Basketball: Never-say-die Celtics revel in comeback

BOSTON - Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics have pulled off the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history.

Pierce scored 19 of his 28 points in the final 12 minutes yesterday as Boston overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the New Jersey Nets 94-90 in game three of the Eastern Conference finals.

No team had ever come back from more than an 18-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, and Pierce certainly didn't look like a candidate to pull off a miracle as he missed 12 of his first 14 shots.

But he began driving the ball to the basket with reckless abandon in the final quarter, and the Celtics never relented as they outscored the Nets 41-16 in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The previous-largest comeback in a fourth quarter was in 1994, when the Phoenix Suns came back from a 100-82 deficit to beat Houston 124-117 in overtime.

As the final buzzer sounded, Boston coach Jim O'Brien pumped his fist in a rare display of delight.

Pierce jumped atop the scorer's table and yelled to the crowd, which had to have been as loud as any that attended the team's 16 championship victories.

"I've never been a part of anything like this in my life," said Antoine Walker, who added 23 points and helped keep the Celtics within striking range - if being down by as many as 26 can rightfully be called striking range - until the fourth.

In Los Angeles, the Lakers looked terrible until it was too late when losing to the Sacramento Kings 103-90 in their Western Conference finals.

Chris Webber had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Bibby scored 24 points as the Sacramento Kings grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The two-time defending champions lost for just the fourth time in their last 28 playoff games, but this one was shaping up as an embarrassment until a blistering fourth-quarter rally made the final margin respectable.

The loss, following a narrow defeat in game two, meant consecutive playoff defeats for Los Angeles for the first time since the 2000 conference finals.

It was the Kings' first playoff victory in Los Angeles.

- AGENCIES