Moments after the Celtics defeated the Heat 100-98 in double overtime at TD Gardens Arena, Paul Pierce spoke with ESPN’s Doris Burke and that’s when Burke delivered the bad news to the Celtics’ team captain. Pierce’s facial reaction pretty much summed up how the Celtics felt about losing their All-Star point guard for the rest of the 2013 season.

“Oh my God!,” Pierce tells Burke. “We just gotta rally around each other. I feel for [Rondo]. He was having such a great season, making the All-Star team. It’s disappointing news, but guys gotta be ready to step up.”

Watch the interview:

“Obviously the Rondo news is pretty tough. I knew it before the game, no one else knew it,” Rivers said. “I told them after the game. Pretty emotional in the locker room.”

Rondo was averaging career highs of 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds along with 11.1 assists this season.

A very somber Kevin Garnett added, “It’s tough on everybody. [Rondo] has become the heart and soul of this team, coming into his own. We just try to be supportive for him.”

With 28 seconds left in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Miami Heat had a double-digit lead and the Boston Celtics were running on fumes. Celtics coach Doc Rivers knew it was time to wave the white flag and pull his starters off the court.

‘We had nothing left,” Rivers said. ”That’s how it felt, as a coach . . . But overall, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a group like this.”

There was a lot of emotion on the Celtics’ sideline as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo headed for the bench. Garnett and Rivers shared a poignant moment as the two men hugged it out while time ticked away on what could be the final time Boston’s Big Three — plus Rondo — will ever wear Celtic green.

In the five-year era of the “Big Four” — or the Fantastic Four, whichever you prefer — the Celtics posted a 69% winning percentage during the regular season, won five Atlantic Division titles, made three trips to the Eastern Conference finals, reached the the NBA Finals twice, and raised one championship banner.

That one NBA title will be the signature moment for the Fantastic Four, but the group also left a lot of titles on the table because of injuries, trades, and one freak elbow injury to Rondo in the 2011 playoffs.

“I wish we had a healthy run. This team won a title, got to another one lost in Game 7 [against the Lakers in 2010] where they had a shot to win. Got to the Eastern Conference final one game away on the road banged up,” Rivers said. “Because of really Kevin’s injury I don’t know if we could have gotten any more out of the group. I would have loved to have seen this team in this whole stretch where Kevin was injury free.”

The injury Rivers was referring to was the knee injury Garnett sustained during the 2008-09 season, which knocked him out of the playoffs and it took KG a full season to completely recover from it.

It is not a certainty that general manager Danny Ainge will break up Boston’s Fantastic Four but, because of age and expiring contracts, it will be very difficult to keep the nucleus of the Celtics with Garnett and Allen becoming unrestricted free agents this summer.

The group knew all season long, especially during the playoffs, Who knows what next season could bring.

Boston battled injuries all season, all the way to the end. Allen said he’ll need surgery soon to repair bone chips in his right ankle. Pierce has been playing through a sprained knee ligament.

It all hurt. Nothing hurt more than the final buzzer Saturday night.

”It’s probably the worst feeling that we feel, in our lives, in our careers,” Allen said. ”There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s one team that wins that last game. We want to be that team every year. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve won a lot of games. At the end of every season, it always feels like it’s it.

”This one hit me hard,” Allen continued. ”We wanted it so bad.”

Allen fought through a painful ankle injury for much of the playoffs while Pierce played through a banged up knee. Garnett, 36, had a resurgence in the playoffs and looks like he’s got a couple of good years left. Rondo and Pierce remain under contract so they’ll be back. There is a strong possibly that Garnett will return to Boston, but Allen seems to be headed into free agency.

The loss of Allen won’t hurt as much because the Celtics have Avery Bradley and Mikael Pietrus to plug in his spot. Losing Garnett, however, would be devastating.

