by Ryne Nelson

If you thought the NBA has seen enough of Darius Miles, well, think again. The defending champs announced today that they signed Miles. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. Here's more from the press-release:

"Darius has been in twice for workouts with us and has impressed us with his progress, health, and attitude;" said Danny Ainge, Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations/General Manager. "Darius will have the next couple of months to prove to myself and Coach Rivers that he can help us win."

[…]

"I've watched the Boston Celtics play a lot last year and loved what I saw in their teamwork and chemistry on the court and it's the team that I want to try to resume my career with." said Miles. "I am excited about having an opportunity to play on a team that I feel my personality fits with and a team that can have great success on the court."

Financially, the signing was a very low-risk venture. If Miles plays 10 games in either of the next two seasons, Portland has to pay the remaining $27 million of his contract.

Physically, Miles is different story. Teams were reluctant to consider Miles after his 2006 microfracture knee surgery and the recent whispers of a 10-game suspension for performance enchancing drugs.

Yet Miles' biggest effect may be on the Celtics' team chemistry and defensive focus.

By Khalid Salaam

Waiting an extra day for Game 5 was a partially annoying detail. At one point on Saturday evening I started to complain until I realized that it could be worse, I mean, we could be in Milwaukee instead of Los Angeles. So i shut myself up.
Pre-game predictions from yours truly saw a 40-point game in Kobe's future as the most probable way that the Lakers could get out of the Staples Center with a win.

Game-time and people are slowing but consistently pouring into the arena. There's an optimism in here but you can feel the anxiety. Nobody wants to see a team celebrate a championship on their homecourt. Ashanti's rendition of the national anthem was decent actually. Thought she was done but I see she's on the comeback trail. More power to her. During the Lakers introduction they flash on the big screen "not in our house" which is obviously the right approach to take. We'll see if that manifests itself on the court. Dick Bavetta's is one of the refs working the game and considering the controversies his name has been involved in this week I expected to hear some boo's when his name was announced over the loud speaker. LA fans punked out on that one.

The crowd energy is high in the Stapler but its not nearly as high as it should be, especially for an elimination game. It should be near deafening in here but I can talk easily without yelling. Just as I type that I like that the refs are letting them play early, the fouls start coming. Not that I want a crazy foul game but I don't mind if the game is played a little rugged as long as its equal opportunity. Its the Finals after all, this is for thee crown and the last thing anyone wants to see is the officials ruin the game with bs calls. I notice that there's a crowd nearby getting into a personal yelling match between Celtic and Laker fans, nothing flagrant just a cliché "Boston sucks" chant and Celtic fans screaming something back. This goes on for about 20 seconds until Kobe hits the shot that put the Lakers up 18-5 at the 6:36 mark of the 1st qt.

Like I expected Kobe loosened up the shirt and tie for this one and threw on the Superman suit. I predicted he's go for 40 but he already has 15 at this point and he's doing this while also getting other players involved. Just saw a dude on the big screen that looked like Khujo from the Goodie Mob celebrating and dancing. Laker fans are amped on the 16-point lead they're holding but it's early as hell to get this cocky. Missing 2 players from the rotation forces Doc to play Tony Allen and Sam Cassell more than usual. While certainly rusty, Allen is at least in context a better defender than Sam Cassell. He actually plays effective while in there and surprises everyone in the arena I think with his quickness and handle. Dude has talent but the injuries have lessened his game. Maybe he's back now.

Good to see Paul "Y'all Musta Forgot" Pierce in beast mode and he looks like the only Celtic who doesn't want the series to go back to Boston. Before we know it the score is 43-39 after the C's go on a 17-4 run and it's looking like déjà vu all over again of you're a Lakers fan. As proof of their nervousness the group of fans talking smack earlier have escalated to a legit war of words. The small group of Celtic fans are already drunk so this potentially will make my viewing experience better.

Can't believe Kobe only has 3 points since the 1st quarter and that 4th foul is a buzzkill. Laker fans are glued to their seat right now. Even with the and 1 from D Fish the energy isn't all the way back. It takes the 3 from Vlad to give LA some breathing room allowing the crowd to really gets amped.

The 3rd quarter is a weird mix of inspired play and bad calls and I'm not sure either teams wants to win (7 field goals and 6 turnovers Celtics? Really?) It annoyed me to be honest. Maybe it's just me, maybe my expectations are to high. I expect a lot from the Finals so when things are mismanaged I get extra pissed. All season long we dissect teams and players, for the whole year really but especially the 8 months out of the year when the NBA is going on. By the time the Finals get here I've seen countless games and I expect the ball played to be dynamic, to be mind-blowing and top notch. I don't expect to see a game in which Chris Mihm plays and a game in which Doc Rivers 3rd quarter rotation confounds my comprehension. I haven't been nearly as negative as the masses have been of Doc, I think he's done a good job. He has the C's a game a way from winning the title so he can't be doing that bad. But this game was one in which I see why people are sometimes angry with his choices. What happened to Powe? He started after all, might as well bring him back. Especially with KG in such crappy foul trouble. I was mixed about bringing in Cassell until he threw Sasha on the ground. I loved that. Play hard or go home for real. Anyone complaining about that never played real ball. Sasha was heavy on the theatrics and the refs thankfully ignored his foolishness. If the Lakers want this game they have to take it and not just act like its gonna be easy.

The Jumbotron flashes "not in out house" again and the crowd responds but lets see if the Lakers have another run in them. Everyone in the press room exhales at the 3:31 mark of the 4th. We all look around and comment on the shoulder shrug attitude of the fans here at Staples. It's a 1-point game, with your team in an elimination game and I would say 50 percent of the people in here are sitting down. On TV you can't tell but trust me, its pretty weak.
For some reason this really bothers me.

