Doc, Danny, and Big 3 Celebrate Emotional Win

June 17, 2008

Doc, Danny, and Big 3 Celebrate Emotional Win

With 4:01 left Doc Rivers made like Carol Burnett and tugged on his left ear.

With the crowd wailing ``Goodbye,'' Glen Davis, Leon Powe and Tony Allen replaced Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.



The Big Three would have left the floor if they could have, but the bear hugs that awaited them from Kendrick Perkins, P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell had blocked traffic. Referee Joe Crawford practically had to push them all off the floor to resume play.

The Celtics were just about to win the 17th NBA title in franchise history with last night's 131-92 Game 6 win over the Lakers, but Rivers remained stoic, with his arms crossed.

Danny Ainge, who had been on the verge of tears when his picture was put up on the Jumbotron, was now being hugged to death by Garnett in the middle of the huddle.

Rivers, barely a year after pulling into the dock with a 24-win team, stood with his arms crossed to the end. But his calm was finally washed away when Pierce came up from behind and doused him with a bucket of red Gatorade. Rivers turned and hugged his captain.

The greatest turnaround in league history was about to be capped in the greatest way imaginable - a 39-point blowout.

Pierce won the Finals MVP award, as he, Ray Allen and Garnett finally earned the championship that had eluded them.

``I got my own, man,'' Garnett told Celtics legend Bill Russell as they shared a postgame embrace.

From the rowdy fan in a Kobe Bryant jersey who was escorted out of the arena by security at halftime to the LA star himself, who shot a miserable 7-for-22 for his 22 points, the Garden was no place for a Laker last night.

Not only did they shoot horribly, including a 23-percent second quarter when the Celtics finally broke the game open - but they lost their spirit early.

The Celtics won almost all of the telltale races for loose balls and rebounds, and before long the lethargy was evident in the Lakers defense as well.

After taking a 58-35 halftime lead with a pair of murderous second-quarter runs (11-0, 9-0) that drew on the shooting of everyone from James Posey and Eddie House to Garnett, the Celtics made it even worse for LA in the third quarter.

They took their first 30-point lead (81-51) on a Rajon Rondo tip that came near the end of a 17-9 third-quarter run.

The Celtics headed into the fourth with an 89-60 lead, and hit the 30-point mark twice more (95-65, 98-68), the latter on the first of three Ray Allen treys over the next 1:25.

The Big Three remained on the floor with a 108-72 lead in hand and only 6:16 left.

Allen hit his fourth trey of the quarter with 5:21 left for a 113-77 lead, but the pounding continued.

Though Perkins and Rondo (four steals) were both on the bench with two fouls early in the game, the Celtics had forced four Lakers turnovers and played a more physical game.

Of more concern was the departure of Ray Allen after getting poked in the left eye. He returned to Pierce-like adulation from the crowd with under five minutes left in the half.

But the C's shooters were already doing their part in Allen's absence.