Then he got back to the locker room, tested his legs, and realized his first real chance at a championship wasn't over yet.

``I thought that was it,'' Pierce said Thursday night after scoring 22 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 98-88 in Game 1 of the finals. ``You know, I think God just sent this angel down and said, 'Hey, you're going to be all right. You need to get back out there. Show them what you've got.'''

Pierce went to the court with 6:49 left in the third quart

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COACH K, NOT OK: Instead of Phil Jackson going for his 10th NBA title, Mike Krzyzewski could have been seeking his first.

When Jackson decided not to return to the Los Angeles Lakers after losing in the 2004 NBA finals, Krzyzewski emerged as the leading candidate to replace him. And he gave it some serious thought before opting to remain at Duke.

``It was close enough to where I interviewed and spent three to four days really

BOSTON (AP) -Rebounding, the Los Angeles Lakers' biggest weakness, cropped up again in Game 1 of the NBA finals.

The Boston Celtics continued a disturbing postseason trend Thursday night for Los Angeles, outrebounding the Lakers by 13 on the way to a 98-88 victory to open the seven-game series.

As one-time Los Angeles coach Pat Riley once said, ``No rebounds, no rings.'' These Lakers would be best-served to heed those words.

The Lakers reached the finals by winning 12 of 15 postseason games, despite gett

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 member

BOSTON (AP) -Instead of Phil Jackson going for his 10th NBA title, Mike Krzyzewski could have been seeking his first.

When Jackson decided not to return to the Los Angeles Lakers after losing in the 2004 NBA finals, Krzyzewski emerged as the leading candidate to replace him. And he gave it some serious thought before opting to remain at Duke.

``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 i

BOSTON (AP) - Leaning on the scorer's table, Phil Jackson rested the cane he uses for his troublesome hips against his thigh. He kept one eye on the court as his Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their morning shootaround before Game 1 of the finals.

Above him hung 16 Celtics championship banners, reminders of Boston's mystique and its decades of dominance.

Nine of those titles were won by legendary coach Red Auerbach, the hoops patriarch and the man with whom Jackson shares the record for most NBA championshi

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 a shot at a 17th championship.

The beginning of the turnaround included Davis. Disappointed after falling into the second round of the NBA draft, ``Big Baby'' then saw his rights included in the deal that night that sent Allen from the SuperSo

Budenholzer wasn't available to be interviewed until the Spurs were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

``Mike was fantastic,'' Kerr said. ``I played for him in San Antonio for four years. He's been there for 12. He came in really, really well-prepared. He had a great vision for our future and our team, and it didn'

He then turned toward Scott, adding, ``It's something you've helped create.''

Scott, who won three championships as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers, relates to his players as a mentor, father or older brother might, kidding with them after practice and joining in long-range shooting contests, sometimes with money on the line.

Those same players tied up Scott's phone with congratulatory calls