“Well, [Kevin’s] been everything for my career,” Pierce told ESPN Boston. “Just his locker room presence, his desire, his determination, his leadership. I’ve said it before, when Kevin first got here, he really changed the culture of everything we did around here — from the practice habits to on the court, just the discipline. He made everybody accountable, from the ball boys to the chefs to the guy who flew the plane. Everybody was accountable.”

Pierce continued: “It was tremendous to just have him around. The culture he brought — it would be great for me to end my career with Kevin. I have a couple years left, and who knows what his future’s going to bring. Hopefully management can do something to bring him back, maybe add some pieces to this team, that we need, to get over the top. If not, it’s been a tremendous run.”

Paul Pierce pulled a Tebow-esque fourth quarter Tuesday night in Atlanta as the Boston Celtics captain took it upon himself to make sure the series was knotted at one game apiece heading to Boston for the next two games.

Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, came through when the Celtics really needed him most, especially with starting point guard Rajon Rondo suspended and shooting guard Ray Allen sitting out again with an injured right ankle. The man the call The Truth scored 36 points on 12-of-26 shooting, outscoring the Hawks all by himself over the last 15 minutes of Game 2 to lift the Celtics to an 87-80 victory. He also grabbed 14 rebounds and had four assists.

Down the stretch, the Celtics simplified things: Give the ball to Pierce and get out of the way.

”Paul was great,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ”The only way we were going to win a game like this without Ray and Rondo was if Paul had a game like this.’

After making a couple of foul shots with just over a minute remaining to give Boston an 85-78 lead, Pierce paused on his way back to the bench to copy the move named after New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, sinking to a knee and bowing his head for a brief prayer in the middle of the court. ”You just want to thank God for putting you in those positions,” Pierce said. ”It wasn’t pre-scripted. It just came to me.” Watch Pierce’s Tebowing:

Something is missing from the Boston Celtics and the team’s All-Star point guard senses it too.

After the Celtics were embarrassed by the Bulls and Heat, both games on national TV, Rajon Rondo admitted that his team is not the same battle-tested unit that flipped the switch during last season’s playoffs and made it back to the NBA Finals. “We’re a completely different team. It’s not the same team,” Rondo told the Boston Globe. “We’re not going to be able to turn it on like we did year. I don’t know what we’re waiting on but these types of games [against the top teams] we have to find a way to win. It’s a roller-coaster and right now we went back down today.”

Rondo also believes the Celtics are not playing with enough urgency, and they need to wake up before it’s too late. Is he right? Maybe so. But Rondo’s claim is probably not the real reason why the Celtics have struggled since the All-Star break. And not having center Kendrick Perkins, who is now in Oklahoma City, is only one aspect of the team’s recent slide.

The biggest reason why the Celtics are not playing at optimum level is simple: they have trouble scoring points.

Despite giving away Perkins, who may be one of the best low-post defenders in the Association, the Celtics’ defense has remained stout, limiting teams to under 90 points per game and 43% shooting from the field. However, the same can’t be said on the other end of the floor. Boston is currently 22nd in the league in scoring (96.6 points) and averages only 75 field goals per game, which is the fewest in the league.

Because the Celtics don’t hoist up a lot of shots, this puts a tremendous amount of pressure on their defense to keep the games close and each offensive possession is magnified. Even though the team shoots 48% from the field (which is the best in the league), the Celtics have to be near perfect on offense each game, and puts a tremendous burden on older players like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Rondo is absolutely on point when he said the Celtics are “not the same team.” But it’s not about getting the new players such as Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Troy Murphy and Delonte West into the mix. It’s more about The Big Three have declined and could be on their last legs.

During their championship season in 2008 and the season after that, head coach Doc Rivers used to rely on Pierce to create offense and put pressure on the defense by drawing fouls. But Pierce’s game has declined the last two seasons. His scoring has dipped from 20.5 in 2008-09 to 18.8 this season. He is also not getting to the foul line as much, attempting only 5.7 per game compared to 6.1 last year and 6.8 in 2008-09.

