BOSTON — Shaquille O’Neal has changed The Big Three of the Boston Celtics into a Very Big Four.

The 7-foot-1, 325-pound center in the twilight of a brilliant career is coming to the Eastern Conference champions, hoping to add to his four NBA titles.

O’Neal signed a two-year contract worth about $3 million on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said on condition of anonymity because no details were released.

So this is where Shaq’s colorful career will end after 20 seasons if he completes his contract with the Celtics.

One of the NBA’s most charismatic players will finish with a legendary franchise on the parquet floor beneath 17 championship banners and the retired numbers of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, John Havlicek and other NBA greats.

After receiving little interest from other teams, O’Neal will play on that floor with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Boston’s Big Three since Garnett and Allen arrived before the 2007-08 season

From the first pick in the 1992 draft out of Louisiana State to dominant, rim-rattling inside force to complementary player, O’Neal’s NBA travels have taken him to six teams and 15 All-Star games. He is the fifth-leading scorer with 28,255 points and 14th in rebounds with 12,921 in league history. He’s averaged 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks and was the NBA MVP in 2000.

His foul shooting might still be a problem and his lumbering style could slow down a running game, but the Celtics need the big center because Kendrick Perkins is out, possibly until February, following knee surgery. Perkins was hurt in Game 6 of the NBA finals against Los Angeles and missed the Lakers’ 83-79 win in Game 7.

“If we get to another Game 7 down the line, I’m sure we will be glad we have Shaq on the team,” Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said.

The team considered too old by some, despite nearly winning the title, has decided to rely for two more years on a group of 30-plus stars, all likely headed for the Hall of Fame.

O’Neal, 38, joins Pierce, 32, Garnett, 34, and Allen, 35. The Celtics also signed free agent center Jermaine O’Neal, 31 — a six-time All-Star — after the season.

All five are signed for two seasons, except Pierce, who has four years left on the deal he signed after the season. Point guard Rajon Rondo, 24, also is in the fold for four more years.

“I am honored to be joining the Celtics,” Shaq said in a statement issued by the club. “I have played against Paul, Ray, Kevin, Rajon, and Jermaine for many years and it will be great to be able to call them my teammates. I cannot wait to get to Boston to get started in pursuit of another championship.”

The Celtics won their NBA-high 17th championship in 2008.

“It is not every day that you can add a player of Shaquille’s caliber to your team,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in the statement. “His past experience speaks for itself and we believe that he is a great fit for our roster.”

Not far from where the Celtics play, another large figure on the Boston sports scene spread the news.

“Hey, they signed Shaq here,” David “Big Papi” Ortiz said out loud in the Red Sox clubhouse after taking batting practice at Fenway Park before the game with the Cleveland Indians.

Just which of the two O’Neals will start at center remains uncertain with Perkins recovering from surgery for torn ligaments in his right knee.

“I am very excited,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Adding a player like Shaq is a major plus and it fills a void for our team. He’s a real nice piece of the puzzle and he will complement us in where we want to go this coming season.”

O’Neal has won three championships with the Lakers along with his latest, in 2006, with Miami when he was teammates with Dwyane Wade.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed O’Neal before last season, hoping he could help LeBron James win his first title. O’Neal averaged a career-low 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 53 games, and the Cavaliers lost the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Celtics in six games.

In his last game, O’Neal had 11 points and 4 rebounds in a 94-85 loss in Boston.

That’s where he’s scheduled to begin his next season in a marquee matchup on Oct. 26 against the Miami Heat with James, Wade and Chris Bosh.

On Tuesday, O’Neal sounded unsure if he would ever play another NBA game after a difficult offseason of uncertainty.

“For me, it’s been a real thinking process,” he said in Orlando. “I came into the league very graciously and want to go out very graciously. My main thought was I would like to play for a winning franchise, somebody that’s used to winning, somebody that keeps winning. Hopefully, I’ll make my decision here in the next one or two days.”

Now it’s been made. He will wear No. 36 in Boston.

