When it comes to Kobe's shot-making, impossible is nothing.

Time was winding down on the shot clock, game clock and — though it wasn’t quite certain yet — the Phoenix Suns’ season. Grant Hill, desperate to keep his season alive while fully aware of the dangers presented by guarding the most-feared late-game killer in the entire NBA, gave Kobe Bryant not a single inch to breathe.

Not that it mattered.

Hill stayed glued to Kobe as basketball’s Mariano Rivera dribbled once to his right, picked up his dribble, gave a quick upfake and finally released an impossible fadeaway with both his feet standing on the three-point arc and Hill breathing down the front of his neck. The ridiculous attempt would have been more than enough reason for a coach to substitute a lesser player out of the game, but for Kobe it was just part of the plan. The jumper went down, Kobe tapped Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry on his rump, and the Black Mamba’s legend ascended one more rung.

But why does he always have to take such a tough shot?

Watching Kobe Bryant play basketball is a lesson in shot-making. He spins with perfect footwork, fakes with the utmost precision and miraculously keeps his balance and concentration no matter how many directions his body is moving or how many hands are in his face. But still, no matter how breathtaking it can be to watch Kobe send yet another improbable shot splitting through the nets, the question remains: Why don’t any shots come easy for Kobe? Why doesn’t he get many layups? Why does he always seem to settle for contested fadeaway jumpers?

The easy answer would be that Kobe has more people guarding him during crunch-time than Barack Obama did during his Inauguration. No team wants to let Kobe get off a good look as the game’s seconds wind down, so they send waves of defenders at him. Kobe wants to take the last shot himself, almost regardless of what the defense does, so teams use that to their advantage. Kobe ain’t gonna pass, so coaches load up defenders to stop him. Everywhere Kobe looks, there’s a help defender waiting. It’s difficult to find an easy shot against a regiment of defenders, so THAT’S why Kobe doesn’t get many good looks. But that would only be the easy answer. Every star has two or three guys running at him during crunch-time, but not every star routinely takes such impossible shots.

The more difficult answer? I’m not sure I even know it. I’ve watched countless games during which Kobe seems to shoot nothing but contested jumpshots, but I don’t know why he settles. Is it that he doesn’t have the same athleticism he once did? Doesn’t want to waste too much energy searching for a good shot when he can hit all the bad ones? Is it really just all the help defense? Whatever it is, Kobe’s shot selection perplexes me.

In comparing Kobe to Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson once said something along the lines of, “Michael gets easier shots, but Kobe is a better bad-shot maker.” And Kobe is certainly that, perhaps the best bad-shot maker ever and definitely the best bad-shot maker I’ve ever seen. Good defense hardly seems to bother Kobe. Hands in his face, hands in his eyes even (shoutout to Shane Battier), don’t seem to effect Kobe the way they should. No matter the circumstance, Kobe can get off a make-able shot. Of course, “make-able” and “good shot” are two completely different entities.

Kobe’s ability to make bad shots is part of the reason everyone believes Kobe is the most clutch human being on the planet when all the statistical evidence in the world tells us otherwise. (Don’t get me wrong — when Kobe has the ball tonight in Game 5 with the clock winding down, I’ll be shivering in my boots. But when every stat I’ve ever seen says Kobe is not the best clutch player in the game, I tend to believe the stats.) We believe Kobe is the most clutch player, the best closer, because he has so many — sooooooo many — impossible buzzer-beaters and clutch shots under his belt. When Kobe hits a clutch shot, you remember it. The bank-job against Miami, the aforementioned facial of Grant Hill, the back-breaker over Ray Allen’s outstretched fingers to beat the Celtics — Kobe leaves an indelible mark whenever he hits a game-winner or clutch shot because every shot he takes seems, and I wish there were another word for it so I didn’t have to keep repeating the same one, impossible. When those shots do go down, he’s Michael Jordan disguised as Kobe Bryant. When they don’t go down, they weren’t supposed to go down in the first place — they were too impossible to begin with.

As Slate’s phenomenal piece on Kobe’s clutchness quotes a David Berri email, Lebron James is a more effective crunch-time player than Kobe. “”Most importantly, [James] improved with respect to shooting efficiency and rebounds,” Berri wrote. “Kobe also improved by lesser amounts with respect to rebounds and free throws. But he also got worse with respect to shooting efficiency from the field, assists, blocked shots, and steals.

“Basically each player tries to do more in the clutch. But LeBron is better at turning this effort into results.”

Yet we don’t see it that way. We see Lebron failing while Kobe rises. We see Kobe making impossible shots while Lebron sits at home watching on TV. We see Kobe as, undoubtedly, the league’s best closer. We see all those impossible makes, all those highlights, every time we think about Kobe’s clutchness.

But the same thing that makes us remember Kobe’s highlights is perhaps his biggest fault as a player. Kobe takes tough shots all the time, and while he can hit those better than anybody in today’s NBA and possibly anybody who’s ever played the game of basketball, tough shots are more likely to miss than good ones. Kobe’s inability to manufacture easy shots — or unwillingness, whatever it may be — is what has allowed the Celtics to slow him down in the fourth quarter this series.

Over the past two games, Kobe is 3-12 in the final stanza and has been unable to find any easy shots or get to the free throw line. He is now shooting 40.8% for the series, and I can count on one hand the number of easy looks he’s gotten. At this point, it seems like Kobe doesn’t even try to get easy shots. He’s hit so many bad ones in his career that he’s perfectly content with launching 21-foot fadeaways. To be fair, he makes an ungodly amount of them. I just don’t understand why everything has to be so difficult.

