Redemption song, no, carols...

Los Angeles, CA

Pau Gasol's effort down the stretch was just what we needed to get over the hump. Gasol, who was harshly criticized for his 'soft' play last June in the NBA Finals, came up with a huge blocked three point attempt and seven of his 20 points in the final three minutes. The Lakers played well the whole night, playing as a team. It was an inspired effort, nice to see after last years disappointing conclusion. The sour taste of a 39 point defeat at the hands of this hated Celtics rival was enough to chew on for the past six months. The Lakers were loud on the court, barking defensive schemes to each other and calling for the ball when they spotted a mis-match. The effort was shared by every Laker on Christmas Day. LA only turned the ball over 11 times, to the C's 17. Pretty efficient overall for Los Angeles. Bynum however, did have six of the Lakers turnovers, but I think we can get over that. Andrew finished the night with 9 points and 7 boards. He played well, especially after settling down from an early foul. 

The Celtics came to Staples boasting an NBA record 27-2 record, including a team record 19 game win streak. This years squad has looked just as solid as ever under the tutelage of Doc Rivers. The Celtics are beating teams every night at home and the road. Before yesterdays contest, Boston hadn't lost a game in six weeks. That's an incredible feat for any major sports franchise. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic might be the only other contenders in the East that could possibly derail the Celtics from consecutive trips to the finals. Even with the loss, the Celtics remain a favorite to repeat as champs. We'll just have to wait and see if the Lakers still have what it takes in June to take back the crown. 

Kobe Bryant led the way with 27 points, 9 boards, and 5 assists. Lamar Odom finished with 10 and 7, and hit two big 3 pointers back to back at one point. Sasha Vujacic, who is probably the most outspoken Celt's hater played well too.

"We've been waiting for that opportunity for a long time, and we won," said Sasha, "I don't like them at all. A lot of people called us softies or whatever. It doesn't matter at all. We know what we can do. he said, "Last year, they won the championship. this year, it's our year, we want to take it all the way.''

The Lakers guard finished with 10 points. Coach Phil Jackson recorded his 1,000th career win with the victory. He is the 6th coach to reach that mark, and the fastest to do it beating out Pat Riley by 11 games to the mark. Jackson said he was pleased with the play of Gasol. He noted that he really stepped up in the fourth quarter when the Lakers needed him most. Pau finished with three rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots to go along with his 20 points.

"We were pretty physical," said Gasol. "We were able to contain them, keep our poise and finish the game off. I had to make sure I took it to them, not settle for easy jumpers. I'm glad I was able to get over that hump of a slow start. It shows we can beat anybody. Hopefully, we'll build on it."

For all of our sake, let's hope he's right. This could potentially be the long dive off the starting block that leads to an even longer win streak of our own.