BOSTON -- Boston took advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers weak inside presence in Game 4 of the NBA finals Thursday to notch a 96-89 victory that evened the series at two games apiece.
Andrew Bynum, the Lakers starting center, was on the floor for less than two minutes in the second half, and the Lakers sorely missed his size and strength. The Celtics had a 54-34 advantage in points near the basket, a 20-10 edge in second-chance points and outrebounded Los Angeles 41-34.
Bynum has a torn meniscus, and the knee quickly refilled with fluid after he had it drained last week. He wasn't on the floor down the stretch in Game 3, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before Thursday's game that Bynum wanted to give it a shot.
"We'll try to get him six, seven minutes at the beginning of the game," Jackson said. "He likes to get out there and participate and get the feel of the game, and we'll see how he goes from there."
Without him, the game resembled something from the 2008 NBA finals, when Bynum wasn't available after knee surgery and the Celtics overpowered the Lakers inside.
Boston's Glen Davis was able to bully his way to the basket in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics had a key possession extended in the closing minutes with an offensive rebound.
Bynum had been averaging only about 25 minutes in the postseason because of the knee, but he had been effective early in this series. He had 21 points and seven blocked shots in Game 2, when he was able to stay on the floor for 39 minutes.