Some credit should go to the Celtics defense, but it isn’t only against the Celtics that Kobe takes tough shots. He does it all the time, against everyone. He gets more easy looks against every other team than he does against the C’s, but half his shot attempts would still get a lesser player benched or, even worse, cut. He makes a lot of them, sure, but so many shots Kobe takes are so, so, very, very tough.

And that is the conundrum about Kobe Bryant. He makes the impossible look easy, but he doesn’t make anything easy. He has unending talent to make any shot one could ever fathom, but for some reason that evades my grasp he doesn’t get many easy shots. It’s the ability to make impossible shots that sets Kobe apart from every player in the NBA, but it’s also the one thing you could say might be holding him back.

When Kobe catches the ball tonight in the fourth quarter, he’ll almost inevitably shoot a tough fadeaway with a Celtic draped all over him, so close that Kobe will be able to smell his defender’s breath. It’ll be a bad shot, one that would make a high school coach shake his head, scream, “NOOOO!!!!” and want to strangle his player. But that’s just how it is with Kobe Bryant. It’s what you have to accept about his game. It’s his mind-boggling genius that allows him to make those shots, shots no other man alive would dare attempt.

And that shot I told you about, the one he’ll undoubtedly take in tonight’s fourth quarter, the one he’ll shoot with defenders in his shorts? Unless that shot clangs off the rim, I’ll know for certain it’s going down.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

One goal.

Chris Broussard, ESPN – “And while Davis muscled in layups over Lamar Odom, while Wallace drained a 3 and suffocated Gasol on defense, while Tony Allen covered Kobe like a rash and Robinson hopped around like an over-caffeinated break-dancer, Garnett, Pierce and Rondo rooted them on as if wearing skirts and cheer shoes. They stood, they shouted, they pumped their fists. Heck, they looked like high school scrubs just happy to be on the squad. ‘Just think about it,’ Tony Allen said. ‘Kevin Garnett’s telling you, ‘Good job, keep going!’ That’s big for a blue-collar guy like myself. That’s why I love Kevin Garnett.’ [...] ‘It feels like we’re in somebody else’s neighborhood and we’re gonna have to fight to get out of it,’ Garnett told them passionately. ‘We gotta fight, we gotta fight, we gotta fight to get out of this neighborhood.’ ‘He meant it’s going to take all of us to do this,’ Tony Allen said. ‘That for us to reach our ultimate goal, it’s going to take all of us. This whole year, he’s been talking about team, team, team. He always says something that makes you sit back and think, ‘Ah yeah, he meant everybody.” ‘We just try to keep it team,’ Perkins said. ‘Obviously, we’ve got the future Hall of Famers and we’ve got Rondo, an All-Star who had a great year. But we keep it one goal, one team. Doc does a great job making sure everybody stays doing their roles, not caring who gets the credit. All of them preach that, especially KG. He don’t like it when they say it’s ‘The Big Three’ or ‘The Big Four.’ He likes it when it’s team. That’s all he preaches is team.’”

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald – “Does Andrew Bynum really believe the Lakers ‘choked’ Thursday night? He spoke the word so casually while speaking with reporters early yesterday at the Garden that it’s possible not everyone heard it. But, yep, there it was. When the 7-foot Lakers center was asked about his team’s 96-89 loss to the Celtics [team stats] in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, he said, “We had the lead and we kind of, so to speak, choked. We had the lead going in (to the fourth quarter), 12 minutes to go, and we gave up a run . . . and we couldn’t do anything about it.” Imagine Kendrick Perkins saying that about the Celts, or Kevin Youkilis reacting to a Sox loss by staring into the cameras and proclaiming, ‘We choked.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Asked moments earlier the best way to get him going, Pierce joked, ‘Just get me the ball, like Keyshawn Johnson.’ He forgot the ‘damn’ for authority.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “If the Celtics are indeed a title team, they have to maintain home court and put the pressure on the Lakers. ‘Another must-win situation on Sunday,’ center Kendrick Perkins said. ‘I think it’s getting close to that time, we’ve got to go all out. There are three games left — however you want to look at it — we’ve got to go all out.’ A team that struggled at home throughout the regular season needs to capitalize on its home-court advantage one final time. TD Garden has been a haven in the postseason and the Celtics have won every big game there, but they have played uneven in two games against the Lakers. The issue has been the offense. The Celtics have played splendid defense this series, save a couple of stretches in Game 1 and the Derek Fisher-led fourth quarter in Game 3. The series could very well be decided tomorrow and the Celtics have to bring that same desperation from the fourth quarter of Game 4 into the next game. ‘I think we’ve got to get [this] one,’ Rondo said. ‘Whoever is going to win this series is going to have to win two in a row eventually. So last home game of the year, we’ll try to go out with a win.’”