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Kobe Bryant’s Post Game comments after Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals

LOS ANGELES — Purple and gold confetti raining down upon him, Kobe Bryant hopped up on the scorer’s table, shook his fists and extended five fingers.

When he hopped down, Boston’s legendary Hall of Fame center Bill Russell was waiting to shake his hand.

A Game 7 classic — and this time, it finally went the Lakers’ way.

Bryant, the Finals MVP, scored 23 points despite 6-of-24 shooting, and the Lakers won their 16th NBA championship Thursday night, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Bryant earned his fifth title with the Lakers, who repeated as NBA champions for the first time since winning three straight from 2000-02. Coach Phil Jackson added his 11th, matching Russell’s total and possibly putting a cap on his remarkable career if he decides to leave the Lakers.

“This one is by far the sweetest, because it’s them,” Bryant said after the Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7. “This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up.”

Ron Artest added 20 points for the Lakers, who didn’t exactly show a champion’s poise while making just 21 shots in the first three quarters, even hovering around 50 percent at the free throw line. Los Angeles finished with just 32.5 percent shooting.

Yet with Bryant driving the lane to earn eight free throws and Pau Gasol finally coming alive with nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles reclaimed the lead midway through and hung on with a few more big shots from Gasol, who had 18 rebounds, and a remarkable clutch performance by Artest, a first-time champion as the only newcomer to last season’s roster.

“I had 20 points, and I still think we did this as a team,” Artest said. “We fought together. This was one of the best games in, I don’t even know, man. I don’t want to be in a game like this, where the game can go either way. … I’m just like, OK, what did I get myself into?”

He might be into a budding dynasty, with most of the Lakers’ core locked into long-term contracts. With their fifth title in 11 seasons, the Lakers moved one championship behind Boston’s 17 titles for the overall NBA lead.

After downplaying the NBA’s best rivalry for two weeks, Bryant acknowledged this banner will loom just a little larger than the rest in those Staples Center rafters, given the opponent, the Game 7 stakes and the history they just made. The teams have met in 12 NBA Finals, but the Lakers won for just the third time.

Jackson won his fifth ring in Los Angeles to go with his half-dozen from Chicago. And it might be the last: Weary of the regular-season grind and facing a likely pay cut with the Lakers, Jackson hasn’t determined his future, though he previously said another title would make him more likely to chase an unprecedented fourth threepeat next season, when he’ll be 65.

“I’ve got to take a deep breath. I’ve got to take some time to think about this,” Jackson said, wearing a satisfied grin underneath his championship hat. “This was great. I’ll wait to make that decision in a week.”

With his hands already full, maybe Jackson will follow Russell’s lead and put that 11th championship ring on a chain around his neck — and Bryant isn’t likely to settle for just one handful of rings.

He made that clear to his coach.

“He knows how bad I want him back,” Bryant said. “I’ve been openly blunt about how much I want him back.”

Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who just couldn’t finish the final quarter of a remarkable playoff run after a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Garnett added 17 points and Rasheed Wallace had 11 before tiring while starting in place of injured center Kendrick Perkins, but Boston flopped in two chances to clinch the series in Los Angeles after winning Game 5 back home.

“Listen, give the Lakers credit,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “They were terrific.”

Rivers knows changes are coming, even saying afterward that the ‘10-11 Celtics will be different than the ‘09-10 team.

“We were the tightest, most emotional, crazy group I’ve ever been around in my life,” Rivers said, adding that he’ll wait a while before deciding on his oft-speculated future.

He called this team “crazy close” and throughout the playoffs, the Celtics only got closer. Down by 14 in their first playoff game against Miami, they won that night and rode that instant burst of confidence not only past the Heat, but through Cleveland and Orlando in the next two rounds.

“We were scratching and clawing, trying to do everything we could to try to pull this out,” said Ray Allen, who had 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting. “We had an opportunity to win, but it just didn’t go our way down the stretch. I don’t think we ran out of steam. Lady Luck just didn’t bounce in our corner. … There were a lot of tears, a lot of tears.”