Can't believe Gasol was complaining about that flop but in true ball don't lie theology KG missed both of those free throws. This is one of those "Kevin GarNot" games that he's had occasionally throughout the playoffs. He's playing bad and its hurting them. Still the Celtics were in position to win until Kobe fouled/stripped Pierce which led to a 4 point lead with 37.4 seconds left. That was game, (though Eddie House almost turned into Reggie Miller before the Fisher free throws sealed it) so now we get ready for Game 6? I expect the Celtics to win and it may be a blowout. Although the fact that KB24 hasn't went nuts yet would concern me if I was A: a media member who wants to go home and not stay in Boston for a Game 7 and B: a Celtic fan.

I agree with all discussions about his talent level and it's within Kobe to go into berserker mode at any point. His 1st qt output in this game showed that. Yeah, the Celtics adjusted but its still a risk. You can't keep him down forever. He might have a 40 or 50-point game on Tuesday but the Lakers might still lose. I don't believe at all that both Odom and Gasol will have good games. Not on the road, those guys just aren't mean enough. One of them will vanish by the 2nd quarter and LA can't win without dual contributions from their forwards. Celtics get them in 6. Yep.

by Lang Whitaker

Aiight, we're in the Stapler, locked and loaded for Game Five. Game tips in about 15 minutes. Only one real shocker to report thus far: As we were walking into arena, we saw a car drive by and into the arena parking lot, being guided by none other than the embattled Dick Bavetta. And as I type these notes, he's on the court with Ken Mauer and Scott Foster. Talk about Stern and the NBA ducking any allegations. Wow.

• Also, Perk is a beast…in a suit. Leon Powe is in the starting five.

• National Anthem: Ashanti.

• The Lakers pregame intro ended with the words NOT IN OUR HOUSE, and the crowd erupted. And then they started playing "Won't Get Fooled Again," so I don't know what that means.

• Bavetta is introduced and gets a pretty weak, though mixed, response.

• The Lakers should have Ira Newble defend Paul Pierce and see if he can trick Pierce into thinking he's Benzino. Pierce wouldn't drive all night.

FIRST QUARTER
• Lakers win the tip. No, Bavetta didn't like it so he makes them re-do it, and Boston wins the tip the second time. It's fixed!

• Boston starts out with Ray Allen on Kobe. Gasol goes right in on KG and scores. Then he picks up a cheap foul. If the Lakers get in foul trouble, there foes the advantage with Perk out.

• Kobe. Three. Good.

• Pierce shuffles his feet in front of Bavetta, but no call. Ha. This is going to be a fun running them, methinks.

• Kobe shoots a three over a double team, misses, then Pierce misses a shot, and then Derek Fisher headbutts a camera.

• KG scores the first points for Boston, makes it a 5-2 game, until Fisher rips a three on the other end to make it 8-2.

• Kobe works Ray Allen and makes it 10-2. Time to switch Pierce onto him yet? Ray is not doing so well.

• Kobe picks up a foul, which means one on him, Gasol and Odom, and we're not even 5 minutes in. Rondo to the line for two, good, miss. 10-5, Boston.

• Pau Gasol is a lumberjack and he's OK. Them Kobe popped a three to make it 18-5, with 6:36 to go in the first. Boston is as flat as Ashanti right now.

• A fan in front of us just arrived rocking a KG jersey and was shouted down by a group of Lakers fans, who generated a vocal Boston Sucks! chant. Then that kinda dies down rather quickly.

• Eddie House checks in as Boston goes small, and Pierce immediately gets a jumper. Then Odom turns it over. I thought Boston might switch someone else onto Kobe, but they're sticking with it. And then Kobe just hit another three. Anyone want to guard Kobe?

• Ray Allen is getting lit up. Another three by Kobe. Then Ray gets one back. It's 24-12 and Kobe has 14 points.

• PJ Brown just exploded to the hoop, and I could hear the creaking noises from up here. Next time down he somehow does a 360 directly under the basket without dribbling the ball.

• Timeout with 2:04 left in the first, and LA leading 31-15. The Lakers are 5-7 on threes so far and are playing like the Suns tonight. Love the pace of the game for LA, especially with Boston undermanned. Pierce already looks exhausted.

• Zohan Vuajcic and Farmar are in. Out of the TO, Garnett gets an easy bucket in the paint. And Pierce is on Kobe now. Finally.

• KG scores again. There are baskets just waiting for him inside if he wants to go get them.

• And then he picked up his second foul. Maybe not the best idea. PJ Brown is back from vacation to replace him.

• You don't mess with the Vujacic! Steal and dunk to put LA up 14.

• Someone on Boston has got to step up and take control of this game. Right now, KG has 8 points but he's on the bench.

• Farmar and Walton run the give and go and get an easy bucket. Great defense by Boston there. Ugh.

• Pierce to the line and the fans chant "Wheelchair!"

• TONY ALLEN!

• 39-22 after one. Anyone remember the score after one during Game Four? 35-14. The Lakers better not sleep tonight.

• This tempo is also horrible for Boston. They're letting LA dictate to them instead of the other way around. Boston still hasn't released their full court press yet, but Doc Rivers can't like this falling behind stuff.

SECOND QUARTER
• Chris Mihm is in the house! The Secret of Mihm is out!

• Doc's starting to grasp at a straws — just put Damn Cassell in the game.

• Zohan! A three makes it 43-24…then Pierce drives and draws a foul on Mihm, who is apparently right back to his previous self.

• Pierce has had enough. He's driven to the rim on three straight touches and drawn back to back fouls on L.A. He's going to have to provide a heavy dose of this to pull Boston back into the game. It ain't pretty, but it works.

• Boston has no steals and has forced only 1 turnover. Pierce draws a second foul on Mihm.

• Pierce draws a foul on Ariza! That's four fouls Pierce has drawn in the last 2:30. Incredible.