Ron Borges, Boston Herald – “Yet as a group, the Big Three have been a big zero as a united front against the Lakers thus far. That is not to say individually they haven’t had their moments but the three of them have yet to play their best at the same time. Tonight is the night for them to do it because that would not make the Celtics difficult to beat. It would make them impossible to beat. ‘It definitely would help,’ Garnett said. ‘If you look at this series I don’t think there’s been a point where all three of us have had huge games. There’s never been a situation where it’s been multiple. It’s a bit frustrating, to be honest.’ It is time for Garnett’s frustration to end and the Lakers’ to begin. It is time for the Big Three to play like they are still big and still three. Not for a quarter. Not for a half. For 48 wild-eyed minutes.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘You just can’t predict it, man,’ Pierce said as the captain and the rest of the C’s prepared for tonight’s Game 5 at the Garden against the Los Angeles Lakers. ‘You can’t predict how guys are going to shoot. You can’t predict how guys are going to play from a night-in, night-out basis. There’s really no way I can really answer that. I mean, it’s a different type of game. Teams have their scouting reports and some of the things they want to take away from us each and every night. Some guys more than others. So it’s hard to predict the other team’s game plan and what they want to give and what they want to take away. As far as having a great game from all of us, it’s real unpredictable.’ So unpredictable, in fact, that it has formed a pattern. At least one of the top four offensive options has disappeared in each of the first four games, including Allen (3-for-8 in Game 1), Garnett (six points in Game 2), Allen again (0-for-13 in Game 3), Pierce (5-for-12 in Game 3) and Rajon Rondo [stats] (5-for-15, three assists in Game 4). The offensive blend that emerges in Game 5 will depend largely on the Lakers’ defensive scheme. ‘Well, you just hope it comes together,’ Rivers said. ‘Both teams were really good defensively, and they’re going to take something away from you. You know, I think the willingness of our guys, and I think it’s stuck on trying to get that going and just go to the next part of it, is actually more important as far as I’m concerned. You know, it would be great if all three and Rondo and everyone got it going in one game. I’d feel very good about that game if that happens. We’re certainly going to try.’”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI – “‘We have the quickness and the size to defend this team,’ Odom said. ‘If we communicate, we’ll be alright. It wasn’t like they scored 125 points or anything like that.’ Time will tell if those words are enough to bring out more masks or spark more chants directed at his wife Khloe Kardashian. Odom can’t control that but he, like Bynum before him, said the Lakers need to control Glen Davis and Nate Robinson better. The pair, before their Shrek and Donkey routine after Game 4, combined to score 30 points off the bench. ‘Even with Glen Davis getting going and a couple of their other guys getting going, it wasn’t a barn-burner for them offensively,’ Odom said.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The Celtics wanted to negotiate a contract extension with Rajon Rondo last fall, but the skinny point guard suddenly became Glen Davis with pockets full of lead. He wasn’t budging. He and his agent had decided that Tony Parker money (five years, $55 million) was fair and just. Period. Call us back when you agree. The Celtics had hoped for something more moderate, but they eventually capitulated, and were pleased at the time to get Rondo locked in. Now, on the precipice of a summer free agent period that will resemble the California gold rush, they are even happier. Rondo, 24, would have been a restricted free agent, meaning the Celtics could have matched any offer. But they would have had to strike a large match. Said one NBA general manager, ‘You’re looking at a max-type guy in Rondo right now.’ ‘You know,’ said ]Rondo’s agent] Duffy, ‘the agent has a responsibility, in my estimation, to keep the player in a good situation and in the right environment. I felt comfortable with that figure. I still feel comfortable with it, even in light of the circumstances. And the way that that went down will benefit him in the long term, as well. You know, he’s the Boston Celtics’ starting point guard. He’s potentially a two-time NBA champion. You can’t ask for more than that. He could have been a free agent and gone to one of the worst teams in the league, then all of a sudden two years from now, he’s like, what am I doing here? What happened? You’ve got to keep that in consideration also.’ Rondo shrugged it off, but he raised another point when he said, ‘I didn’t want to be greedy. I’m blessed. I’m in a good situation, and I wanted to keep that.’”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “Glen Davis isn’t getting ahead of himself after scoring 18 points in Game 4. He understands his job on the team and is more focused on fulfilling his role than living up to any expectations set by his performance. ‘It’s not my job to go out there and score points,’ he said. ‘So [when people say] he’s not going to do that again, if I have to do it again, I will. But I’m not the primary scorer on the team. I’m not the go-to guy in the clutch. I’m just a guy that goes out there, don’t have no plays called for me, just goes out there and plays the game like it’s supposed to be played, and that’s all will and determination to get the game won. So if I don’t score at all next game, I know my effort and just the will to win will be there. And that feels even greater to me, especially if we get the win.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN – “Could the free throw woes, along with the presence of bigs like Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard, be affecting his ability — and, more importantly, his desire — to go to the basket? ‘I’m always likely to go to the basket,’ a defiant Rondo said Saturday. ‘I’m going to the basket, regardless of Bynum, Dwight Howard or whoever’s down there.’ But even his coach said the free throw troubles might have subconsciously given Rondo pause, even if just temporarily. The Celtics are working on both the mental and physical aspects of his free throw shooting. ‘We’re going to work on it,’ Rivers said. ‘He knows what he’s not doing, we know what he’s not doing. Last summer [assistant coach] Armond [Hill] went down [and] I went down and watched him and [former NBA standout] Mark [Price] work on it. There’s certain things that he has to do. Clearly the first two he was — nothing that he can be taught, I can tell you that, he fell away, his elbow was out. The first one you could see it right away. So we’ll get it back. But then the confidence part has to come back as well. I will say this: I was really proud of him because I thought in [Game 3] when he missed a couple, he stopped driving, and that’s what happens when you miss free throws and then you don’t want to get fouled anymore. I thought [Thursday] night [in Game 4], he kept taking it to the basket, and for me that was huge. That’s a good sign for him.’”

