NBA – Celtics destroy Lakers to claim first championship in 22 years (+ video)

BOSTON (NBA) – The Boston Celtics captured their first NBA title since 1986 by annihilating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Six of the league finals on Tuesday, 131-92.

With club legends Bill Russell, John Havlicek and JoJo White looking on from the raucous crowd, Boston cruised to their 17th crown with future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett’s 26 points and 14 rebounds leading the way.

Ray Allen also scored 26 points and Paul Pierce, the NBA Finals MVP, contributed 17.

The championship triumph is the first for Garnett, Allen and Pierce – Boston’s Big Three who joined together last summer when Garnett arrived in a trade from his Minnesota and Allen from Seattle.

Boston, who nearly sacked coach Doc Rivers after their abysmal 24-win campaign in 2006-07, were richly rewarded for keeping him in charge as he turned the Celtics into a defensive juggernaut that was mentally tough in the play-offs.

The Celtics survived seven-game series against both Atlanta and Cleveland in the first two rounds of the post-season before defeating both Detroit and LA in six games.

In the NBA’s biggest rivalry, Boston have now won nine of the 11 meetings between the two teams in the finals. This year’s crown was the first ever claimed in the TD Banknorth Garden.

The old Boston Garden was demolished in 1997.

The Celtics led 24-20 after the first quarter and then stamped their authority on proceedings in the second, outscoring the Lakers 34-15 en route to a commanding 58-35 advantage.

They made sure of no Lakers comeback in the third period by putting 31 more points on the board to just 25 for LA, whose coach Phil Jackson remained stuck on 10 titles with the Celtics’ great Red Auerbach.

Boston’s legendary coach Auerbach, who had a hand in 16 titles overall with the Celtics after eventually leaving the bench for the front office, passed away in 2006.

The Lakers’ NBA MVP Kobe Bryant had 22 points but was just seven of 22 from the floor. Pau Gasol, the Spain international, finished with 11 points and eight rebounds but turned the ball over a game-high five times.


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