Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesA victory is a victory, and when you are the Los Angeles Lakers and it comes against the Boston Celtics in Boston, well, it a damn good one at that.The Lakers 90-89 nail-biting win over the Celtics Sunday afternoon wasn one for aesthetics, but it had plenty of gusto, charisma and fight to make up for it.We are repeatedly reminded of just how good this Lakers team can be, but we are far too often reminded of how far they have to go. Sunday was no different.After Los Angeles opened up an 11-point lead by shooting over 60 percent inChicago Bears jersey
the game first 12 minutes, there were plenty of signs that this young bunch was different than the timid club that stepped into the TD Garden two summers ago and got whacked in six games in the NBA Finals.Ron Artest may be the most perplexing and enigmatic personality in the sport, but his purpose on the Lakers is clear. He the bully; he brings a dose of toughness and a dash of crazy. He instigates confrontations and then acts like he knew nothing all along. In short, it all mind games.Before the first tip, Artest and Paul Pierce had to be briefly separated as the two jostled for position near mid-court. Artest got up in Pierce personal space, Pierce didn appreciate it, and the two were momentarily tangled. This before the game even started.Then, moments into the game, Artest stood his ground as Kevin Garnett jogged down the court, head turned. Garnett smacked into Artest and went to the floor. Foul on Artest. Garnett smiled, clapped his hands, and glared at Artest as he rose from the hardwood. Garnett face said, Game on.Of course, Artest looked clueless. But make no mistake, folks, it all a part of the plan. Boston has Kendrick Perkins to bang bodies and intimidate. Perkins carries himself on the court in a manner that suggests he would just as easily scowl at his mother.When Artest finally decided it was time to play basketball, he promptly nailed a three. Kobe hit a jumper here, a runner there. Fisher from downtown and nothing but net. Gasol got on the board. Bynum took a pass and threw down a ferocious dunk for two of his 19 points with Garnett standing nearby.The Lakers were landing their punches while the Celtics were feebly hitting air. The tenacity Los Angeles missed at times in past seasons (never more so than that Finals match with Boston) was overflowing. Combine talent with a killer mentality, and that is when we witness truly great teams.But then the Lakers looked as if they had gulped NyQuil in between quarters, and the Celtics began to capitalize.Rajon Rondo continued to show why he is one of the league best young point guards as he finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with 12 assists and five rebounds.The Lakers had nobody to match the quickness of Rondo. Derek Fisher legs have seen far too many road trips and June playoff games over his 14-year career to match step-for-step with Rondo.Shannon Brown has the athleticism to compete but not the skills (yet, anyway). Jordan Farmar is a role player. Rondo is a star. That just a mismatch.The veteran poise of Boston helped turn a 13-point deficit into Cincinnati Bengals jersey
a five-point lead by halftime. If you let the Celtics beat you, they will. But Boston isn the juggernaut they were two years ago, while the Lakers have a chance to run off a string of great years.Oh, it not as if the Celts can compete. I think Boston is still a very good team despite losing their third straight game, making them 3-7 in their last 10. The Celtics are better than their current fourth-place standing in the Eastern Conference.The problem is they have more dings and dents than an autobody collision garage. Garnett looks as if he has a peg leg. Pierce always looks like he headed for an ice bath after the game. And Ray Allen just looks too old at times.The Celtics can win with Rondo dishing outside to Eddie House and dishing inside to Perkins. They need Pierce to be better than the 15 points and three boards he put up Sunday. Rasheed Wallace doesn appear motivated.Allen had a miserable game (2-10 shooting), but come June, I guarantee he hits the same shot he missed Sunday against the Lakers. You can write that in ink. If the game comes down to that shot by Allen, Boston will win.When the game ended, it was clear who the superior team was even though the Lakers needed Bryant to hit a fall-away jumper over Allen with seven seconds remaining to give them the victory.Kobe mug will be all over SportsCenter for his game-winning shot, but the Lakers won because their big men hung tough and decided that they were going to keep it close.The Lakers outscored Boston 18-0 in the paint in the final quarter, and Bynum and Gasol each had 11 rebounds. That commitment to an inside presence takes this Lakers team from very good to superb in the time it takes Bryant to flick his wrist at the buzzer.Lakers fans remain puzzled when their guys let teams hang around, but teams need games like this.The Lakers improved to 5-2 on their current eight-game road trip, a trip that, after Monday game in Memphis, will have featured three different sets of back-to-back contests. For Los Angeles to gut out this win in Boston shows an essential sign of its growth.Bryant toughness (I said give me the damn ball, said Bryant, referring to his winning shot) has continued to permeate throughout this group ever since he walked out of the Garden two Junes ago with nothing but a soaked jersey and a lonely ring fingerCleveland Browns jersey
.If the Lakers are going to repeat as champions, they will need to learn how to step on the throat of quality teams like Boston when they have them pinned. We won know how good they can be until they do that.But that a lesson to learn over the next three months while the Celtics are forced to look in the mirror and decide what they are going to make of this season, with or without Garnett knees holding up.For the last night of January, the Lakers can board their team charter satisfied after finding the will to stifle the native chant of Beat LA!Follow Teddy Mitrosilis on Twitter.
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