The Celtics were a .500 team for the final two-thirds of the season, prompting many to wonder if they could turn it back on for the playoffs. That question was answered long ago. Yes, they could — and one or two more stops on Thursday, they’d have won an 18th title.

“There’s a lot of crying in that locker room,” Rivers said. “A lot of people who care. I don’t think there was a dry eye. A lot of hugs, a lot of people feeling awful. That’s a good thing. Showed a lot of people cared.”

The Celtics had never lost a seventh game in the Finals. Despite nursing a lead through most of the night while holding the Lakers to ridiculously low shooting percentages until the final minutes, Boston couldn’t close it out on the coast, becoming just the seventh team to blow a 3-2 Finals lead after winning Game 5.

The Lakers tied it at 61 on Artest’s three-point play with 7:29 left, and Bryant’s free throws 90 seconds later gave the Lakers their first lead of the second half. The Lakers forged ahead by five points before Bryant and Sasha Vujacic hit free throws in the final seconds to keep Los Angeles ahead by at least two points on every possession.

Bryant said he had to downplay the magnitude of the rivalry during the series, but he came clean on the podium with his daughters, Natalia and Gianna.

“I was just lying to you guys,” Bryant said. “When you’re in the moment, you have to suppress that … but you guys know what a student I am of the game. I know every series the Lakers have played in, and I know every Celtics series. I know every statistic. It meant the world to me, but I couldn’t focus on that. I had to focus on playing.”

Bryant wasn’t at his best in Game 7, saying he “was on E … really, really tired” after 23 playoff games with a litany of injuries. Didn’t matter — he still captured the Finals MVP award, after averaging 28.6 points in the series.

He’s won three straight crowns before, and is already eyeing another three-peat try.

“Let’s go for it again,” Bryant said, moments before hoisting the Finals MVP trophy.

The Lakers will hold a parade Monday, with the team riding floats from Staples Center down Figueroa Street to the USC campus in downtown Los Angeles. A rally at the Coliseum last year attracted 95,000 fans, but the Lakers are skipping the arena in favor of a more interactive celebration, the team said.

Exactly two years to the day after Boston beat the Lakers by 39 points to clinch the 2008 title, Los Angeles got revenge for perhaps the most embarrassing loss of Bryant’s career — even if he did little more than grab 15 rebounds for most of the night.

The Celtics had much more poise from the opening tip in Game 7, playing vicious defense that forced Los Angeles to miss 21 of its first 27 shots. Bryant and Gasol were a combined 6 for 26 in the first half.

But forget how it looked early on, because history will. Bryant even did something Jerry West and Magic Johnson never could: He beat the hated Celtics in Game 7 of the Finals.

The Lakers are the first team to rally from a 3-2 deficit to win a Finals since Houston did it in 1994, beating the New York Knicks. Although Los Angeles stumbled to the brink of elimination for the first time in these playoffs last weekend in Boston, Bryant’s teams still are spectacular finishers: They’ve closed out their playoff opponents on the first try 10 times while winning three straight Western Conference titles over the last three years.

Game notes
Home teams improved to 14-3 in Game 7 in the Finals. No road team has won a title in Game 7 since 1978. … The Lakers are 14-1 in a seventh game at home, losing only the 1969 finale to Boston. … Garnett nearly flattened Jack Nicholson when he chased a loose ball into the front row in the second quarter, but the Lakers’ most famous fan got back up smiling. Other fans near courtside included Jake Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Seacrest, Timbaland, director Todd Phillips and George Lopez in purple-and-yellow plaid pants.

There have been only four Game 7s in the NBA Finals in the past three decades. Until tonight.

The Celtics and Lakers, the two greatest franchises in the history of the league, battle it out in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN Radio) for the 2010 NBA championship.

Will Boston raise banner No. 18? Or will Kobe, Phil and the Lakers claim their fifth ring in 11 years?

