Top 10
- Fans from Sunday's game | OC Register
- Celtics at Lakers HD Highlights | JD2K
- Video: Blake Griffin gets bell rung by blow to head from Dominic McGuire | Eye On Basketball
- Video: Kobe Bryant hits go-ahead shot to beat Celtics | Eye On Basketball