Let the Games Begin: Kobe Starved for a Title

Celtics beaten 83-79 as Lakers claim 16th title

(AP) - The Los Angeles Lakers have won their 16th NBA championship, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 of the NBA finals. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points despite 6-of-24 shooting while winning his fifth title with the Lakers, who repeated as NBA champions for the first time since winning three straight from 2000-02. More»

(AP) - Kobe Bryant is one win from an NBA title to call his own, and Derek Fisher got him there. Fisher forced overtime with a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in regulation and then drilled another one with 31.3 seconds to go in overtime as the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Orlando Magic 99-91 in Game 4 to open a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. More»

To break Celtics curse, Lakers have to show up for Game 3

(NEWSER) - The Boston team that dominated the court in Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals isn't the same Celtics crew that eked out wins against Atlanta, Cleveland, and Detroit. But the Lakers may only have just noticed that, writes Mark Heisler in the Los Angeles Times. For Kobe & Co., tonight's game is time to step up or bow out. More»

Celtics captain, felled by knee sprain, jumps back into game

(NEWSER) - When Paul Pierce crumpled to the parquet in the third quarter of last night's NBA Finals game, everyone watching likely echoed the fears of Boston coach Doc Rivers, who "thought the worst." But after writhing in pain and leaving the court in a wheelchair, the Celtics captain returned, and in the biggest way possible, writes the Boston Herald. More»

A California native, Boston's Pierce is ready for finals

(NEWSER) - Paul Pierce knows everything about the storied Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 1980s: growing up in Inglewood near the Forum, his dreams were gold and purple. "As a kid, I hated the Celtics," says the Boston forward. But childhood memories won't cause him to hold back as his team heads to the NBA Finals, the New York Times reports. More»