Rajon Rondo was cut on the chin compliments of a Ron Artest elbow.

Kendrick Perkins had to be helped off the court thanks to a Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant sandwich.

Paul Pierce wound up on his back time and time again in large part because of the Lakers’ swarming defense.

It was that type of game for the Celtics.

It was that type of intensity the Lakers showed from start to finish.

In what was a must-win to keep their hopes of a repeat alive, the Lakers answered emphatically, blowing out the Celtics, 89-67, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Tuesday at Staples Center.

Tied 3-3, the season now culminates in a winner-take-all Game 7 Thursday.

“It’s a really high-tension situation,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who will be coaching in his first Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

No sweat for Bryant, who holds a 3-1 record in Game 7′s: “I know what’s at stake, but I’m not tripping.”

Added Paul Pierce on how he feels heading into the game: “Very confident.

“We know we have to come out a lot harder in Game 7. I promise you when I stand here on Thursday, we won’t be talking about energy.”

If history has any say in the outcome, the Celtics have the edge.

They are 4-0 all-time in Game 7′s against the Lakers, who hope to become just the seventh team in NBA history to come from behind to win a championship after facing a 3-2 deficit.

While the Lakers were given new life, the Celtics see Tuesday’s game as yet another missed opportunity.

“You could tell that the guys were kind of anxious,” said Pierce, whose team is now 1-8 in closeout games on the road. “When you’re so close to a championship sometimes that creeps in.

“We just didn’t play desperate like we wanted to win the championship.”

As for the Lakers, they played with a sense of urgency early and it carried into the fourth quarter as they led by as many as 27 points.

Bryant led the way, finishing with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. After making little impact in Game 5, the other Lakers answered with their best game of the series since a Game 1 rout of the Celtics.

Gasol nearly tallied a triple-double, posting 17 points, 13 rebounds and a playoff career-high nine assists. Artest chipped in with 15. Lamar Odom, who has been battling the flu this week, added eight points and 10 rebounds.

“Pau was sensational,” Bryant said.

In the loss, Ray Allen had a team-high 19 points. Pierce added 13 and Kevin Garnett 12. Rondo finished with 10 points but missed 10-of-15 shots.

After sinking in a series-best 56.3 percent in the previous game, the Celtics shot a series-low 33.3 percent.

“I definitely give them credit,” Allen said. “But in our defense, we made it tough on ourselves. We didn’t move the basketball around.”

Aside from all the historical ramifications of this series heading into the final game, the status of Boston’s Perkins, who suffered a right knee sprain, will be a hot topic. Perkins went down while trying to snag an offensive rebound with 5:30 to play in the first quarter.

After the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Perkins knee “doesn’t look great, but I don’t know.”

Added Allen: “It’s terribly unfortunate. But we have to do this for him. We have to push forward.”

This game was seemingly over by halftime as the Lakers bench came up big, helping Los Angeles go up 51-31.

Jordan Farmar had a key play, diving on the floor at midcourt to get a loose ball in the second quarter. Farmar’s dive sparked the Lakers in the second quarter as they built a 41-23 lead with 7:01 left before halftime. Sasha Vujacic had key 3-pointers en route to nine points. The Lakers bench outscored the Celtics’ 25-13.

Los Angeles’ defense, after being nonexistent in Games 4 and 5 in Boston, swarmed the Celtics all game. It seemed as if the Celtics were working against the shot clock on every possession in the first half, especially in the second quarter. In that period, Boston shot 28.6 percent from the field (6-for-21) and finished with 13 points, their lowest quarter output this postseason. They also had just two points during a stretch of 5:14 in the second quarter.

Boston scored just 31 points in the first half, nearly tying the franchise’s worst half in the playoffs. In 2002, the Celtics scored 29 points against Detroit.

“I was very happy,” said Bryant of the team’s defense, which recorded 14 steals (four by Bryant).

Leading up to Game 6, Jackson was at ease, stating he had a good feeling about how his team would respond.

Bryant, Gasol and Artest left their mark early. Bryant was all over the ball. Gasol was aggressive in his all-around play, which was devoid in the previous game. Artest found the stroke, scoring eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers from the right corner, in the first period. His 3-pointer at the 2:58 mark gave the Lakers an early 26-16 lead.

Boston never answered, however.

“We didn’t come out there and hit them back,” Glen Davis said.

The Lakers didn’t need a big game from Bynum, who left two minutes into the third quarter and headed to the locker room. He did not return and finished with two points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.

“I felt really, really stiff,” said Bynum of his right knee. “I felt like I would hurt the team if I was out there. This was precautionary. Save it for Game 7.”

As for whether this blowout defeat will leave any ill effects for the season finale, Rondo was quick to dispel that idea.

“This [Game 6] is in the past,” he said. “We’re not down. We’re not hanging our heads.”

(nba.com)

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