Allen’s numbers has also declined the past two seasons, as his scoring average has dipped to 16.6 from 18.2 two seasons ago. And despite a major rebirth this season, Garnett’s scoring average (14.8) is a full point lower than his PPG from 2008-09 (15.8).

One of the reasons why GM Danny Ainge decided to trade Perkins was to upgrade Boston’s second unit and get more scoring. Although Green is an upgrade from Marquis Daniels at small forward, he’s only giving Boston 9.4 points per game off the bench which is only two points better than what Perkins was averaging (7.3) before the trade.

Rivers is not about to waste Pierce, Allen and Garnett during the regular season, but all signs point to a major struggle to produce points once the playoffs begin with very little help from the supporting cast.

When it comes to today’s game, there are quite a few signature moves that are nearly impossible to stop. Former SportsCenter anchor Dan Patrick used to say: “You can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it.” That line applies to these seven incredible basketball moves from eight amazing individuals:

KOBE BRYANT’S PUMP FAKE AND PIVOT
Opposing players know its coming, but they still bite on Kobe’s head, shoulder and ball fakes. Kobe has amazing footwork, and he uses it to his advantage. When he unleashes his pump fakes, he gets on his tip-toes which throws the defender off balance when Kobe is about to go up for a shot. And then he reverse pivots to get separation and a clear shot at the basket. It’s a move that requires tremendous patience, practice, smarts and amazing balance.

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TONY PARKER’S TEARDROP
Spurs guard Tony Parker is one of the originators of the “teardrop.” Year and year out, Parker ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage and points in the for guards because he has perfected the one-handed runner or floater that drives big men crazy because it is difficult to block. Parker sets up defenders by running full speed at them and once he gets within 15 feet of the basket he pulls up and drops one over a defender’s outstretched arms with this very effective and soft one-handed shot. The move is now used by practically all the guards in the NBA. If you don’t have this shot in your arsenal, you better learn it because it’s a very effective, high-percentage shot.

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CARMELO ANTHONY’S JAB STEP
If you’re putting together a video tape on how to execute the jab step from the triple-threat position, pop in one of Carmelo’s highlight highlight tapes. Melo is the master of the jab step. When Melo squares his shoulders to the basket, a defender has to respect two things: the jump shot and the dribble drive. Both are made possible because Melo can create space with his jab step.

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PAUL PIERCE’S STEP-BACK JUMPER
The name known as The Truth loves to set up his defender by bringing him to the foul line and then stepping back to gain separation on his shot. Pierce is adept at executing the step-back jump shot whether he’s driving left or right. A lot of players have the step-back jump shot in their arsenal, but Pierce has won multiple games for the Celtics with his signature shot. Once he gets his defender near the top of the key, all he needs is a slight breathing room and it is game over.

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DERRICK ROSE’S CROSSOVER DRIBBLE AND JUMP STOP
Tony Parker was one of the first to use the “teardrop” in the NBA as a main weapon against bigger defenders patrolling the paint, but Bulls guard Derrick Rose has taken it to a whole new level and does it better than anyone in the Association. He uses his great quickness to set up his defender. Once Rose has his opponent on his heels, he utilizes his lightning-quick crossover dribble, stops on a dime, springs up off both feet, and floats a shot with his strong hand. Bucket! What makes Rose’s jump stop so tough to defend is the way he can contort his body when he attacks the rim. Because of that threat, his floater is extra tough to anticipate.

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MANU GINOBILI’S EURO STEP
Manu Ginobili introduced the Euro Step to the NBA in 2003. It has been imitated but never duplicated. Even though Ginobili is from Argentina, he made his mark in Europe and the Euro Step was a big part of his repertoire. The Euro Step is an effective way of keeping a defender guessing. Manu uses his long strides to avoid the charge, steps across from left to right (usually) and finishes with his left hand. Current European stars Juan Carlos Navarro and Ricky Rubio utilize this move, as well as NBA stud Dwyane Wade, but nobody does it better than Ginobili. Pay attention to the instructional video below on how he executes the move off of a pick-and-roll.

