SPORTS/OLYMPICS> Basketball
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SPORTS/OLYMPICS> Basketball
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Bryant says Lakers have a 'great opportunity'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-16 16:37
LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant knows being down 3-2 in the NBA Finals is not ideal but conceded things could be worse. "In training camp if you told us we'll give you two games that you have to win to win a world championship, we would have took it in a heartbeat," said Bryant. "This is a great opportunity for us." Bryant had 25 points to lead five players in double figures when the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 103-98 on Sunday to send the series back to Boston for Tuesday's Game Six. No team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win the finals and, if the Lakers are to do it, they will need victories in the remaining two games in Boston. Lakers center Pau Gasol, who scored 19 points and had 13 rebounds on Sunday, refuses to think about a possible winner-take-all series finale on Thursday. "We know obviously that we're two wins away from winning a championship, but we also know that without the first one, we're not going to get to the second one," he said. "So we focus tremendously on Game Six because it's going to be super hard to be able to get that one. "We definitely want to give ourselves a chance to get to Game Seven. We'll see." Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said it will be important to start quickly on Tuesday as the NBA's marquee franchise tries to close out its first title since 1986. "Hopefully we can close this thing out at home," said the 11 times All-Star. "But the onus is on us. "We've definitely got to come out and set our feet in the cement, so to speak, and establish something early and stay with that." Celtics coach Doc Rivers admitted his club was "down and upset" over Sunday's loss but said he was relieved to have the homecourt advantage in the series. "We wanted to go back home, but we didn't want to play. You know what I mean?," he said. "But now we have to go play, and we earned that right. "That's why the regular season is so important. We fought for it all year. We have Game Six at home, and that's not a bad place to be."
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