Gary Dzen, Boston Globe – “”I think a lot of people for years have felt like any team Ron is on doesn’t have a chance to win because he’s going to mess it up,’ said Fisher. ‘If anything he’s done a great job of putting us in that position. We’ve found Ron to be a great teammate and a guy who has made as much or more of a sacrifice than anybody on our team this season….I think if we can win this thing that will answer the question of whether Ron Artest is misunderstood.’ Artest’s reputation as a team-killer comes mostly from comments he’s made or things he’s done off the court, but the Lakers forward hasn’t had a banner Finals on the court, either. Artest is averaging eight points on 32-percent shooting during the Finals. With Ron’s role, and the teams he’s usually been on, this is vastly different from what he’s been asked to do for his team,’ said Fisher. ‘He’s continued to have the right attitude about just finding ways to fit in. We’re trying to push him and encourage him to just be himself. And at the same time recognize that we have a system of doing things and a way of doing things that is supposed to provide those opportunities. Some of it is just, we haven’t done everything as a team where it makes it easier for everybody to just play their game, and not necessarily have a bust-out game but a game where you have five or six guys in double figures. We’ve struggled in those games where Kobe’s had to carry the load.’”

Broderick Turner, LA Times – “When told Lakers Coach Phil Jackson joked Friday that he was thinking of using an ‘electrode’ as a way to stimulate Odom’s play, Odom didn’t smile or respond. He stared ahead. He was told Jackson said Odom looked uncomfortable in Game 5. ‘No, I’m comfortable,’ Odom said.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘[Glen Davis has] matured more than anything, and he’s still maturing,’ Rivers said. ‘He still has a ways to go. But I think he’s becoming more comfortable in his own skin. He accepts who he is. The incident that happened at the beginning of the year was not the best thing for him or our team, and I wouldn’t want it to happen to any other player. But in some ways, it may have helped him understand that he had to mature now. I think he also understood that the team was not going to wait for him. We were going to move on. And when he came back, he didn’t immediately play, and I thought that all that probably in some way helped him.’ People assume maturity is somehow microwaveable, that in the nine months since the fight, Davis has grown into that man he said he wanted to become. Has he learned? Yes. Has he changed? As much as anyone could in nine months. ‘I’m sure he probably wouldn’t make that mistake again,’ Rondo said. ‘But he’s still Big Baby.’”

Monique Walker, Boston Globe – “‘As much as we want Andrew and need him, we at the same time don’t want him doing anything that’s going to jeopardize the rest of his career,’ veteran guard Derek Fisher said. ‘He’s a young and extremely talented player and has a very bright future ahead of him. So everybody wants to take one for the team and do everything that they can, but we don’t want to do anything that’s going to hurt him later. Based on the information that he’s getting and doctors and everything, if he’s comfortable, then of course we’d love to have him out there, even in a limited fashion, whatever it is. He’s been limited the whole postseason. But he still found ways to be effective for us. And if he’s out there, just his size and length around the basket can help us out a great deal, particularly on the boards.’ Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said the team is keeping Bynum’s health in mind in the final week of the series. ‘It’s our understanding that the injury is something that really can’t turn into something that’s career-threatening and it’s a decision he was in the loop with and he wanted to try to play,’ Kupchak said. ‘Our doctors won’t let him do something that we don’t think is in the best interest of the organization in the long run. So it’s all right.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Mal Graham, who was a second-year guard, recalls the meeting called by player-coach Bill Russell on the eve of the ’69 Finals against the Lakers. ‘Before the series Russ told everyone, ‘OK, keep your mouths shut,’ ‘ said Graham, a Boston judge. But there was one particularly roguish character beyond even Russell’s control. ‘We get out there and it was in all of the LA papers,’ Graham said. ‘There’s Red (Auerbach) quoted saying, ‘When it comes to the playoffs, everyone is scared of us.’ ‘”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter

Phil Jackson was at his normal games today, making bitchy comments about anyone and anything that has bugged him recently.

Lamar Odom was his first victim. When asked what he could do to light a fire under Lamar’s ass, Jackson replied:

“I was thinking of an electrode,” Jackson said to laughter. “Something that would really be a stimulus. What do you suggest? No, we’re just trying to find a comfort spot for him out there. He looked uncomfortable [in Game 4], and he had a couple double whammies go against him; Garnett out there for a while and then he had Davis coming at him, and things kind of snowballed on him.”

After he was done roasting his own player, Phil Jackson moved onto the Celtics, calling the C’s way of doing things “provocative” and “not the way I like to coach a team.” (WEEI)

Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace are both sitting on six technical fouls during the postseason. If either of them gets one more they are subject to a one-game suspension from the NBA.

Doc Rivers has expressed concern that they could be provoked into getting technicals, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that was not part of his team’s mindset. “That’s not fair play,” he said. “That’s not the way to play the games.” [...]

“Yeah, you can be provocative and get out there and act kind of like they do if you want to and get in people’s faces and do that,” Jackson said. “But that’s not the way I like to coach a team. That’s not what I consider positive coaching, and that’s what I like to think is the right way to do things.”

Apparently, Jackson doesn’t remember his own player Kobe Bryant trying to ruffle Kendrick Perkins’ feathers all night long.

I think I speak for all of Celtics nation when I say, “Shut up Phil.” It would be very nice to make that tidy little record 47-1.

Bonus: Since you were able to make it all the way through my post, here’s a little bonus coverage.

