It wasn’t exactly Willis Reed coming back in Game seven of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Lakers, but Paul Pierce made a historic return of his own in the third quarter of Game one of the 2008 NBA Finals, and he was the catalyst for a run that propelled the Celtics to a 98-88 victory.

After being carried off the court in obvious pain with 6:49 left in the third, Pierce triumphantly returned to the court just minutes later to a standing ovation. Pierce’s return was an emotional lift for the Celtics, and Pierce proceeded to ignite the team by scoring 12 points in the quarter. The Celtics outscored the Lakers 31-22 in the third, and never looked back.

Pierce, who was diagnosed with a sprained right knee, finished with 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including going 3-for-4 from three-point range. All but three of his 22 points came in the second half.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 24 points and added 13 rebounds. Ray Allen chipped in with 19 points, as all members of the Big Three scored above their playoff average. As expected, Boston controlled the paint and out rebounded the Lakers 46-33.

This win is very important for the Celtics because a Phil Jackson-coached teams has never lost a playoff series when it won Game one (41-0). Also, since the NBA finals was switched to a 2-3-2 format for home games, the winner of Game one has won 18 of the last 24 titles.

For the Lakers, NBA MVP Kobe Bryant scored 24 points on only 9-for-26 shooting. Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol each added 15 points apiece.

Game two in Boston is on Sunday night at 9 p.m

Other Thoughts…

Bleacherreport.com says Pierce is the hero.

Rawsportsblog.com says its all about Pierce.

Vincentfeliboy.com praises the Big Three.

Fivetooltool.com discusses how the second half propelled the Celtics.