Our NBA experts answer the big questions lingering over the final showdown:

1. Rank the Finals Game 7s from the past three decades in importance.

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop:

Hell of a deal! Just like to point out any way you do this you’re certain to not only piss off multiple NBA legends, but also to do so on a day you’re likely to see lots of them at Staples Center. But we’re paid to be fearless, so here it goes:

1. 1984 (Celtics 111, Lakers 102): A mainstay of the Bird/Magic rivalry that saved the league, this game is in the conversation for one of the greatest Finals ever, and it included awesome and rare things like Cedric Maxwell taking the Lakers to school and Larry Bird goofing around on the bench.

2. 2010 (Celtics at Lakers): I don’t buy any of that about this game determining Kobe Bryant’s legacy. I see it simply as two very high-profile, super-professional teams with an opportunity to put on a show for the ages.

3. 1988 (Lakers 108, Pistons 105): This one could have been an all-timer. It was a one-possession game in the final minute. Unfortunately, the Pistons’ two key possessions came down to a very speculative Dennis Rodman jumper followed by a Joe Dumars turnover — key underperformances that kept the game from making a bigger mark, and also two key reasons Phil Jackson has the Lakers meditate to avoid spazzing under pressure.

4. 1994 (Rockets 90, Knicks 84): It was the biggest game in the world among the Knicks fans I was hanging out with in New York at the time. But in the real world, this one mattered for certain niche reasons: It changed the definition of the word “John Starks” and introduced the phrase “2-for-18″ into the hoops lexicon.

5. 2005 (Spurs 81, Pistons 74): You know what’s funny? Even though all kinds of people who are in Los Angeles covering the Finals were at this Game 7, nobody seems to remember this one. I have heard all kinds of mangled memories of the last Finals Game 7. Was it the Lakers? Huh? 2007? This one did not make a big impression. My main memory of this year: The Pistons’ offense was amazingly boring. I guess if there’s such a thing as karma, they had a loss coming.

1. 1988: The Lakers made good on Pat Riley’s guarantee to be first repeat champions since 1969 and solidified their status as team of ’80s.

2. 1984: The NBA got its dream of the two biggest stars going seven games in the Finals. The nightmare loss fueled Magic and the Lakers, as they would go on to win three of the next four championship series, two of which against the Celtics.

3. 2010: The latest descendants of NBA royalty duel for their place among the franchise greats.

4. 2005: Allowed Tim Duncan to pull even with Shaq and Kobe in the ring race.

5. 1994: Best thing about this Game 7 was that it mercifully ended this low-scoring series, one of the worst of the shot-clock era.

1. 1988: A repeat was the holy grail of NBA basketball during this era. The Lakers solidified themselves as the team of decade by knocking off Detroit and becoming the first back-to-back champs since 1969. Dennis Rodman’s strange, quick jumper with about 40 seconds left and the Pistons trailing by three was a huge moment.

2. 1984: In retrospect, the Celtics’ co-claim as the team of the 1980s seems like it was preordained, but Boston needed this win over the Lakers to establish itself as a memorable squad. Cedric Maxwell promised then delivered a big game.

3. 2010: It’s difficult to measure the historical importance of a game in the present day, but a win would give the Lakers their fifth championship in seven Finals appearances over an 11-year span. A Boston victory would ensure even greater posterity for this Celtics team — even though Garnett, Pierce and Allen have already secured strong legacies individually.

4. 1994: This was the first championship of what we thought of, at the time, as the post-Jordan era. Houston genuinely established a mystique after catching a break with the Sonics’ upset in the first round — though John Starks’ 2-for-18 line (0-for-11 from 3-point range) is the most enduring detail.

5. 2005: The Spurs won their third title in seven years with their usual imprint: brutally efficient defense. Only Manu Ginobili posted an above-average individual offensive performance in the decisive game.

1. 1984: This was the first of three Finals matchups between Magic and Bird, the individual rivalry that saved the NBA. While Magic struggled so badly he was being called “Tragic” Johnson, Bird got his revenge for Magic’s defeat of him in the 1979 NCAA championship. Magic would gain redemption, winning three of the next four titles, including two against the Celtics.