You can’t see this on the YouTube clip, but the Comcast crew sent it back to Donny and Tanguay right after Phil’s press conference. Tanguay asked Donny a question about the game and Donny simply responded,”I don’t wanna talk about that.” It was gold. Then Donny went on to say something about Phil’s unprofessionalism. I won’t call Phil unprofessional, but I will say he made that reporter feel like an absolute dickhead.

The reporter asked Big Baby why Phil Jackson had no comment, and Baby joked, “I don’t have no comment either. If Phil Jackson don’t have no comment, then I don’t have no comment.” And thus started perhaps the greatest press conference in NBA Finals history.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Watch that drool, Big Fella.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! – “Davis had the time of his life in Game 4, grabbing another lost soul with him to deliver this 96-89 victory. He found tiny Nate Robinson and together they made it impossible for Rivers to take them out of the game’s final minutes. Rivers let them loose on the Lakers, and they turned a two-point deficit into an 11-point lead. Davis flexed and preened, playing part Barkley, part Vince McMahon. The Celtics’ championship chase is still alive, because Big Baby Davis had 18 points, five rebounds – four of them offensive – and two steals, because Glen Davis turned those October tears into June hellfire. ‘I felt like a beast,’ he declared.”

Ron Borges, Boston Herald – “Kobe Bryant was again the best player on the floor, but the Celtics were the better team. They were the grittier team, the more resilient team and the stone tougher team – and all those attributes were best exemplified by the crew that won the game. It was not the Big Three or the Little One. This time it was the masons and the truck drivers, the ditch diggers, the fruit pickers. Glen Davis, Tony Allen, Rasheed Wallace and Nate Robinson did the heavy lifting. Even the last nail that was delivered into the Lakers’ coffin came not from some sweet jump shot, but a Rajon Rondo steal and flashing drive to the basket with 22.2 seconds left. Bryant had cut the C’s lead to six by drilling three free throws. He poured home 33 points, and still come up short. Yet this was not a night for Rondo or Ray or The Truth or KG. This was a night that belonged to the bench – or, more deservingly, The Bench. Over nine frenetic fourth-quarter minutes, the four of them turned a two-point deficit into a nine-point lead – because that’s what they decided they would do. ‘We did our job,’ Robinson said. ‘We went in, played hard, played smart, played together. Then the starting five go in and bring us home. That’s the beauty about a team.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Celtics forward Glen Davis stood barking at midcourt, spewing drool in every direction like some sort of rabid dog — or maybe the teething version of his popular monicker — and whipping the crowd into a frenzy after initiating an and-one sequence with a putback that gave the Celtics a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Guard Nate Robinson came running from behind Davis and vaulted onto his back as Big Baby flexed toward the crowd. ‘You were on my back?’ Davis asked Robinson as they sat next to each other at their joint postgame press conference. ‘You didn’t even notice,’ replied Robinson. ‘We’re like Shrek and Donkey. You can’t separate us.’ Davis smiled broadly and added, ‘You shouldn’t have let us two get up here.’”

Robert Mays, Boston Globe – “After Fisher hit several shots down the stretch of Game 3 to help give the Lakers a one-game edge over the Celtics, the 35-year-old point guard reacted with a flurry of emotions. No one could blame him. Questions about Fisher’s value to the Lakers cropped up during the first-round series against Oklahoma City and had persisted ever since. Tuesday was a tiny bit of redemption. Early in Bryant’s news conference Wednesday, a reporter asked if he understood the emotional display of his longtime teammate. ‘No, I’m not an emotional person,’ Bryant said. ‘I can’t understand.’ The response was cool, quick, and typical.”

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe – “Ray had a lot of company when he came out to shoot yesterday afternoon at 5:45. Several television cameras recorded his workout. Ray started with some post-up shots, right under the basket. Then he took 10 free throws (he made them all, but I think two drew iron). Then he took five middle-range jumpers from five spots around the perimeter. Left to right. Five from the corner, five from the left of the key, five from the top of the key, five from the right of the key, then five from the right corner. Then it was back to the free throw line. Then he went beyond the 3-point arc and repeated the previous drill. Then he ran up and down the left sideline. Then he started taking jumpers in motion. The Celtic Dancers were on the court for the entire routine. They always are. The Dancers move only when Ray needs the space where they are practicing. ‘We get out there three hours before the game,’ said Marina Ortega, director of the Dancers. ‘We share the court with Ray. We move when he goes beyond the 3-point line. It’s just something where we need to pay attention. That’s the reason we don’t have problems.’ There is zero interaction between Ray and the Celtic Dancers. Not a word. Not a glance. It’s an amazing demonstration of professionalism. By all parties. Ray finished his routine last night at 6:13. Twenty-eight minutes.”

