BOSTON (AP) -Local troubadour James Taylor welcomed his hometown team back to the NBA finals on Thursday night, singing the national anthem before Game 1 of the Boston Celtics' championship series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Actors Bruce Willis and Leonardo DiCaprio, who have made the TD Banknorth Garden a second home wile filming movies in town, were also in the star-studded crowd. So were ``Grey's Anatomy'' star Ellen Pompeo and Chris Tucker of the ``Rush Hour'' movies.

The court was ringed by me

``It was close enough to where I interviewed and spent three to four days really mulling over a great situation that was offered to me,'' Krzyzewski said in a phone interview Thursday, hours before the Lakers opened the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics.

The job instead went to Rudy Tomjanovich, who lasted only half a season before stepping down to deal with some health problems. Jackson returned the next season, and will be trying to break his tie with Red Auerbach for the most coaching titles.<

BOSTON (AP) -Sam Cassell was stuck in Los Angeles, P.J. Brown thought he might stay in Louisiana and Glen Davis at first believed he was going to Seattle.

But there they were Wednesday, on the floor practicing for the NBA finals with the Boston Celtics.

By now, most know about the Celtics' acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to form a Big Three with Paul Pierce. But a number of other moves had to be made to complete Boston's improvement from 24 wins to a spot against the Los Angeles Lakers for

``One of the things I liked about Atlanta was they had a game plan,'' Sund said. ``It's not always easy to stick with the game plan, to go through the highs and lows of playing the younger players

For that kind of money, the Hornets are getting a coach whose loyalty is tough to question.

The Lakers invited Scott to participate in pre-game ceremonies during their upcoming NBA finals series against the Boston Celtics, part of an effort to celebrate the history of the Celtics-Lakers old rivalry, of which Scott was a part in the 1980s.

But while Scott said he ``still bleeds purple and gold a little bit,'' he now sees the Lakers as the team he must beat next year

But none of the Lakers' opponents during that span had the fan base, history and star power to rival their own. That changes this week, as ABC gets a glamour matchup overflowing with story lines when Los Angeles faces its old nemesis, the Boston Celtics.

``Everybody understood that the Lakers and Celtics is a beautiful finals, and we're happy about that,'' said John Skipper, executive vice president for content for ESPN/ABC. ``You don't get the best matchup every year.

``This year we got it.''<

But after watching the Pistons blow a 10-point lead with 10-plus minutes left in Game 6 of the conference finals against the Boston Celtics, Dumars said he had seen enough from this group.

``We didn't get it done,'' Dumars said. ``As I walked out of The Palace, I had a real sense of calm.''

Dumars was at ease because he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

First, fire Saunders. Then

O'Neal was traded a month after the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA finals. Bryant still bristles at implications he had something to do with that.

The other day, as the Lakers prepared for the Boston Celtics in their first appearance in the finals since O'Neal left, Bryant said he was never unhappy in his role as the No. 2 option.

``I've never said I want my own team,'' he said.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson also left after the 2003-04 season, and later