NBA Finals (Game 5) Highlight, After-thought

The Lakers adds aggressiveness to their game ... bringing to the basket and scoring down low. In the first-half they come out firing and play with desperation. But in the second, their play are more conservative and scrappy at times. Pau Gasol is in attacking mode throughout. He and Lamar Odom plays mostly under the basket.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images)

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Watch NBA TV game highlight (highlight1, highlight2) and post-game press (Rivers, Pierce, Garnett).

With Kendrick Perkins out and Kevin Garnett in early foul trouble, the Celtics has lost their edge in the paint. Towards the end of fourth quarter, Garnett, PJ Brown and Pierce are playing with 5 fouls. But the C's is still in the game with one minute left, partly help by the scrappy defence by the Lakers.

With Rondo mostly on the bench, Lakers takes advantage of the lack of quickness in the PG position, repeatly attacking before the C's can setup their defence.

Pierce, who has played the whole game, has 38 points and 8 assists.

While it's now obvious that Celtics is the better team in this series, their window of winning it is actually closing gradually with their physical condition. For Perkins, even if he could play the next game, it will be tough for him to be effective with his strain shoulder which is the same one being operated previously. Rondo's bruise ankle has already taken away his aggressiveness since. The biggest fear is Pierce and his bum knee and twisted ankle. He will be irreplacable if he goes down.