Numbers tell bad tale

The stats and records kept stacking up against the Lakers throughout their staggering 131-92 loss to Boston in Game 6.

Among the things they hope to forget in the off-season are:

Boston’s 39-point margin of victory was the largest for any team in a clinching game in the NBA Finals. The previous record was the Celtics’ 33-point victory (129-96) over the Lakers in Game 5 in 1965.

The Celtics set a Finals record by collecting 18 steals against the Lakers in Game 6. The old mark was 17 by Golden State against Washington in Game 3 of the 1975 Finals.

The Celtics’ margin of victory was the second-largest in Finals history, falling short of Chicago’s 42-point victory (96-54) over Utah in Game 3 of the 1998 Finals.

Coach Phil Jackson tried to sound positive after Game 6, saying the Lakers would look back “favorably” on a season in which they won the Western Conference. Just the same, he acknowledged dissatisfaction.

“We’re very disappointed, our fans are disappointed,” he said. “I think everybody is disappointed that we didn’t get a game out of this” return to Boston.

--

Quick hits

Celtics forward Paul Pierce was the unanimous choice for Finals MVP, earning all nine votes from a panel of media members. . . . Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom were dreadful from the free-throw line in the series. Gasol made 22 of 34 attempts (64.7%) and Odom was 18 for 28 (64.3%).