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JAMAL CRAWFORD’S CROSSOVER DRIBBLE
Jamal Crawford has the best crossover dribble since Isiah Thomas and Tim Hardaway. The man known as The True Essence at Rucker Park, Crawford has amazing handles and plays the ball like he has strings on them. If you don’t believe me, check out this jaw-dropping move against the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan.

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DIRK NOWITZKI’S FADEAWAY JUMPER
The Dallas Mavericks superstar has amassed more than 22,000 points during his soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame career and 15,000 of those points most likely were produced off of those fadeaway jumpers. Dirk starts his move at the free throw line, or at the “elbows,” and then he sets up his defender by backing him down and once he feels enough separation he fades back, jumping off his left foot, and shoots his favorite shot. The move looks a little awkward during the process because the 7-foot Nowitzki is tall and lanky so there’s a lot of herky-jerky movements. And, let’s face it, Dirk is not the most graceful athlete on the court. But, the end result is absolutely gorgeous.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. To read his previous posts, visit www.onemanfastbreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

For those keeping score, it’s 4-1 in favor of teams retaining their own free agents.

As of July 5, four big-time free agents have have decided to stay with their old teams: Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson.

The only free agent who has officially signed with another team is Amare Stoudemire. Yahoo! Sports and TNT’s David Aldridge have reported that Stoudemire has accepted the Knicks’ contract offer worth $100 million spread across five years. Stoudemire will be reunited with coach Mike D’Antoni, who coached him in Phoenix.

Yahoo! Sports also reported that Johnson will re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks, a six-year maximum deal that is close to $120 million.

Nowitzki recently accepted a four-year deal worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 million to remain with the Dallas Mavericks and Pierce agreed to a four-year, $60-million deal to stay in Boston. Gay was the first big-name free agent to agree to terms, as he reportedly received a five-year, $80-million contract from the Memphis Grizzlies last Thursday when the free-agency period officially got underway.

The return of head coach Doc Rivers certainly persuaded Pierce to stay put, and the Celtics are also in negotiations with shooting guard Ray Allen, who has also expressed his desire to stay in Boston. This means that the Celtics’ vaunted starting five are all expected to be back next season to make another run at a title (barring center Kendrick Perkins fully recovers from knee surgery).

What was supposed to be the summer of massive exodus has turned into an offseason of status quo. Of course, things could change in a heartbeat especially if that someone – ahem! LeBron James – decides to spurn his hometown team and play elsewhere next season.

But, that hasn’t happened yet and it’s not expected to happen until the end of the week, according to several reports. James is mulling over offers presented to him by NBA teams with a ton of salary cap room: New Jersey, New York, Miami, the L.A. Clippers, Chicago and Cleveland.

Wade met with the Bulls twice and has told people close to the situation that he is seriously considering playing for his hometown team. The Heat have already told Wade that they are prepared to give him the max deal and have promised him a roster upgrade.

Others who are noncommittal are Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire, although Stoudemire recently was offered the maximum contract of five years, $100 million by the Knicks. Stoudemire is reportedly meeting with Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni, his old coach in Phoenix, on Monday to hash out some past issues.

The Suns have reportedly re-signed forward Channing Frye and also acquired forward Hakim Warrick, so it is highly unlikely that Phoenix will bring back Stoudemire, who has played his entire career with the Suns.

Joe Johnson has a standing six-year max offer from the Atlanta Hawks, a deal that could be worth $120 million. Johnson remains mum about his situation, obviously waiting for LeBron and D-Wade to make their moves. Johnson has also drawn interest from the Knicks, as D’Antoni prepares to go to Plan B in case LeBron signs with Chicago or Cleveland – which is more and more apparent.

ESPN’s J.A. Adande wrote that the Toronto Raptors have not been enamored with the way Bosh has been publicly “enjoying himself” too much and using his Twitter account to tell his followers on his status. Bosh is asking for a max contract, but he can only get it if the Raptors agree to a sign-and-trade deal.