Kelly Dwyer, Yahoo! – “Happy with his team’s defense with the reserves out there, Rivers promised himself that he wouldn’t bring his benched starters in until he had ridden out the wave. ‘I told my coaches, I said ‘At the six-minute mark, six points is the number.’ If they get it to a two-possession game, we’ve got to [return] one scorer at a time.’ ‘I want to give Doc a hug,’ Glen Davis said following the win. ‘I was really looking at the clock, like, when is he going to come get me?’ Were Rivers’ veteran starters upset at their bench demotion? ‘They were fine. I don’t think guys really care. Hell, [Rajon] Rondo and all of them, they were begging me to keep guys in. It was great. That was the loudest I’ve seen our bench, and it was our starters cheering from the bench. I thought it was terrific.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Bryant nearly found a way to carry the Lakers to victory last night, using long, contested 3-pointers as his weapon, but it wasn’t his preferred weapon. Bryant, of course, would rather dash to the basket for acrobatic layups, or drive, stop, and lean back for fadeaways. The Celtics have to allow Kobe to score; they have no choice because he remains unstoppable. But they are using stifling defense to force Bryant into an uncomfortable zone. He looks irritated. He looks frustrated, just as he was when Artest missed his pass two consecutive times. Bryant scored 33 points in the Celtics’ 96-89 Game 4 victory, but 18 came on 3-pointers. Bryant converted no layups; his closest field goal was from 9 feet. He is not creating baskets with his quickness and array of moves. The Celtics are sending two defenders at him and he is attempting shots in those small windows, such as the ones Artest missed in the second half. Containing Bryant has been critical to the Celtics’ success. He is averaging 28.2 points for the series, but also 23.2 shots. A veteran whose dominance could be waning having to work feverishly to score. [...] ‘They’re a great scheming team,’ said Bryant, who is shooting 40.8 percent overall this series. ‘They have a strategy in place, and they execute extremely well. I feel pretty comfortable. Wasn’t pleased with the way I took care of the ball tonight. I thought I did a horrible job of that. But it’s a great defense.’”

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “Understand this about Glen Davis: He is a basketball player. He may look like a football player and he may harbor a secret desire to be a movie star, talk-show host or a contestant on ‘Dancing With The Stars,’’ but he is a pure basketball player. He is 6 feet 8 inches (maybe), and he often has a lot of trouble finishing underneath among the NBA redwoods, but he usually finds a way to make an impact on a basketball game, and last night he made one of his biggest. He was at his slashing, marauding, kamikaze best in the fourth quarter, leading the Celtics with his amazing range of skill and inspiring them with his emotion and desire, spearheading a bench brigade whose fourth-quarter effort gave the Celtics a 96-89 triumph that evened the NBA Finals at two games apiece. When this man has it going, he just about takes your breath away. He has amazingly quick feet, and is a far better individual defender than you’d ever imagine. He is smart, and has never had any trouble figuring out the Tom Thibodeau defensive schemes. He has truly great hands and is ambidextrous in close. He also has astonishing body control. He angles in up and through people. It kind of goes without saying he is strong. Put the entire package together and what you have is a basketball player.”

Bill Plaschke, LA Times – “Geez, they’ve done it now. A dozen minutes from taking a historically insurmountable lead in the NBA Finals on Thursday, the Lakers lost their legs, misplaced their brains, abandoned their guts, and gave the aging, inferior Boston Celtics the one thing they should not have given them. The Lakers gave them hope. Goodness, they’ve messed up now. Paul Pierce is bobbing his head and yakking again. Glen Davis is shaking his butt and clowning again. Kevin Garnett is bending at the knees and barking again. The TD Garden is rocking again. The Celtics’ cheerleading routine is being drowned out by ‘Beat L.A.’ chants again. The Celtics are improbably, but undoubtedly, championship contenders again. A series that felt finished two nights ago is now alive and tied at two games apiece after Boston outscored the Lakers by nine in the final period and stole a 96-89 victory that felt like a doubleheader sweep.”

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! – “‘I’m not going to put it on my shoulders to win or lose the game,’ Odom said. ‘We have to play together as a team.’ This is Lamar Odom in full. The personality that happily allows him to defer to others and at times makes him the ultimate third or fourth option is the same one that prevents him from assuming the pressure of stepping into an expanded set of responsibilities. He’s always had the talent to be one of the elite players in the game. He just never had the desire to take the job. ‘We have to make up for his size and shot-blocking ability and the way he protects the rim,’ Odom said of Bynum. ‘We have to realize as a team what he gives us and what Lamar gives us. As a team we have to rebound better. We gave [rebounds] up as a team. We have to box out as a team.’ Wait, there’s more. ‘It’s always team defense … we have to move the ball as a team … we do everything as a team … as a team we have to figure out what Andrew gave us and what we’re going to miss.’ Odom isn’t wrong. The game is won as a team. But the fact he wasn’t vocalizing an aggressive, ready-for-the-challenge mentality is worrisome. Someone needs to make something happen inside. Someone has to stop Glen Davis from pouring in 18 points. Someone has to play bigger than usual.”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “But on Thursday night, with an entire season riding on a mere 12 minutes of basketball, Doc Rivers threw emotional caution to the wind, and the result was one of the most unlikely fourth quarters in Celtics Finals history — one that vaulted Boston back into contention for Banner 18. The C’s were down 62-60 heading into the final quarter, and with the majority of Boston’s starters in need of a much-deserved rest, Rivers turned to Ray Allen and four Celtics subs to spell the stars. But in terms of emotional stability, you might as well have called it Ray Allen and four wild cards. Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, Tony Allen and Rasheed Wallace. Each contributes to the Celtics in his own way. Davis with grit, tenacity and hustle. Allen with lockdown defense and slashing offense. Wallace with his big body on the block, Jedi mind games on defense, and ability to stretch the opposition from three. Robinson with instant energy and more instant offense. But that’s at their best. At their worst, each is an emotional time bomb — capable of self-destruction at the drop of hat, or blow of a whistle. And as the five took the court for the fourth, that fear was running — faster than Robinson in transition — through Celtics Nation’s collective psyche. How long can they keep it together? Long enough to keep the game close? Long enough to get the starter rested? Long enough to keep the season alive? How long before one, two or more self-destruct? Only it never happened.”

