Celtics 3 Lakers 1

A hole is a hole, doesn't matter how deep it is.

Unless of course, it's a hole that you dig yourself.

The Lakers put themselves into a deep hole when leading as many as 24 points, they let Paul Pierce and his merry men cut the lead, and in the end, did a comeback that would embedded into playoffs history. Celtics beat Lakers 97-91, and the Lakers now trail Boston Celtics 3-1, and no team has ever dug its way out of such a hole in the Finals.

Lamar Odom, who struggled in the first three games of the finals, came alive in this one with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. But he did most of his damage in the first half, and when the going gets tough, he disappeared down the stretch. Nobody was willing to shoulder the burden, and it was up to Kobe Bryant to keep the team alive.

Bryant however shot 6-for-19 from the field and scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. The other Los Angeles starters all reached double figures, but their contributions were minimal down the stretch. Bryant shot 4-of-8 and his teammates went 4-of-13 for eight points in the final period. That was when the game was lost.

And now Boston Celtics is just one win from another NBA title.

Pierce scored 20 points, Garnett had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Allen had 19 points. The trio had plenty of help from the bench in the fourth quarter, first from Eddie House who hit a jumper to put Boston up by one late in the fourth, and later on James Posey hit a dagger right into the Lakers' heart with a 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes left.

Game 5 will be in Staples Center this Monday.