At the end of this long, drawn-out process, money will prevail. Players are taking advantage of the current labor deal because they are anticipating that the new collective bargaining agreement won’t be as player friendly.

Doc Rivers’ decision to return to the Boston bench and coach the Celtics for the 2010-11 season could cause a chain reaction – in a very good way. With Rivers back as coach free agents Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are likely to stay in Boston, keeping the core group that has reached the NBA Finals twice in the last three seasons.

So, who else is staying?

Dwyane Wade has publicly stated that he prefers to stay in Miami as long as the Heat upgrades their roster, and it appears that Pat Riley has lined up an impressive list of All-Stars to pair up with Wade in South Beach, beginning with Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.

Dirk Nowitzki opted out of his original deal, but this doesn’t mean he’s leaving Dallas. Sources say that Mavs GM Donnie Nelson is expected to meet with Nowitzki soon to begin negotiations on a new deal that would keep Nowitzki a Maverick for the rest of his career.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that Rudy Gay has verbally agreed to a contract extension Thursday that would keep him in Memphis for the next five years.

Cavalier fans have been campaigning hard to keep Ohio’s favorite son, LeBron James, in Cleveland while other suitors such as the Bulls, Knicks and Nets keep tugging at The King’s robe in an attempt to lure him to their big cities.

Tracking the status of the top NBA free agents this summer (updates through July 1):

LeBron James
The biggest catch of the free-agent market met with New Jersey Nets billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov and his buddy Jay-Z Thursday morning. The Knicks followed with their pitch to convince LeBron to move his empire to Manhattan. The Clippers and Heat are on deck for Friday, and the Bulls the Cavaliers have their appointments on Saturday. LeBron appears to be following through with his original plan of keeping his options open and hear what other teams have to offer. James says he’ll make his decision by July 5.

Chris Bosh
It appears the South Beach Summit was more for show than anything else. Bosh has told reporters that he doesn’t see himself and LeBron joining Dwyane Wade in Miami. Bosh says he wants to be “the guy” on his next team, and he seems a little insulted that he was being portrayed as the bottom end of a James-Wade-Bosh superstar triangle. However, it doesn’t mean Bosh can’t play with Wade in Miami. Other teams in the running are Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey and New York.

Paul Pierce
Pierce went through with his opt-out clause last night, but this could be just a formality for the Celtics captain and the ballclub. Pierce and the Celtics, the only team Pierce has played for in his entire NBA career, seem headed to the negotiating table and begin reworking a new deal that would keep Pierce in a Celtic uniform for a while, according to the Boston Herald. Pierce, who will be 33 next season, is looking for a long-term deal.

Ray Allen
Allen could get offers from other clubs and there’s still a slight possibility that he could play elsewhere next season. But the return of Rivers and Pierce, and a little more money love from the Celtics, should persuade Allen to come back to Boston.

Joe Johnson
The Hawks made their final pitch on Thursday to their All-Star guard to the tune of a six-year, $120-million contract. There are several reports that Miami Heat President Pat Riley will meet with Johnson, who is also expected to visit New York and possibly reunite with Mike D’Antoni, Johnson’s former coach with the Phoenix Suns. A week ago, Johnson was likely headed out of Atlanta, but this latest offer by the Hawks is too good to pass up. Money talks around the league, and the Hawks made it loud and clear that they are willing to overpay to keep Johnson in the ATL. It’s an offer Johnson can’t refuse.

Amare Stoudemire
According to ESPN’s Ric Bucher, the Suns tried to strike a last-minute deal with Amare prior to the beginning of the free agency period but both sides couldn’t agree on a contract. So now, Stoudemire is officially on the market and appears to be headed elsewhere. Mike D’Antoni would love to bring Stoudemire to New York and pair him with Joe Johnson to create Phoenix Suns East on Broadway. Stoudemire wants a maximum contract, but the only way he gets his max deal is if the Suns do a sign-and-trade. The Houston Rockets reportedly offered Shane Battier and Luis Scola to the Suns for Stoudemire.

