Lakers Still Alive, Beat Celtics 103-98 in Game 5

Bryant struggles but scores 25; credited with key steal late
By Chip Bayers,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 15, 2008 11:25 PM CDT
Lakers Still Alive, Beat Celtics 103-98 in Game 5
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, of Spain, shoots against the Boston Celtics in the second half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals Sunday, June 15, 2008, in Los Angeles.    (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Pack up the championship trophy and book a flight back to Boston, the NBA finals aren't over yet. The Los Angeles Lakers are headed East to try a historic comeback of their own. Kobe Bryant scored 25 points, including a decisive dunk in the final minute,  and Lamar Odom added 20 as the Lakers, playing with pride on their star-studded stage, prevented the Celtics from winning a 17th title with a 103-98 win.

No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title. The first 28 failed, and now the Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead and lost Game 4 and nearly squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5, have a chance to do something extraordinary. They'll have to win on the Celtics' parquet floor Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 7, where anything is possible. (More Los Angeles Lakers stories.)

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