NBA CHAMPIONSHIP : LAKERS VS. CELTICS : Ainge Gets Shot on Line and 3-Pointers Keep Lakers at a Distance

It was Danny Ainge night at Boston Garden.

Laker guard Michael Cooper has been killing the Boston Celtics with his three-point bombs in the National Basketball Assn. finals.

But it was Danny Ainge’s turn to use the three-point shot as a weapon to bury the Lakers.

Ainge hit a 40-foot, three-pointer at the end of the first half Thursday night in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series.

“It was just a lucky shot,” Ainge said.

And then he got hot.

Ainge, who had made just 4 of 13 three-point shots in the first four games of the series, hit four three-point shots in the third period and the Celtics buried the Lakers, 123-108, to cut the Lakers’ lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2.

“He (Ainge) hit some big baskets for us,” said Celtic star Larry Bird. “Everybody did the job.”

Ainge, who averaged 16.2 points in the first four games of the series, finished with 21 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

But Ainge’s best shot wasn’t a three-point bomb.

Ainge made a twisting, reverse layup in the second period in which it appeared that he didn’t even see the basket.

“Danny Ainge had a great game hitting those three-pointers,” Laker guard Magic Johnson said.

Ainge tied a team record by hitting five three-point shots. He exploded for 14 points in the third period as Boston embarrassed the Lakers.

“I missed my first (three-point shot) of the second half and the coaches said that we don’t need those,” Ainge said. “But I think the three-point shot is a big weapon, and I’m going to keep taking them.”

Celtic assistant coach Chris Ford said: “After Danny missed his first three-pointer of the second half, I told him to take a Valium and calm down.”

Said Celtic guard Jerry Sichting: “The three-pointer is a back-breaker. He (Ainge) may have rushed the first one, but it makes them spread their defense out and you get an extra point out of it.

“They were big shots because he was making them when the Lakers were on a streak. They were matching baskets with us and still falling further behind. It had to be demoralizing to them.”

Ainge kept shooting the three-pointers and they started going in.

“Danny was a little overanxious, and I didn’t want to see him blow us out of it,” said Celtic Coach K.C. Jones. “I think what Danny Ainge did for us was to give us the lead. And it’s one of those things when you hit those three-pointers they have a way of knocking them (the Lakers) down. The Lakers know that from Cooper. He did it to us out there in L.A.”

How did Ainge keep getting so open?

“I don’t know,” said Laker guard Byron Scott.

Said Ainge: “If you’re open, it’s not that difficult of a shot. If I’m open, I’m going to take it. I think the three-point shot is devastating when you hit three in a row.

“I’ve been shooting three-pointers all year long. I was setting a lot of picks for Larry (Bird), and they were so concerned about him that I was just spotting up at the three-point line and letting them fly.”

Ainge also did a good job of playing defense as the Celtics stopped the Laker fast break, which killed Boston in the first two games of the series at the Forum.

“We have to pay the price on transition defense,” Ainge said. “We didn’t do it the first two games, but we did it the last three. Tonight, we made them pay the price. They got some easy baskets, and we pushed it right back at them.”

The defending champion Celtics prevented the Lakers from winning their second NBA title in the last three years at the Boston Garden.

“We didn’t want to let them celebrate on the parquet floor,” K.C. said.

Said Ainge: “There was no way we wanted to let them celebrate in the Boston Garden.

“We had to win this one. We let it all out on this one. If you think of winning three games against L.A., it’s pretty mind boggling. But if you think of winning one game at a time it’s not that bad.

“I don’t know how to stop them out there. We’ll have to play with the same intensity we did here, and we haven’t really done that yet.

“I don’t think the Lakers were at their best. I think they wanted to win it in L.A.”

The Celtics, who have been a poor road team this season, will have to win two straight games at the Forum to win their second straight title.

“They (the Lakers) are in a great position now,” said Celtic forward Kevin McHale. “We’re in the car in the driveway, and we’re a long way from the doorknob. They’ve got that key in hand. We’ve got to mug them to get that key.”