• TONY ALLEN with a steal on the inbounds, then a dunk on the inbounds play. Phil Jackson has the LA D-Fenders out there. There's a little run for Boston, makes it 43-32 with 9:14 to go. Meanwhile, Khalid thinks something just bit the back of his neck and he reports a tingling sensation. I ask if it was a mamba, and Khalid says, "La Bamba?"

• Celeb watch: Lionel Richie is shown on the big screen. I actually passed him downstairs and was surprised by how short he is.

• Phil brings back Kobe and Lamar, this time surrounded by Zohan, Turiaf and Farmar. It's like he's handicapping his own team.

• By the way, TONY ALLEN is on Kobe. That should be a fun matchup.

• TONY ALLEN drives and hits a running hook shot. 43-34, LA. Then Turiaf plows into Posey for a charge.

• Garnett returns along with Gasol and Fisher, and immediately KG picks up his third foul. Back to the bench. 7:28 left in the second.

• Dunk from Pierce, then Kobe forces a three that misses, then TONY ALLEN takes Kobe, and then Pierce rips a three. Remember when we talked about someone taking over? Here it is. 43-39, LA.

• Airball from Fisher.

• Timeout on the floor, 43-39, LA. That means Boston is on a 17-4 run in the second. Uh-oh…

• Turnover from Boston out of the timeout; Cassell makes a bad pass to TONY ALLEN. Boston is totally playing with more fire right now, though.

• Boston doubles Kobe on the wing and he hits Fisher, who bricks a three. Boston had Pierce on him on the last play, and and now they're doubling.

• Odom scores inside to make it 45-39, and Boston takes a timeout. Cassell's getting open looks but missing everything, and he can't guard anyone either. Ray Allen is coming in, I guess for Cassell? They've got to do something. And the Lakers fans (plural) in front of us are trying to start beef with the Celtics fan (singular), and all the media here and enthralled watching it.

• Powey misses a three out of the timeout then fouls Odom on the other end. Then Odom scores and Vlad Rad get T'd up!

• Boston is playing with TONY ALLEN at the point…and he uses Vlad and Gasol to score.

• Phil puts in Farmar and he promptly airballs a three. Then Ray Allen swishes one after coming off a series of screens. 50-45, with 2:14 to go.

• Farmar hits one to make it an 8-point lead. Then a double-technical is called on Ray Allen and Derek Fisher, who are accused of being too family-friendly.

• Rondo returns. PIerce hits PJ Brown under the rim for a two to make it 55-49. Bavetta then breaks out his signature "make the call and sprint the other direction" move.

• Pierce has Kobe on him as the Celts hold for one. He dribbles the clock down, gets a pick from Ray Allen, and unbelievably the Lakers switch the pick, meaning Pierce now has Fisher on him, and he drills a three over Fisher to make it 55-52 at the half.

HALFTIME: Just like in Game Three, the Celtics are doing everything they can to give this game away. KG's been in foul trouble, Perk is out, Rondo is basically out, Posey hasn't scored, PJ Brown has 3 fouls…and yet they're just 3 points away. It's not my place to tell to tell Phil Jackson what he's doing, but this is the Finals. Chris Mihm playing was strange at the time, but when he left with 0 points, 2 fouls, 1 turnover and 1 airball, it wasn't a surprise. When Mihm checked in, L.A. was up by 16. When he checked out, L.A. was up by 11.

• By the way, Pierce leads Boston in points, rebounds and assists. Other great stat: Vlad Rad has a +18 rating for the first half.

THIRD QUARTER
• Laker ball. Laker turnover. That was fast.

• Three from Ray Allen ties the game at 57. Lets of weird yells from the crowd. Then Kobe to the line. The chants of Wheelchair return, and a Boston fan goes, "That's old! That's old!"

• Boston runs the break and Pierce misses a tough shot, then LA comes back and Kobe hits a runner that Bavetta adds a foul call to. Lakers up 60-58. KG gets it right back.

• Kobe on the wing with KG on him, and Kobe decides to drive, where Paul Pierce is waiting to take a charge. Then Rondo rondos a three from the wing to make it 62-60, Boston.

• You know you got Gasol! Tied at 62.

• Gasol drives again and gets a bucket, as KG picks up his fourth trying to help PJ Brown, who got beat…then they change the foul and put it on PJ Brown, and that's his fourth, as well.

• Timeout LA, leading 65-64 and with 6:21 to go. Both teams look tentative right now. Kobe has scored 3 points since the 1st quarter.

• Some guy who looks like Bocephus just got the crowd all fired up. Out of the timeout, Kobe drives the lane and gets called for a charge against Powey. That's Kobe's 4th. Uh-oh.

• Kobe fights for a rebound, then sets up Fisher, who hits a jumper and collides with Rondo for the and-one. Fisher puts LA up 4, 6-64, with 5:14 to go. Then Rondo turns it over and Vlad Rad pops a corner three. 71-64.

• Timeout Boston. Doc has to treat these guys like a high school team, make sure they don't lose their confidence. Also, KG is sitting on a -15 rating tonight.

• Pierce scores out of the timeout. Posey wipes Lamar on a drive. Then there's a weird collision at halfcourt and a foul is called on Eddie House by Bavetta. That send LA to the line, and Fisher makes both. 73-66, LA.

• After Boston gets two free throws, Cassell has to replace House, who seems to be bloodied or something. Pierce picks up his third on a call from Bavetta, the Cassell runs off a bunch of screens and hits a 18-footer. KG double-dribbles and gets away with it. Then KG crushes Gasol in the open floor. Cassell tries to take the call but he can't fool Bavetta. That's four on KG, and two really dumb fouls he's committed back to back.

• The point guard slot is killing Boston — Cassell won't shoot threes…and as I write that, Eddie House returns.

