Ironically, the next installment of our Top 10 Games of the Decade took place on the same day of the first round of the 2008 U.S. Open. While Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate were about to embark on the most dramatic golfing battle of the decade, the Celtics and Lakers were renewing the most storied rivalry in the NBA. What was to unfold that night would make Finals history, and cement the legacy of a new chapter in the Celtics/Lakers rivalry.
Who: Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers
What: Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
When: June 12, 2008
How It All Unfolded: The 2008 NBA Finals was the culmination of a revival of one the NBA's two most storied franchises. At the beginning of the decade, the Lakers had won three titles behind the championship trio of Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. However, the two couldn't coexist and eventually Shaq was traded to Miami in 2004. After some bumps in the road with Kobe Bryant the unquestioned star of L.A., the Lakers were finally making the right moves in 2007. They'd drafted a promising young center in Andrew Bynum, acquired key cogs Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom, and fleeced the Memphis Grizzlies for All-Star Pau Gasol. They ran away with the Western Conference and cruised to the Finals for a record 29th time.
Another more dramatic revival was happening on the other side of the country in Boston. The Celtics had languished since the days of Bird, McHale, and Parish. Even worse, former Celtic Danny Ainge seemed to be making all the wrong moves as the team's GM. Temperamental star Paul Pierce seemed to be on his way out to a contender. But then, a wave of events took the Celtics from cellar-dwellar to contender. Trades for future Hall of Famers Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett gave Boston the most formidable Big 3 in the league. Even under the most intense pressure of their careers, the new look Celtics fought through two 7 game series (including an epic duel between Pierce and LeBron James in Game 7 of the 2nd round) and the Detroit Pistons to make the Finals for the first time since 1987.
Fans, media, everyone associated with the NBA was salivating at the revival of the league's greatest rivalry renewed. Magic and Bird saved the NBA in the 80's and the 2008 meeting between the two would be the first meeting of the two teams in the Finals since the glory years. Overall, it would be the 11th time the Celtics and Lakers would be meeting to crown a champion.
The drama started early in Game 1. The Lakers got off to an early lead, but behind Garnett and captain Paul Pierce, the Celtics hung close. Then, the unthinkable, Pierce went down with what looked to be a serious knee injury. Cue the heroic music!
That comeback by Pierce is either one of the inspiring moments in NBA history, or one of the most poorly-acted hoaxes, depending on where you live and who you were rooting for at the time. Nevertheless, on the heels of Pierce's outstanding all-around play, the Celtics took the first two games at home. Kobe Bryant responded in Game 3 back in L.A. to dominate down the stretch and bring the Lakers back to down 2-1. Game 4 would certainly be the game to shape the rest of the series. At home, the Lakers came out like gangbusters, opening a 21 point 1st quarter lead. The deficit for the Celtics would balloon to 24 points by the 3rd quarter. As play-by-play man Mike Breen said at the time, the Staples Center crowd was getting tired from all the standing ovations the crowd was giving the Lakers!
But, the Celtics would begin to chip away in the 3rd quarter. Sparked by their trademark tough defense, especially the stifling play of Paul Pierce on Kobe Bryant, the Celtics began to rally. After an emphatic dunk by P.J. Brown at the end of the 3rd, the Celtics were miraculously back to within 2 points. What followed was the most dramatic 4th quarter of the decade in the NBA. The Lakers did their best to keep the Celtics at bay, but the determination of Garnett and Pierce and clutch shots by Eddie House and James Posey gave the Celtics the lead. Ray Allen's acrobatic lay-in sealed the victory for the Celtics, and a 3-1 series lead. Boston would go on to win their 17th championship in six games over the Lakers. I'll let the highlights of this amazing game speak for itself (except for the insufferable Rick Kamla who unfortunately hosts this video).
Why We'll Remember It:
There are many reasons we'll remember this as the greatest NBA game of the 2000's. First, there isn't really a lot of competition. One contender might be Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Kings and the Lakers. But, that entire series has since been shrouded in controversy by disgraced former ref Tim Donaghy. The other contender, Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals featured a great individual performance by Allen Iverson, but lacks the same importance in a larger sense as the Lakers easily won the next 4 games.
More importantly, Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals had history on its side. The two most important franchises in NBA history were meeting to decide the championship. The Celtics and the Lakers, a rivalry responsible for the growth of the NBA in the 50's and 60's and the saving of the NBA in the 80's, would cement the complete revival of the NBA's post-Jordan era. With the emergence of stars like Bryant, Pierce, KG, James, Wade, Duncan, and teams like the Celtics and Lakers, the future of the NBA finally seemed stable.
Above all else though, Game 4 provided the biggest comeback in Finals history. No team had ever been down 21 points after the 1st quarter of a Finals game and won. Without the comeback, the Celtics may have gone on to lose the series and any chance at reclaiming Celtic Pride (no, not the ridiculous movie with Dan Akroyd and the guy from Home Alone). The raising of banner 17 officially brought back back arguably the league's most important franchise to the top of the NBA for the first time over 20 years.
Further, the legacies of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and especially Finals MVP Paul Pierce were firmly established with the all-time Celtics greats and the all-time greats of the game. Of course, things didn't turn out all bad for the Lakers, who would win the title in 2009. Still, no one looking back years from now will remember the Lakers losing Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals, they'll remember the Celtics winning it. This game, more than any other of the decade, exemplified what can make amazing happen in the NBA.
Others Considered -
2001 Finals Game 1: Philly 107 Lakers 101
2002 West Finals Game 4: Lakers 100 Kings 99
2007 East Finals Game 5: Cavs 109 Pistons 107 2 OTw
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