There was a Hollywood ending in Los Angeles for Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, but it wasn't the one LA native Paul Pierce had in mind.

No. 34 had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while adding two assists and for three quarters, Boston was the better team, holding a 57-53 advantage heading into the fourth. But a strong offensive burst by LA helped the Lakers surge to an 83-79 win.

Paul and the Celtics have endured plenty of tribulations since the 2009-2010 season tipped off in October. They clawed through the regular season, never 100 percent healthy. They finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, their seeding making the road back to the NBA Finals anything but easy.

Paul fought for a victory to the very end (Getty Images).

But once they reached the postseason, the Celtics never skipped a beat.

They swiftly dispatched the Miami Heat in a five-game first round, then bounced LeBron James and the league-best Cleveland Cavaliers in the East semis. That set up what was to be an epic Eastern Conference Finals with the Orlando Magic. But the Celtics once again defied logic and crushed the Magic in three straight games to take a 3-0 lead in a series they would finish in six.

There through it all was The Truth, averaging 19.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while playing lockdown defense on the likes of Dwayne Wade, LeBron and Vince Carter.

The Cs rolled into the NBA Finals and found themselves matched against a familiar foe the Los Angeles Lakers. The series went back and forth the way only Lakers-Celtics can and the title would be decided in a crucial Game 7.

The Truth had plenty of pride in his team's effort from beginning to end.

"I’m happy with the way we performed this season. There’s nothing to put our heads down about but, obviously, the goal is to win the championship," The Truth said. "We had more than our fair share of [adversity], probably, this year with the way things went, with the way we played, injures.

"Really roller coaster year, and, at the end of the day, we had a chance to win a championship, regardless of what happened throughout the season. Once the playoffs start all the records go out the door and it’s playoff basketball. We showed the type of guys we had on this team to play so hard."

That said, losing when the Celtics were so close was a bitter pill for Paul to swallow.

"It’s tough — this is the biggest game of your life, right here," No. 34 told the Boston Globe. "Losing it, it’s no fun. Being around these guys, it’s tough."

Paul likely would have been the MVP of the Finals had the Celtics held on. He averaged 18 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per and three assists per game. His aggressive play in games 4 and 5 was widely considered the main reason the Celtics were within one win of a title.

BATTLE ON THE BOARDS
Handicapped by the loss of center Kendrick Perkins, the Cs were out-rebounded 53-40 by the Lakers in Game 7. Paul said he believed that was what cost Boston another title. As he told the Boston Globe:

"Rebounding, that was the difference in this series," he said. "The team that won the rebound war pretty much won the games. I thought we played solid defense throughout most of the game. But you give them missed shots, they’ve got big bodies, they’re very long, they go to the offensive boards and we just didn’t keep them off the glass all night long; even late in the fourth quarter when we needed to a stop, Pau gets an offensive rebound. And that’s tough when you’re trying to win a game and win a championship."

However, No. 34, who did his part with a personal series-high 10 boards, said it wasn't an excuse:

"We need his size, and his rebounding, and his defense," Paul said. "Perk is our enforcer, a guy who pushes guys with his body and his length, gets guys off rebounds. Could have helped us. That’s not an excuse. One game, guys we had on the floor can beat anyone in the league."

KEEP IT TOGETHER
As their season comes to an end, the future for the Celtics isn't certain.

Paul was unsure of what changes may come to Beantown this summer, but remarked fondly on the time he spent playing with his teammates this year:

"Just being around a great group of guys, resilient group of guys, you build relationships, and, unfortunately, players move on to other teams. But I’m happy with the guys I played with this year. I’d go to war with them any time. As far as next year, we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and address some things if we want to get over the top. I’d like to see Doc [Rivers] back, he’s one of the great coaches in the NBA."

Then Paul made his public plea to his coach.

"[I'll say it] right now. I hope he comes back."

RELATED STORIES
Wrong result, but Pierce remains resolute (Boston Globe, June 18, 2010)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/06/18/wron...
Celtics fall short of 18th title (Boston Herald, June 18, 2010)
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Even in absence of final title, these Celtics were worth it (Boston Globe, June 18, 2010)
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Celtics can't finish off Lakers in Game 7 (ESPN.com, June 18, 2010)
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End game for these Celtics (Boston Herald, June 18, 2010)
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