Dirk Nowitzki
All signs point to Nowitzki re-signing with the Mavericks, the team that Dirk has played for his entire NBA career. Mavs GM Donnie Nelson is reported to meet with Nowitzki sometime Thursday to not only begin negotiations on a new deal but to also talk about how to lure other free agents to Dallas. Nelson says there is no backup plan if the Mavs don’t re-sign the 2006-07 MVP.

Rudy Gay
Yahoo! Sports has confirmed what the Memphis Commercial Appeal first reported that Gay is staying with the Grizzlies. Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that Gay has agreed to a five-year, $81.6-million contract, with the fifth and final year of the contract will be Gay’s option.

They stopped dribble penetration. They protected the paint. They rebounded the heck out of the ball. They took charges. They put a hand in the face of every shooter. They got to loose balls. And they took away the other team’s air space and made it a very uncomfortable night.

If you think I’m referring to the Boston Celtics you are dead wrong. As it turned out, the L.A. Lakers were more physical, more disruptive, more determined and more active than the Celtics in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals. These were definitely not your 2008 L.A. Lakers. In fact, these are not even your 2009 L.A. Lakers. They’re better.

The Lakers simply looked far superior than the Celtics in their 102-89 victory on Thursday night to take a commanding 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Commanding? Yes. Commanding. Why? Phil Jackson is 47-0 when he wins Game 1 of a series. That’s why.

If the Lakers can sustain their defensive pressure for the rest of this series, it is going to be extremely hard on the Celtics to score points.

Paul Pierce scored 24 points but it wasn’t an easy 24 as he struggled against Ron Artest’s vice grip D. Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins looked overmatched against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, as the Lakers’ big men dominated the Celtics on the boards. And Rajon Rondo couldn’t push the tempo fast enough to get easy layups and was stuffed a few times when he did try to get to the rim. Defense, defense, defense. That was the theme of Game 1, but it was the Lakers who displayed more intensity and tenacity – two things the Celtics are known for and two reasons why they beat the Lakers in the ’08 Finals.

“The Lakers were clearly the more physical team today,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “I thought they were more aggressive. They attacked us the entire night and we didn’t handle it very well. I’ve always thought that the team that is the most aggressive get better calls. That’s just human nature.”

The Lakers claimed they learned their lesson from ’08, and they certainly showed it by playing hardball with the Celtics.

L.A. outrebounded Boston, 42-31, and completely took the Celtics apart on the offensive boards with a 16-0 edge in second-chance points. The Lakers were a plus-18 in points in the paint, a domination rarely seen done against a Celtic team that pride themselves in keeping teams away from the paint.

“I’m mean, they were,” Pierce said of the Lakers’ newfound toughness. “Look at the rebounding advantage, the blocks, and you look at the stuff that don’t even show in the box score if you watched the game. All the hustle plays. That’s all part of physicality.”

There must be an echo in the room because Ray Allen pretty much said the same thing. “We have to do a better job of keeping our paint tight,” Allen noted. “When they moved the ball, we didn’t suck in and close the gaps when they penetrated. We made them miss, but they got second chance opportunities.”

Artest set the table for the game when he scored a two-point takedown on Pierce 27 seconds into the game. It not only established a physical tone but it sent a message to the Pierce and the Celtics that the Lakers were ready to rumble.

“I expected it to be physical. He’s going to work as hard and he’s their defensive leader. I don’t know what else you want me to say. What are you looking for? I mean, he’s a good defender,” Pierce said of Artest, who was not part of the Lakers team that fell to Boston two years ago, along with Andrew Bynum.

“Obviously they’ve added some pieces,” Pierce said. “They brought Bynum back from a couple of years ago, added Ron Artest. They’re a seasoned team from a couple of years ago.”

The Lakers also held the Celtics to 43% shooting from the field and limited them to 1-for-10 from behind the arc. The Lakers took a nine-point lead at halftime and increased it to as many as 20 in the fourth quarter.

