In 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers gained the rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals they had been waiting for when they met the Boston Celtics for the championship.
After taking Game 1 at Staples Center, L.A. lost Game 2 and the home-court advantage, setting up a very important Game 3 in Boston.
For that contest, the Lakers returned to the site where they were embarrassed by 39 points in Game 6 in 2008.
This time, they were wiser and more mature.
After the Celtics scored the first six points, the Lakers quickly took control, forging a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter and a 52-40 advantage at halftime.
With a 67-61 lead through three quarters, L.A. looked to bring home a victory, but with Kobe Bryant struggling through a 10-of-29 shooting night, it was up to another Lakers guard who was going for his fifth ring.
Derek Fisher, the other starter in the Lakers’ backcourt, led his team with 11 points in that final frame.
With just under a minute left, the Celtics were down by four. They got the shot they wanted – a wide-open 3-pointer by Ray Allen, but he missed, and Fisher collected the rebound.
The Celtics were lazy getting back on defense, so he simply took the ball the length of the floor, scored on a finger-roll over multiple defenders, was fouled and made the free throw to seal a 91-84 Lakers victory.
The Lakers had beaten the Celtics at their own ugly, grind-it-out style to get a win, but it wouldn’t be the last time they did so in this series.