Monique Walker, Boston Globe – “Bynum logged just 12 minutes, by far his fewest of the NBA Finals, leaving a void in the paint the Celtics were able to exploit in their 96-89 victory. The Lakers were beaten on the boards, 41-34; outmatched in the paint, 54-34; and stumped on second-chance points, 20-10. ‘Obviously we miss Andrew when he’s not out there because he’s been so effective just blocking shots and rebounding,’ forward Pau Gasol said. ‘Those two things alone are a big plus when he’s out there for us and it’s something that we’re going to need to continue to work on the next game.’ Now the Lakers may have to face the possibility Bynum may not be available Sunday. Bynum said a combination of pain and an inability to move effectively caused him to sit out a majority of the second half. He did not start the third quarter and played just 1:50 before sitting the rest of the game. ‘It bothered us in the second half not having Andrew be able to come out and play,’ Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ‘He tried a couple of minutes, but it just wasn’t there for him. We’re glad we have a couple days off and we can kind of get him back hopefully in position where he can help us out again.’”

Robert Mays, Boston Globe – “As the second half began, Bynum wasn’t included in the lineup. As a result, rather than matching up with Kevin Garnett, Gasol was checked by Kendrick Perkins. Perkins, who has about 30 pounds on Garnett, established an obstacle right from the start of the half. There was plenty of contact under the rim throughout the quarter, and Gasol’s repeated appeals to the referees went unheeded. The situation escalated to the point that Celtics coach Doc Rivers feared his center might be in danger of picking up a technical. ‘That was actually one of the reasons I said, ‘We’ve got to get [Perkins] out,’ ’ Rivers said, ‘because you could see it, the double technicals, it was about to come.’ With Perkins out, Rasheed Wallace (6 feet 10 inches tall) stepped in to guard the Gasol (7-0). And although the mass Perkins brings to the lane can slow Gasol, it’s Wallace’s extra reach that the Celtics’ coach sees as an advantage. Against the varied defenders, Gasol only had 8 points in the second half. ‘He’s got size and length,’’ Rivers said of Wallace. ‘Pau is a great offensive player, and it’s rare that he has to shoot over length. And he’s physical, Rasheed is physical. So if we can keep that body on him, that’s great.’”

Monique Walker, Boston Globe – “Derek Fisher gave the Lakers a magical performance in the fourth quarter of Game 3 Tuesday, posting 16 points in the victory. But last night Fisher fell into foul trouble and was limited in his contributions. He picked up his fourth foul with 5:17 left in the third quarter. Fisher left the game with the Lakers down, 53-52. His absence freed up Celtics guard Ray Allen, who scored 4 of the Celtics’ 8 points to end the quarter. ‘It affects us drastically on the defensive end of the floor as well as offensive end of the floor because [Fisher] does the majority of the ball handling, making sure we get into our offense and things flow,’ Bryant said.”

John Hollinger, ESPN – “Kevin Garnett clapped his hands and barked and screamed at Lamar Odom … while defending him off the dribble. Nate Robinson hollered in Odom’s face after a hard foul. Glen Davis showboated after baskets, making faces previously seen only on Maori warriors dancing the Haka and spewing enough drool to warp the court. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was as raw a display of emotion as you’ll see on a basketball court, by a club that was in desperation mode heading into Game 4. Boston rode that emotional wave in front of a raucous home crowd to beat the Lakers 96-89, evening the NBA Finals at two games apiece.”

Bob Hohler, Boston Globe – “‘Doc had trust in us and he rode with us, and we definitely took advantage of that opportunity,’ said Tony Allen, who converted a 3-point play when he was fouled on a layup to give the Celtics an 8-point lead with less than eight minutes to play. ‘There is definitely more to be done,’ Allen continued. ‘We don’t want to get complacent. We know there are three more games and we’re definitely going to have to bring that same kind of energy to Game 5.’ Wallace, who sank a deep 3-pointer to stretch Boston’s lead to 9 points midway through the final quarter, understood why some so-called experts were surprised by the bench’s role in the victory. ‘It’s real unusual,’ Wallace said, ‘but everybody on the team knows that Doc has confidence in them, as far as the second unit goes.’ There was no mystery to explain their performance, Wallace said. ‘You got guys who are hungry,’ he said, ‘and that’s what happens.’”

Steve Weinman, D-League Digest – “The combination of Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ for the Celtics-Lakers Finals montage video followed by the theme from Rocky for the Celtics’ entrance to the court to warm up still gives me chills. For the second time in three years, my heart rate takes a disproportionate jump merely watching the video vacillate from Larry Bird dunking to Ray Allen with his head bowed in the tunnel to Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis back to the live shot, this time filled by Kevin Garnett stalking the tunnel. Just like in 2008, I can already barely breathe, and we’re going to follow this with 18,624 fans standing to loudly greet the Eastern Conference champs as they actually take the floor? I’m on green overload. And all of that pales in comparison to the highlight of the pregame: the Celtics’ introduction. I’ll never forget my dad’s startled laugh when Kendrick Perkins barrels into Nate Robinson, knocking him from the paint to the sideline. The lights are down, the music is blaring, Eddie Palladino is screaming into the mic, and we have to strain to hear him because this crowd of green faithful really is that frenzied. But we can just make out my favorite arena phrase – “the captain aaaaaaaaand the Truth” – as Paul Pierce dances his way to the middle of the floor. For at least one more night, we’re here to watch the defining Celtic of this generation play for all the marbles. I can’t explain why, but there are tears in my eyes.