• This game also lacks a sense of urgency from both teams. LA is not playing like their season depends on it, and Boston looks like they'd be happy to go back to Beantown for a Game 6. Lamar scores in the post to give LA a 79-70 lead, and then Eddie houses the ball outta bounds. Then PJ picks up his fifth foul, which might force Doc to play TONY ALLEN or Leon Powe…no reason those dudes shouldn't be on the floor.

• Boston misses a corner three and after three, the score is Los Angeles 79, Boston 70.

FOURTH QUARTER:
• I think Lamar jammed something on the opening play (hopefully he jammed his finger). Pierce gets two free throws, and then Farmar destroys House for a layup. I'm starting to understand the frustration of Boston fans with Doc Rivers. TONY ALLEN was lights out in the first half and he hasn't been back since, and then Leon Powe started the game and has played all of 5 minutes…meanwhile PJ Brown can't even walk anymore. He's making Phil Jackson look like a genius for only playing Chris Mihm for 3 minutes. It's like a contest between the two coaches to see who can harm their team's chances the most. And Doc's winning right now.

• Pierce gets a layup to make it 84-74, LA.

• Jordan Farmar just drove in and scored over the defensive player of the year, Kevin Garnett. And then LA hustles back and Walton gets a bucket.

• How does Doc Rivers respond? He inserts Sam Cassell. Is this the same guy who coached games 1, 2 and 4?

• And Cassell scores immediately. Then Zohan and Cassell tangle for a loose ball and Zohan goes flying, and I hear Zohan's head hit the ground from up here. Lakers win the jump and Zohan misses a three, but LA gets it back. Farmar misses a layup, and Cassell draws a questionable foul on Farmer and gets the and one.

• Sorry, Doc.

• 88-79, LA. The Lakers switch Zohan onto him and Cassell drives past him to the hoop for two.

• Things get sloppy. KG garnott get a basket, and then LA turns one over. Pierce sits on a prone Walton and draws a foul on Walton. PIerce hits two to make it 90-83, with 6:22 to go. Phil puts Fisher and Odom back in.

• Turnover, Kobe Bryant. Then Pierce slides through the lane and hits Posey in the corner for a three. 90-86. Then Fisher misses a jumper and Lamar helpfully taps it out of bounds. Boston ball. Timeout, 5:28 to go and Boston on the doorstep.

• Pierce draws a foul of the timeout and gets two shots, making it 90-88, LA. Pierce is playing his tail off.

• Tied up! KG from 15 makes it 90 all. 4:26 left.

• Gasol gets a two, then KG to the line. Miss, make. 92-91, 3:54 to go.

• KG picks up his fifth foul away from the ball while fighting for position with Gasol. And the Lakers throw it in and Pierce is called for his fifth. The refs are going to make sure we get back to Boston one way or the other.

• BTW, tight game, 3 minutes to go, and every fan in here is silent. They scurred.

• Lamar gets fouled by Posey and goes to the line for two. Makes, makes. 94-91, 3:20 left.

• Pierce skips through the paint and gets an open layup, but gets fouled. That lane was open like the 24-hr Subway by our hotel. Pierce makes both and cuts it to 2, 95-93. 2:49 left.

• Pierce gets stripped at the top of the key and Fisher gets fouled on the break. Two shots for D-Fish. Miss, make. 95-91, 3:07 left. LA should put Boston away now…if they can.

• Gasol spins and matadors around in the post, then KG grabs the rebound and flops out of bounds. Two shots! KG to the line: misses, misses. 95-93, 2:31 left.

• Ray Allen somehow fouls Kobe, though Posey was all tangled with Lamar, too. Kobe to the line, even though he has just 5 points since the first quarter. He hits both to make it a 4 point game.

• Boston misses two inside attempts. LA gets it to Kobe, who takes a bad runner. Gasol rebounds and LA gets it back to Kobe. 1:27 left. Kobe dribbles, holds, then misses a three over Posey. Lamar is charged with a loose ball foul, sending Pierce to the line for two. Pierce hits the first, then TONY ALLEN checks in! Pierce to the line, makes the second. 97-95, LA, 1:09 left.

• LA misses a three, and Pierce gets the ball. For some reason Odom and Gasol look like they want to foul him, but he manages to hang on to the ball. He comes down and dribbles it off his leg, and the Lakers lob it out to a breaking Kobe for a dunk. 99-95, 37.4 left. Timeout, Boston.

• Out of the TO, Boston gets a shot with Ray Allen driving to the basket. He misses a runner and KG misses a tip-in. LA gets the board. Flea is on the scoreboard going nuts. Boston fouls with 24.8 left. Fisher to the line. Miss! Then after a long break, makes the second. 100-95, 24.8. Timeout, Boston.

• And that's it, basically. Ray Allen just fouled out, and Kobe's free throws seal the game. Everyone who thought Kobe was going to hav a break out night? Nope. Instead he made sure the entire team played well (five players in double-digits).

• House for three, and then the ball gets loose in the corner, but Fisher gets the ball and goes to the line, and the Lakers win it 103-98.

Boston? See you on Tuesday…

• And we're done.

by Lang Whitaker

Not much to say here, just wanted to remind everyone that the Game 5 liveblog will be happening here on SLAMonline.com tonight. We'll get it going just before tipoff, for tonight's eliminationatory contest. (That's so not a word, is it?)

I've been bunkered down in the hotel room for the last 24 hours, getting my grind ground. Oh, and last night Khalid and I went out to dinner with a ground of NBA and media folk and found ourselves at a long table with none other than Clipper Darrell. I thought I was insane about the Hawks, but I've got nothing on Clipper Darrell. I mean, even his car was Clippered out. I love Clipper Darrell. Not the Clippers, though.