“We’ll go watch some film and learn from this. We’ll watch the tape and see what we can do a lot better,” Pierce said. “Obviously we can do things a lot better. We gave up 102 points and 48 percent shooting. We gotta do a better job of stopping the guards from penetrating, gotta do a better job rebounding the ball, and we gotta do a better job on Kobe Bryant. Everybody knows he’s going to shoot the ball, everybody knows he’s going to be aggressive so we gotta do a better job of getting the ball out of his hands.”

Though Bryant led all scorers with 30 points, it was Gasol who really did the most damage on the Celtics. The 7-foot Spaniard with the wingspan of a jumbo jet made eight of 14 shots, all from close range, scored 23 points and ripped down 14 rebounds. He was officially credited with three blocked shots, but it seemed like he altered 10 shots near the basket with his length.

Former TNT analyst and new Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins calls Gasol the most skilled big man in the NBA. I’m going to take it one step further and start calling Gasol the BEST big man in the NBA.

“I knew it was gonna be physical,” said Gasol. “This being our third consecutive final, we understand the nature of the game, we understand who our rival is, and you gotta compete and match that aspect of the game in order to be successful.”

Because the Celtics had no answer for Gasol and Bryant, the game became so one-sided that Lakers fans began chanting for “We want tacos!” midway through the fourth. If you haven’t been to Staples Center in L.A., whenever the Lakers hold the opposition to under 100 points, everyone in the building gets free tacos courtesy of Jack In The Box.

By the way, I find it really hilarious that Laker fans who paid somewhere in excess of $500-$1,000 for playoff tickets are craving for $3 tacos. I’m pretty sure everyone in the arena can afford to buy all the tacos they want.

Artest told Bryant, and anyone else who would listen, that he can help the Lakers win a title and would love to wear the purple and gold. Two years later, Artest will have an opportunity to fulfill his promise.

“This is his chance to shine,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who told reporters on Wednesday that he plans to stick Artest on Boston’s Paul Pierce. “We had a tough matchup with Pierce last time we played them in the playoffs. [Artest] is a guy who we know can defend, so we anticipate this as a matchup of interest.”

Artest is one of two Lakers starters who did not play in the ’08 Finals, the other being center Andrew Bynum. The Lakers signed the eccentric but gifted forward with the idea that he’ll be the physical defensive stopper that L.A. severely lacked against physical small forwards such as Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Pierce.

The Lakers never had to face Anthony or James in the playoffs, but they are facing Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP and a player who makes the Celtics a more dynamic team with his ability to create his own shot and get to the free throw line. He averaged 21 points in the ’08 Finals and has a career 25-point average against the Lakers.

However, in two games against the Lakers during this past regular season and primarily guarded by Artest, Pierce was held to 13 points and shot just 40% from the field.

“Pierce is a tough matchup. He’s very smart, he’s one of the few players that has a long ball, has mid-range game, can get to the basket so, I think, that makes him a tougher cover than most. But Ron’s up for the challenge,” said Kobe Bryant, who also believes the presence of Bynum, despite his ailing knee, will be a factor in the series.

“It helps having him against this Celtics team. They’re a big team, a physical team. I’m excited for him. This is a big challenge for him,” Bryant said of his 7-foot, 280-pound starting center, who averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds in two games against Boston during the regular season.

Bynum and Artest are two defensive layers that discourages Pierce from driving to the basket, making him a one-dimensional player. If Pierce puts up similar numbers in The Finals, the Celtics are going to lose the series because they are not good enough offensively to make up for Pierce’s scoring.

Artest will use his 260-pound frame to uproot Pierce out of his sweet spots. He’ll make him work extra hard for his points and not allow him to camp out on the free throw line where he has made his living for the past 12 years.