Nate Taylor, Boston Globe – “If there was any adjustment Pierce made after the first three games, it came from Rivers. Before Game 4, Rivers showed Pierce how the Lakers were giving him room to drive. Even if Artest was crowding Pierce on the perimeter, Rivers told him to put his head down and go to the basket — which led to Pierce’s biggest basket of the game. ‘I told him, ‘Boy, there were some great driving lanes for you. You’ve got to take them,’ ‘ said Rivers. On the first play of the game, Rivers had Pierce drive to the hoop. That resulted in a foul, and the coach said he thought that helped Pierce get into the right mentality. In the first quarter, Pierce scored in a fury, at times grabbing the ball and going right at Artest. Of the Celtics’ first 14 points, Pierce scored 10, which gave the Celtics an early lead. ‘He attacked early in the first quarter,’ Perkins said. ‘He got us into a pretty good start.’”

Nate Taylor, Boston Globe – “Appearing in the playoffs for the first time in his career, the 26-year-old knows the importance of finding ways to help the Celtics win. That means he has to do anything, and everything, Rivers wants. And that’s fine with Robinson, because he knows this: The only players who see the floor in the Finals are the ones Rivers has faith in. And Robinson has become one of those guys. Against the Lakers, Rivers has used Robinson to give Rajon Rondo rest. And the results have been there. In limited playing time, Robinson has been mostly productive, as in the Celtics’ win in Game 2 in Los Angeles when he scored 7 points in just six minutes — a performance that was hard to imagine a month ago. ‘I’ve been given the opportunity,’ Robinson said before last night’s Game 4. ‘He’s put me on the biggest stage, and hopefully I can keep that confidence in my coach.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Although Phil Jackson and Rivers have done their share of complaining about the officiating, the league hasn’t talked about fining either coach. ‘I haven’t seen what’s going on, but a little chirping is OK,’ said commissioner David Stern. ‘It shows that they’re human. It’s the howling that’s misdirected, and I haven’t heard them howling.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘I didn’t think it was ragged,’ countered Doc Rivers. ‘I just thought we missed shots.’ OK. ‘You know, (Rajon) Rondo’s got his head down at halftime,’ Rivers continued. ‘But we were getting point-blank layups. That’s a good thing. And I kept saying to guys, ‘There’s nothing negative about missed layups. It means that you’re getting layups.’ ‘ Doc paused. ‘That was my rationalization,’ he said.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “With Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, and Rasheed Wallace setting the hardwood and the Lakers ablaze in the final period, the Celtics’ most effective lineup of the night also happened to be their most emotionally charged. So the moment the Celtics started to rally was the same moment the game seemed to fly off the hinges. The Celtics were in the middle of a 12-4 run, up, 74-66, with 7:46 left, when Wallace was hit with a tech for dancing halfway around the court after being whistled for a foul on Kobe Bryant under the basket. But when Bryant missed the technical free throw, you could hear Wallace saying, ‘Ball don’t lie!’”

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated – “‘I’m not really concerned about [making adjustments], to be honest with you,’ said Bryant. ‘I’m more concerned about getting rebounds and getting the loose balls and stuff like that. When push comes to shove, I can always get a bucket.’ Truer words have not been spoken, at least not in this series. The Celtics have slowed Dwyane Wade and stifled LeBron James. They’ve marginalized Rashard Lewis and shut down Vince Carter. But Bryant is a different breed in the playoffs. It may take some impossible shots but, time and again, Bryant has proven that on this stage, the impossible is very much possible. Sure, Bryant will need help to win this series. He needs Pau Gasol to rise to the occasion and Andrew Bynum to squeeze three more games out of his achy knee. He needs Derek Fisher to knock down open shots and Ron Artest to play in control. But if he gets that help — just enough of it — Bryant has served notice that he is ready to put this team on his shoulders. Prepare accordingly.”

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“Let me tell you this: This team is in the present right now; we’re not worrying about what went on previously, not worried about the stats about who wins the third game and all that. We’re worried about the next game, and that’s our focus.” – Tony Allen

I’ve gotta tell you, I’m exhausted. That’s what happens when the only physical activity you participate in for an entire year is typing on a keyboard, then you play basketball for a couple hours and have to guard a 260-lb. behemoth who will be playing defensive end for UConn in the fall. Not exactly a joy ride, let me tell you. So it goes.

Now, being so exhausted and all, there are two things I could do. I could either 1) write a long and detailed game preview in which I tell you everything you need to know about Game 4, or 2) write a weak-sauce preview and catch me a nap so I can scream at Eddie F. Rush and crew through my television screen tonight.

I’m choosing option #2.

Just know that the Celtics need to get a more balanced performance offensively (can at least two of the Big Three show up tonight? Please?), go to work on the boards (they lost the board battle 43-35 in Game 3) and maybe even put a hand up on Derek Fisher in the 4th quarter.

And also? I’m not afraid. Take your “47-0 Phil Jackson” stat and “10-0 after winning the third game of a tied series” stat and shove them up Phil Jackson’s ass. I’m still confident. I’m not sure why, but I am absolutely at ease heading into tonight. I’m just feeling it. Don’t prove me wrong, Celts.

Pregame Notes:

• Andrew Bynum may not play after all. Yes! If DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell are LA’s only backup big men, you don’t need me to tell you the C’s should be in good shape.
• The C’s minority owner might be fined for telling David Stern his officials suck. Awesome.