Alright, gotta get ready to head to the Stapler. No idea how this is going to play out tonight, but I'm just hoping for a great game. Let's see what happens.

Catch you guys back here tonight…

by Lang Whitaker

Saturday! Which means we're still a day away from Game Five. I know there's only a two-day break between games, but out here, sitting around awaiting for the game to go down, it feels like weeks between games. I wish we could just do the Finals over seven consecutive days, bang bang bang, but that not only wouldn't allow the players time to rest up and recuperate, it also would prevent your favorite media members from having the time to opine and form opinions about the series, and that's what we're all here for, right? Hype! Blather! Noise!

Yesterday the Celts cancelled practice and the Lakers didn't do media availability, and today's sessions were to be similarly truncated. Last night, with no plans and no standing affiliations, Khalid and I ended up heading back to the Staples Center with a couple of folk to see L.A.'s other team, the L.A. Sparks, play ball. I'd been to one WNBA game in my life, and once the Finals end I'm going to continue our ongoing series with Candice Wiggins, so I decided to get my mind right. First we stopped at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle for dinner, and I got a fix for my southern food jones. Then we hit the Stapler for the Sparks vs. Connecticut Sun.

In the past, I've been as critical as anyone else about women's basketball: too many turnovers, sloppy play, etc. But I was really impressed last night; the W has come a long way, baby. Way fewer turnovers, excellent shooting, crisp offensive sets. I immediately took a shine toward Connecticut's Tamika Whitmore, who seems to be the Rasheed Wallace of the W, and found myself rooting for Whitmore to have a big game. She did, though Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie proved to be too much to handle, even though it took them overtime to set the Suns. Fun game, and even Khalid was standing and yelling. (Also, two celebrities there in the front row: Jack Black and Shelden Williams. I'm guessing Shelden Williams must be the Nicholson of the Sparks.)

Today we hit the mall, because I recently discovered that I'm running out of clothes. I've been on the road for like two weeks now, and I can't do laundry today because I might not get it back in time to leave on Monday. So we found a Macy's and a bookstore and a Radio Shack and did that what's always fun to do when you're bored: spend cash.

One thing I haven't really written about is this whole Tim Donaghy business. What is the deal? From what I can tell, Donaghy was pissed that the NBA filed a million dollar lawsuit against him, so he let slip what he'd told the FBI: That there were four NBA games that were fixed. One was the 2002 Game Six between the Lakers and King, one was a Rockets playoff game (the one that set off Van Gundy about officiating), and the other two are unclear. Donaghy mentioned this stuff at the worst possible time as far as the NBA was concerned: During the glorious Lakers/Celtics series.

I've had people ask me for years if the NBA was fixed. And you know what? It isn't. I hate to tell you that, but it's true. I heard David Stern on a local talk radio station out here in L.A. the other day, and after his call a bunch of callers called in to say that they knew the NBA was fixed. Right. To his credit, the host of the show asked if the NBA was fixed, why did the Spurs keep winning, and why were the Cavs and Spurs in the Finals last season? One woman said it was because every team gets a piece of the pie. (As a fan of the Atlanta Hawks, I can unilaterally promise you that this is a falsehood.)

As part of what I do, I get to see behind the curtain of the NBA, and I know too many people who work too hard for their efforts to be orchestrated by some grand puppet master. Players really do shoot thousands of jumpers each day. Coaches really do spend hours breaking down game film.

And if there is some grand conspiracy to dictate the outcome of NBA games, it must be the best kept secret in the history of sports. Considering how the NBA can't even keep it secret when a player is getting traded, you'd assume something like Donaghy is alleging would have leaked by now. But nothing by anyone until this week, and it just happens to be from a dude facing jail time and a $1 million fine. Hmm.

Now, do referees sometimes manipulate calls? Definitely. How many times do we see calls go against the NBA's lesser lights instead of superstars? How often are shooting fouls called only after a player misses the shot? That kind of stuff happens all the time, and I detest it, but I don't think it's dictated by David Stern or Adam Silver. In a way, it's human nature. If you're a ref and you can give Tim Duncan his fifth foul or Jacque Vaughn his second, who would you call it on? Do you need a memo from you boss to know how to make that decision?

All this doesn't mean there can't be another NBA ref who is on the take—or an NFL ref or an MLB umpire, for that matter. But I do know that the NBA isn't rigged. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Khalid is working on a post for the site right now as well, so we're coming hard with the Saturday coverage. And then, of course, I'll be with you tomorrow night for the Game Five liveblog from the Stapler. I really don't know what to expect. When Boston plays their hardest, they're a tough nut to crack. But with all these injuries, I just don't know if they'll have the depth to keep the pressure on L.A. for 48 minutes.

Either way, I'm looking forward to it. Let's get it started in here, let's get it started in here, let's get it…

By Khalid Salaam

I go into this game totally assuming that it will be the best game of the series, which it was but it sure didn't start off like that. I had gotten accustomed to clowning Laker fans for their watery support in the beginning of game 3 (the arena was ¼ empty during a large part of the 1st qt in game 3) but for game 4 they are out in droves. Staples had near full capacity at tip-off, something I have to admit surprised me (Btw I saw way too many Celtic jerseys last night and nobody seemed to say much to the people rocking them. That includes women Boston fans as well. I mean c'mon, there is no way that's acceptable).

At the start of the game the crowd keeps getting amped whenever Pau Gasol touches the ball and he keeps letting them down. He can't do anything right it seems but the Lakers fans are so positive that they keep encouraging him. Its actually really weak on the part of Laker fans and if he played on a east coast team he would surely be getting booed by now and possibly assailed with nasty words about his home country. At least Odom started off well. Being more active and seemingly discovering overnight that he was in fact playing in the NBA Finals and not playing it on Xbox.