“It’s not going to change my mentality. I’m gonna approach the game the way I approach a lot of these games,” Pierce claimed. “Just a scorer’s mentality, being real aggressive. Obviously, I’m playing against one of the top defenders in the game. So, he’s going to make things a little bit more harder, a little bit more physical. You gotta expect that. I mean that’s what Ron Artest is – a guy who tries to get in your head throughout the game, grab on you, pull on you, scratch on you. You gotta expect those things. When I go to a game, playing against him, I expect all those things.”

Though Pierce knows what to expect from Artest, the matchup will still be extremely difficult for him – similar to what transpired in the Cleveland series in which Pierce had to wrestle with LeBron – and the Celtics will need to find their offense somewhere else. But where? Bryant will blanket Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol should be able to handle Kevin Garnett. The only real matchup advantage for the Celtics is Ray Allen against the smaller Derek Fisher. But at this stage of his career, Allen can’t be counted on to score 30 points every single night.

There is a strong perception around the league that the Lakers are soft team and the way to throw them off their game is push them around. But that was two years ago. The Lakers are no longer pushovers and Artest provides them with an edge, a type of bulldog-type player who embraces ruggedness and doesn’t back down from a challenge.

“Ron is unique. He’s very much an individual,” Jackson said. “As the NBA goes, every player has his own individual personality you have to handle in a different way. Ron is determined, I think he’s dogged and that’s what makes him a great defensive player.”

The Celtics are not the only team in this series who can play in-your-face defense. The Lakers can play that too. Boston’s defense pitted against L.A.’s offense is a stalemate. But L.A.’s defense is much, much better than Boston’s offense. Ultimately, that is the difference in the series.

Prediction: Lakers in 6.

After the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic, 95-92, in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, Pierce spoke with ESPN’s Doris Burke and confidently boasted that the Celtics will close out the series in Boston. “Our fans aren’t going to let us relax. Ya’ll aren’t gonna let us relax,” Pierce told Burke. Then, Pierce looked into the camera and said, “We’re gonna try to close this out in two games, ya’ll hear me. We’re comin’ home and close it out.”

Shortly after the ESPN postgame interview, Pierce allegedly posted a message on his Twitter account (paulpierce34) that read, “Anybody got a BROOM?” Pierce denied sending the tweet, claiming his Twitter account was hacked.

Sure. Likely story, Paul.

It’s the old my-dog-ate-my-homework excuse, or like punching your buddy on the arm while he’s not looking and when he turns around you point at someone else and pretend it wasn’t you.

Whether Pierce, the longest tenured Celtic player and the team’s captain, is being honest about Twitter-gate, the message was loud and clear: Paul Pierce has his swagger back.

Pierce seems to have regained his shooting stroke after it briefly left him in the conference semifinals. In two games against the Magic, Pierce is averaging 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In six games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Pierce was limited to 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Pierce said wrestling with LeBron James for six games sapped his energy in the previous series and his offense suffered because of it.

“I have the opportunity to be more aggressive in this series than I did in the last series since I had such a huge defensive responsibility. Not taking anything away from Vince [Carter], Vince is a great challenge and he’s known to have big games, but you’re talking about playing the best player in the league. It’s tough, physically and mentally,” Pierce said of guarding James, the NBA’s two-time MVP.

“In this series, I have a little more free reign to be more offensive.”

Though Pierce won’t say it publicly, but privately he’s gotta be loving his matchup with Carter, who is not known for his defense. Pierce has been allowed to get to his sweet spots without much of a fight. He has been to the free-throw line 21 times in two games in the conference finals, compared to only 19 free-throw attempts for the entire conference semifinals.

When Pierce is getting to the free-throw line, he’s being aggressive. And when he’s aggressive, the Celtics are nearly unbeatable because he puts a lot of pressure on the defense and takes pressure off Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Pierce was simply telling the truth when he said the Celtics are going to close this thing out in Boston. Nothing wrong with feeling confident at this point, especially with the way the Celtics are playing defense and the way Pierce is wearing out Carter. Expect another hacker to send a tweet on Pierce’s behalf and post this message: “Beat L.A.”

Video courtesy of ESPN