Woot! Folks here in LA are celebratin’ today that their beloved LA Lakers came back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics and won Game 5 of the championship series at the Staples Center here in downtown LA last night. After their disappointing performance in Game 4, many naysayers were predicting that Boston would win last night’s game and send the Lakers home empty-handed and they would be taking the championship trophy with them back East to Boston … but the Lakers woke up, played like they’ve been playing all season long and pulled out another win, bringing the series tally to 3-2:

Pack up the championship trophy and book a flight back to Boston, the NBA finals aren’t over yet. The Los Angeles Lakers are headed East to try a historic comeback of their own. Kobe Bryant scored 25 points, including a decisive dunk in the final minute — and Lamar Odom added 20 as the Lakers, playing with pride on their star-studded stage, prevented the Celtics from winning a 17th title with a 103-98 win in Game 5 on Sunday night to close to 3-2 in this restored rivalry. No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title. The first 28 failed, and now the Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead and lost Game 4 and nearly squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5, have a chance to do something extraordinary. They’ll have to win on the Celtics’ parquet floor Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 7, where anything is possible … The Lakers needed to hold on to set up a Game 6 on Tuesday night back in Boston. A Celtics victory would give them 17 championships, and the first for their trio of Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Of course, the Lakers faithful showed up in full force at the Staples Center last night … Including LA’s biggest fan of all … (more…)