Celtics are just so jumbled at the start but its not like they haven't had moments like this during the playoffs, everyone wants them to turn into a superpower but they always seem to make it hard. That's just their style I guess. Being down by 20 at the end of the 1st quarter still sucks though. And they accomplish all this with Kobe playing set-up man, a role I personally think is okay for him to play but not in game the Lakers had to have. There's a lot of talk about how he should shoot less but I totally figured and hoped Kobe would come out kamikaze style and drop a 50-point game on the C's.

During the breaks they bring out the Laker Girls and I have to say they are indefensibly terrible. I noticed that during game 3 but wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, anyone can have an off game I told myself. Well to be certain they come out and dance so rigidly that I just laugh to myself. They are very safe, which is the exact opposite of the Knicks dancers for example, who push the envelope in their creative raunchiness. (I'm sure one of them has syphilis or something.)

In the 2nd qt the Celtics are playing like they did in the Cavs series. Not forming any consistent kind of offensive sets or holding on to the ball. Down 45-21 at the 5:26 mark all the journalists up here in the press box are getting restless. Nobody hates blowouts as much as writers and I look around and see several people with angry scowls and frustrated demeanors. When I glance over at the stat screen in Staples and see that as of Odom hasn't missed a shot, which makes me think this is the Lakers game even with the recent run the Celtics make to cut the lead to teen numbers. Probably just gonna be one of those boring games I say to myself.

The arena in Staples shows the promo for the new Will Smith movie "Hancock" and then the camera zooms on Smith who smiles at the camera and does his dance from the "Getting Jiggy With It" video. Can't say that I care much about seeing this particular flick but I respect his latest roles. I Am Legend had me on some other sh*t.

ESPN's Jemele Hill and Lang talking about the new 90210 show mentally interrupts me. Apparently Lang is amped about this. I just shake my head in disbelief and keep typing. They call a 3rd foul on Kobe late in the 1st half, which infuriates the home crowd. Yeah Laker fans, get angry, please.

I argue with Lang on that Farmar play to close the half. Looks like a walk to me but whatever. I still say the playoffs should add an extra ref since they seem so over matched. Most of these guys are in their 40's and 50's. To have them running up and down trying to stay at the pace of guys half their age only adds to their inability to make all the calls necessary. Personally, I'm proud of this idea.

Really disappointed that the halftime show consists of some dude named Peter Rabbit who banged on two buckets and called that an act. I've seen better riding the D train home after work. Isn't this LA after all? The Finals at that, they couldn't get Usher in here? WTF.

I started drifting off during the 3rd qt, not sleep just staring at the crowd and wishing for a competitive game. For all the mega-hype between these teams there hasn't been 1 single classic game yet. Besides the Pierce injury moment I'm unconvinced that there has even been a classic moment yet. During one of the TV timeouts they do the obligatory celebrity close-up. When they show Jada Pinkett Lang says something disparaging. I ignore him as always. Never met a sane man who didn't think she was hot (remember Lang is amped about 90210 so I rest my case).

When Eddie House hits that 3 towards the end of the 3rd qt the mood of the arena changes. People are still clapping and doing the "lets go Lakers!" chant but that's only because they're conditioned too, not because they're energized. The PJ dunk officially sets the crowd into a shook moment.

The Celtics stay flirting with taking the lead for several minutes and even though Kobe is trying to hold them off the score remains close. Everyone in the arena is slathered up now, press included. People are standing and yelling, faux fans are screaming "MVP" and cookie-cutter writers are typing fast as they can, I assume updating their respective websites.

The Ray Allen fall down and then get up and pass to Posey play pulls a yell out of me. Only to be bested by Eddie House's INYOFACE jumper. When LA falls down by 5 the Lakers girls come back out and fail to impress yet again. This is the biggest potential morale boost of the season and all they do is jump around and clap. I expecting some flips like those high school cheerleaders do. This is just pathetic. The crowd barely acknowledges them and they get a sympathetic applause as they vacate. Kobe is 6 for 19 btw and can't complain that he didn't get enough help. Although Sasha allowing Ray Ray to blow past him and the entire country of Slovenia was a disgrace and will end up being the most memorable play of this game. Sasha's dad is a coach btw, no judgments but crap that was a terrible play. Happy Father's Day.

When I ask him in the locker room if he was supposed to get help he sighs and shakes his head back and forth slightly before responding with "uuhh, no. It doesn't matter now I just made the wrong play."

He didn't want to throw Pau under the bus it seems but if you watch the replay you can tell that Pau was supposed to help and was way out of position. I thought there was a whistle or something the way Ray Allen strolled to the rim, I just cannot believe how easy that was. Five minutes after the game there are about 50 Laker fans still in the seats and a small (7 maybe) contingency of Celtic fans yelling something indecipherable but surely positive. Laker fans are blown and somewhat in shock. During the postgame TV show Lakers legend Michael Cooper offers up this priceless gem– "The Lakers lost a home game, well, the playoffs have officially started."

No BS, that's what he said.

The only silver lining to this game is that now Kobe has a chance to prove once and for all how great he is. This is Kobe's chance to push himself into all-time top ten considerations. If he wants to be truly great this is his biggest opportunity. I personally think Kobe is amazing but he has not had that unstoppable offensive game yet in this series. Maybe its his finger or the Celtics defense is just truly great. No team has ever come back down 3-1 in the Finals but if KB24 can do it he'll deserve all the accolades bestowed on him. I think it ends in game 5 but we'll see.

Last night was interesting. Also interesting is thinking how close this series is to being 3-1 Lakers. Only it's not.

Which is fun.

Some things that occured to me in the wake of this madness…

-How come no one talks about the danger of the huge first-quarter lead? I have absolutely no statistical data to back this up, and I'm not even recalling a lot of anecdotal evidence at the moment, but I'm certain of my point: Big early leads set teams up for disaster.

