Pose and House

From the Long Beach Press

The greats of Celtics playoff magic reads like a who's who list of the NBA.

Bill Russell. Bob Cousy. John Havlechek. Larry Bird. Kevin McHale.

James Posey. Eddie House.

Wait, James Posey, Eddie House?

Yes.

And don't act so surprised. Nobody knows more than fans in Los Angeles that it's always some obscure Celtics' player breaking the Lakers' hearts.

The Celtics have taken eight championships off the Lakers since 1962, and nearly every one of them is marked by an unlikely player delivering a critical blow.

For every Bird there is a Don Nelson, whose miraculous jumper in Game 7 of the 1969 Finals broke the Lakers' back.

For every Russell there is a Gerald Henderson, whose perfectly timed steal in the closing seconds of Game 2 of the 1984 Finals turned that series around.

Posey and House joined that list Thursday with their decisive roles in the Celtics' stunning, improbable, potentially lethal 97-91 victory over the Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center.

Trailing by as many as 24 points in the first half and 20 midway though the third, Boston turned to Posey and House, a pair of long-range shooters off the bench, to help spread the floor and create easier scoring opportunities.

It took awhile, but the adjustment paid dramatic dividends. Posey scored 18 points, including a devastating 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining, to put Boston ahead, 94-89.

House had 11 points, including two 3-pointers and an 18-foot dagger with four minutes left to give the Celtics their first lead of the game at 84-83.

They never trailed again, and Boston had completed the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history - or at least since they kept track of such things in 1970-71.

"I was just going with the flow, and things just came," said Posey, who helped Miami win a title in 2006. "I just focused on the defensive end and we were able to get stops and the ball fell for us tonight."

Just by having Posey and House on the floor, Celtics stars Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett got more one-on-one matchups and more open lanes to drive though to the hoop.

Pierce had 14 of his 20 points in the second half, Allen had 10 of his 19 and Garnett scored 10 of his 16.

Boston trailed, 70-50, with 6:04 left in the third quarter, but with its three stars finally freed up, they ended the quarter on a 21-3 run to trail by just two going into the fourth quarter.

"They really didn't trap that much in the second half," Garnett said. "They went straight up, and when they did trap, I was able to find either E. House of James Posey and they hit their shots."

Part of the reason the Celtics made the adjustment was the ankle injury suffered by Rajon Rondo in Game 3. Rondo played 14 minutes in Game 4, but was obviously hobbled and ineffective.

The Lakers exploited the situation by continually doubling off him on Garnett, Allen and Pierce because they knew Rondo wasn't healthy enough to take advantage. It helped them build their 24-point lead.

House and Posey were a different story.

"It changed the course of the game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They put in Posey and House, and they spread the lineup and run screen rolls. They put some pressure on us to have to match up on screen rolls and have 3-pointers available and they hit the shots."