Mike Dunleavy: Celtics bench is key to victory

When it came to the heavy lifting Thursday, it was the bench press of Boston that decided Game 4.

That was excellent game management by Doc Rivers, leaving the bench in just long enough in the fourth quarter to take control down the stretch, but not so long as to ice the starters on the sideline.

There’s a fine line you have to walk as a coach to make sure all the egos are massaged. In this case, everybody got in, everybody played a role, and nobody could go home thinking, “The coach doesn’t believe in me.”

The tricky thing is if you leave your bench in too long, you find yourself in that no-man’s land between five and 21/2 minutes to go in the game. What if, say, the Lakers go on a run and cut the lead to two or three, and your starters are cold on the bench?

The way it worked out Thursday was ideal for the Celtics. They were able to get their starters back in to finish.

When the starters were out, though, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Nate Robinson were excellent, and both took full advantage of their opportunity. Davis has consistently hustled, and Thursday that led to extra possessions, allowing the Celtics to capitalize.

Throughout the series, the Lakers have done a good job of containing Boston’s big three — Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. On any given night, those three can explode and put up some impressive numbers. That’s got to be a concern for L.A.

Now comes Game 5, and that always seems to be the pivotal game of the Finals. If you can win Game 5, the likelihood that you’re going to win the series is very high.

This is a must-win game for both teams, but it’s particularly important for Boston. If the Celtics were to lose Sunday, they would need to win two elimination games on the road to realize their goal.

If the Lakers were to lose, at least they would be heading home for two games, a place where they’re very tough.

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