Think about it. If it's a close game through the first half and then you somehow go up 10 or 12 late in the third, that's a huge psychological advantage. You've got the momentum, you're starting to pull away, and the other team feels like the game is getting away from them. It's borderline panic-time. But if you're up 24 in the first half, and then your lead is whittled down to 10 or 12 late in the third, suddenly YOU'RE the one panicking. You start to feel helpless, and you get away from the things that got you this huge lead in the first place. It seems like pretty basic psychology, and anyone who watches the NBA on a regular basis understands this.

It's different in the playoffs, too. Not that it doesn't happen in the regular season, but we've all seen enough games where teams get down big early and find an excuse to coast to the finish (unless they're playing an early-mid '00s Knicks team in the midst of a Patented Fourth-Quarter Collapse™.) But in the postseason, with the stakes so much higher, great teams don't give up. It almost happened to Boston in Game 2, and it sure as hell happened to L.A. last night. I think if I were an NBA coach, I wouldn't let my team go up by more than 12 in the first half of any playoff game. It's not worth the stress.

-Remember how Phil famously accused young Kobe of "sabotaging" games to keep them close and set up his own late-game heroics? Think maybe KB's doing the same thing to this series? I'm not saying it's likely, but as always, I put nothing past Mr. Bean.

-Speaking of Kobe: His legacy is up in the air right now a little bit, huh? I don't mean his legacy as a great, great player, but his legacy as THAT dude. Shooting a combined 15-of-45 in Games 1 and 4… well, it's not particularly Jordan-esque is all I'm saying.

Also: "Bryant acts entitled because he is entitled." Maybe not today, though.

-A few weeks back I made some ridiculous comment about how the Celtics have three possible Hall of Famers on their roster: KG, Pierce, and Tony Allen. Sorry, I meant Ray. Regardless, some of you thought I might as well have meant Tony for how absurd my statement was. Well, let's revisit, shall we?

Garnett's HOF status is obviously pretty untouchable, and Pierce — a Celtic lifer and captain who will, it looks like, end up with at least one ring to go with his terrific career stats and many instances of clutch play — will be that much closer to an HOF lock if Boston closes this thing out. And Ray Ray? As crazy as it seemed when he was shooting -8 percent against the Cavs, dude's arguably been the Celtics' best player in this series: Leading scorer (20 ppg) through four games, hitting a fairly ridiculous 52 percent from the field, including 48 percent from three, along with 6 boards, 1.2 steals, and stretches of surprisingly effective defense on that Bryant guy. If he keeps it up, dude's got a pretty great shot at Finals MVP. And if he does THAT? Call it the James Worthy scenario: Big Game was always gonna be a borderline Hall of Famer, but his ridiculous play in the '87-88 Finals — including the first Game 7 triple-double in Finals history — earned him Finals MVP, which looked awfully good when HOF folks were checking his resume a few years back. This has nothing to do with anything. I'm just saying.

So, yeah. Ray Allen. He's an actor, too.

-And speaking of '87-88… There's been lots of talk and blogging and whatnot about how this season might be the best in NBA history. I'm gonna go ahead and squash that right now.

A few years back, SLAM did a one-off special issue on how 1988 was the greatest year in NBA history. Like every one-off special issue Slam does (or, I suppose, like every issue every magazine has ever published), this was done primarily to make our publisher money. But it was also a cool chance for those poor saps on the editorial side (like me) to revisit the League's golden age. A few more years removed, and compared to this just-about-completed '07-08 season, '87-88 gleams even more brightly.

Briefly: The '87-88 Lakers are better than the '07-08 Lakers. The '87-88 Pistons are better than the '07-08 Celtics. The '87-88 MVP was better than the '07-08 MVP. The '87-88 playoffs had moments (Bird v. Nique, Isiah's bum ankle Game 6, Worthy's triple-double Game 7) that far overshadow anything we've seen in '07-08. The '87-88 Finals were one of the best in League history. The '07-08 Finals will have to go bat-sh*t crazy over the next three games to come close.

This has been a great season, but this stupid VH-1 inspired "Best Season Ever!" nonsense has got to stop. Because it's not.

by Marcel Mutoni

The noise, or lack thereof, is really quite awful.

When the air is completely taken out of a building; when you can actually feel the life being sucked from the bodies of nearly 20,000 people. That's what it was like last night inside the Staples Center, as we helplessly looked on and saw our beloved Lakers give up a commanding 24-point lead, and their championship hopes in the process.

The slow, long, and shameful walk out of the building was equally torturous, as the elevators and stairways were packed with long faces, people shaking their heads in utter disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

It was one of the worst Playoffs losses in franchise history, and it hurt like hell.

From the start of the evening's festivities, there was no indication that this would be anything but a joyous Laker victory.

The crowd was ear-splittingly loud (randomly starting up inspired "Boston Sucks!" chants and a derisive "Wheelchair" one for Paul Pierce), and after a stirring National Anthem, the Lakers immediately jumped on the Celtics - led by a rejuvenated Lamar Odom - and looked as though they would completely blow them out of the water.

(The part of the arena where my brother and I were sitting was full of interesting and colorful characters. There was a guy to our right who took off his shirt as soon as he got to his seat, revealing a torso full of tattoos.

When he stood up and turned around, it became quite clear that he had once taken a bullet to the left side of his lower back. Needless to say, very little eye contact was made with this man.)

It began slowly of course, the collapse, as Boston methodically chipped away at L.A.'s lead right before the halftime break. When things began to look a little dicey, Jordan Farmar raced down the middle of the court and hit a running banker to beat the buzzer at the end of the second quarter.

It was the last feel-good moment of the game for the Lakers and their fans.

