Spurs Match Lakers By Winning in Boston

↵If San Antonio is competing with the Lakers the rest of this season -- for confidence, for seeding, for mental stimulation -- then today’s win in Boston was a good start. The Celtics battled in a push-pull affair, taking a one-point lead with just a few minutes to go. But if you haven’t heard, this Roger Mason fellow has a bit of a hot hand in the closing minutes. He hit a monster three -- well-defended by the Celtics -- to give S.A. a lead it would not relinquish.
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↵Manu Ginobili also had a huge steal in the closing seconds; Paul Pierce grabbed Manu immediately, drawing a clear-path foul that ended up granting the Spurs four free throws. But no one would have been surprised if Boston pulled it out; the Celtics played well enough to win, and the Spurs made enough mistakes to lose.
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↵Maybe the biggest lesson of the game is that Boston’s determination can’t beat everyone. So much has been made of the mental toughness Boston showed in the Finals win over L.A. that it had almost become canon that the Celtics win all tight games by sheer will. But guess who else has hearts made of steel? A Boston-S.A. Finals might not draw the same ratings as one involving the Lakers, but it’d be seven games of bent metal and fireworks. Great game, great teams.↵