In the second half, things completely unraveled, L.A.'s players couldn't hit a shot to save their lives, became allergic to the paint, and the Celtics began connecting from all over the floor.

And what to make of Kobe Bryant? On the biggest night of the season, he was, quite simply, ordinary. His shooting percentage was ghastly, and he played with the energy of someone who was about to undergo a root canal.

The big lead - and the resulting lack of urgency - put Bryant's guard down, and when he realized that he would have to put on his Superman cape, it was too late. The damage had been done, and now, he must face another long and frustrating summer.

You've gotta give Boston all of the credit in the world. They did what they set out to do from the start of the year, faced enormous pressure along the way (from the press, the wildly passionate fans, and their own lofty expectations), and overcame plenty of obstacles - including their own head coach.

(Speaking of Rivers: His boneheaded refusal to yank Sam Cassell in favor of Eddie House became so absurd, that Laker fans actually gave him a standing ovation when they realized that House would be glued to the bench for long stretches of the game. It was one of the funniest things that I've ever witnessed.

Unfortunately for us, Doc eventually came to his senses and stuck with House for much of the second half, and the rest is history.)

The Celtics are clearly the better team - especially on the defensive end - and as much as it pains me to admit it, they absolutely deserve the championship they're about to win.

I'm going to Vegas this weekend. Heavy gambling and strippers. Yeah, that sounds like the perfect remedy for a loss of this magnitude. And if that doesn't work, I hear the holes in the desert are quite cozy.

by Lang Whitaker

It was about 30 minutes after Game Four ended last night, and I was hanging out in the bowels of the Stapler with an NBA exec, discussing the Celtics pulling off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. As we stood there, the Boston coaching staff came by on their way to the team bus. Assistant coach Armond Hill stopped and we were all kind of shaking our heads about the game. "We just kept coming," said Hill. "In the huddles, they just wouldn't give up. Paul kept saying, 'We have to win this game. We have to win this game.'"

And they did, somehow. Numerically, it was an historic comeback, but logically, it didn't seem like a great game as it was unfolding, mostly because the second half was marked by the Lakers folding. What I mean is, it wasn't two teams slugging it out; last night was one team taking some punches and then splitting the other team's ear open. Khalid (a.k.a. Iron Man) and I talked after the game about how many strange plays there were, particularly plays involving Ray Allen (Vujacic pulling the matador defense; Ray with the double-pump reverse lay-up; the play where Ray dove on the floor and hit Posey in the corner for a three, etc.). Neither team was able to string together four powerful quarters, which led to a choppy game.

When I was leaving the arena, I ran into an associate of Kobe, and we talked about how it's all on KB24 now. Khalid and I talked about it on the bus ride home, and he wrote about it here, but if Kobe ever wanted a better set-up, it would be tough to find. Because not only would making L.A. be the first team to bounce back from a 3-1 deficit silence all Kobe haters, I don't think it's inconceivable. L.A. hasn't not been consistent, but what if they suddenly find their groove? And nobody's really talking about it, but what's the deal with Rondo and Perkins? If Rondo remains ineffective, I think L.A. can adjust to House, who is basically a spot-shooter. And Perk's injury looked pretty serious. If he's unavailable for the rest of the series, the Celts are going to be even slower on the interior, which means Gasol and Odom should be able to both get going.

At the same time, I'm curious if Game Five will be the game when KG finally goes off. Gasol can't even seem to guard KG's shadow, but Boston doesn't really play like they want to exploit their advantage. But I think that's more about KG's mentality than Boston's gameplan. About an hour before Game Four, Doc Rivers talked about the difference between KG and Pierce:

"If Paul makes three shots in a row, he's shooting the fourth time he gets the ball whether it's a good shot or not. Kobe as well. If Kevin makes three in a row, he's thinking that he's taken too many shots already and needs to get someone involved. You really would want every player to be that way in some ways, but when you're as talented as Kevin I think it frustrates people at times. It doesn't (bother) us because I think he's made so many great plays for our team and we facilitate our offense through him."

I understand the frustration Doc is talking about, because as a fan it's tough to sit there and watch KG refuse to keep going after Gasol. If I was Boston, I'd go to Garnett 20 times in a row in the post. Only thing is that he'd apparently pass it after the third shot.

Anyway, we've got about 55 hours until Game Five tips off. I've got a lot of work to do, so I'm going to bunker down in the hotel and try to get my grind on while watching Euro 2008. (How cool is it that ESPN has finally embraced soccer? During Euro 2004 I had to order the tournament on Pay Per View. Now it's all free. Thank you, ESPN.) Well, either work or run around L.A. with Arash.

One thing about the East/West time difference is that the West Coast definitely wins that match-up. We walked out of the Stapler last night around 9:30 p.m., which seems crazy because we usually leave Knicks games closer to 11:00 p.m. I know the late starts are rough for fans on the East Coast, but starting a game at 6:00 p.m. in Boston means people on the West Coast are going to miss a bunch of the game with work, traffic, etc. A friend of mine who is transplanted in Boston sent me this email last night…

"I go to bed with the game 35-15 and wake up to obnoxious New England sports radio telling me that the Celts came back and won….amazing. Even more amazing that NOBODY saw it on the east coast. Unless you are unemployed, you had to go to sleep at reasonable time to function at work…..Thanks David Stern for a brilliant idea….9pm starts……don't tell me it is about ratings….the g*dd*mn Super Bowl starts at 630pm and it gets ok ratings I would assume."

I hear you. Maybe my man should eat a Pizza Hut P'Zone. They are advertising this thing relentlessly on TV out here as "over one pound of melted cheese and tasty toppings," and they actually show it plopping onto a scale. Sure enough, it clocks in at just over a pound. Eww. Khalid and I saw that commercial on TV yesterday and both of us shuddered. P'Zone? P'Nasty.

P'Later…