2. 1994: While this may have been the least exciting of the five series, it had the most impact in that it denied Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks a championship. If the Knicks had prevailed, Ewing would not only be a Hall of Famer but an immortal. Unlike the losing stars in the other Game 7s, Ewing never won a ring, so he never gets his just due — in New York and elsewhere.

3. 1988: The legend of “Big Game James” was born as James Worthy outshone Magic, Kareem and Isiah in posting the only triple-double of his career (36 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists). It’s very likely that Worthy would not have been a Hall of Famer or one of the top 50 players of all time had he not produced this masterpiece that made the Lakers the NBA’s first back-to-back champions in 19 years.

4. 2010: If the Lakers win, some will argue that Kobe is not only the greatest Laker ever but on par with Michael Jordan. If the Celtics win, they go from being a one-time champion to a mini-dynasty.

5. 2005: This was Tim Duncan’s first title without David Robinson, solidifying him as an all-time great in his own right.

1. 1984: The defining moment in the rejuvenation of the NBA

2. 1988: Might be the most underrated series in sports history.

3. 2010: Huge because of the rivalry and the quest by each “core” for a second title.

4. 2005: Series lacked spice nationally but helped define Duncan’s Spurs as all-time greats.

5. 1994: Widely regarded as among the worst Finals in history.

1. 2010: Yes, this one is the most important because a whole generation — pretty much everyone 35 and under — is getting to experience Lakers-Celtics G7 for the first time.

2. 1984: This was the last time the 2-2-1-1-1 format was used, and the travel was grueling: The last four games were Wednesday night at L.A., Friday night at Boston, Sunday afternoon at L.A. and Tuesday night at Boston.

3. 1988: It was the last title for Magic, Kareem and James Worthy, and it was Pat Riley’s last in L.A. The Lakers got swept by Detroit in the Finals the next season, and the Showtime era was over.

4. 1994: Pat Riley called it the biggest regret of his career: not subbing Rolando Blackman for John Starks as Starks was going 2-for-18. Also, Hakeem Olajuwon was at his peak and was unstoppable.

5. 2005: It was nice having a Game 7 at the Finals for the first time in 11 years, but the most memorable thing about this series, to me, was how dreadful Games 1-4 were.

1. 1984: Failing on the big stage and hearing people call him “Tragic” changed the course of Magic Johnson’s career. For the better, obviously. (As a child of the 1980s, I obviously see this series as unforgettable because it revived the storied Celtics-Lakers rivalry that had been dormant for way too long, and basically started what is regarded as the NBA’s renaissance.)

2. 1988: Pat Riley’s promise at the Lakers’ 1987 championship parade that they’d be back parading in a year is one of the most famous guarantees in sports history … mainly because L.A. won this Game 7 to complete the NBA’s first repeat since Boston in 1968 and 1969.

3. 2010: Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant, should they lose their first Game 7 in the Finals, would both take a legacy hit since they’d both be a stunning 0-2 against the Celtics in the Finals. And if the Lakers win, that would make 11 rings for Phil as a coach and five for Kobe.

4. 1994: In the first season after Michael Jordan’s stunning retirement, Patrick Ewing never came closer to a championship than this Game 7 defeat to the Rockets.

5. 2005: Robert Horry’s dagger that saved Tim Duncan in Game 5 is far more memorable than Game 7.

2. Is the title of “NBA’s greatest franchise” at stake in Game 7?

Abbott: The pendulum will swing a little, but can such a thing ever really be settled?

Adande: No, the series is even, but the banner battle still belongs to the Celtics, even if the Lakers get to 16.

Arnovitz: The two franchises are most charismatic when pitted against one another. Boston has won more head-to-head matchups, but the Lakers are the Celtics’ equal in prestige. That deadlock might be broken Thursday night — but only momentarily. The shared history between the Celtics and the Lakers is too deep to catapult one franchise indisputably ahead of the other by virtue of a single win.

Broussard: I don’t think so. I happen to think the Lakers are the NBA’s greatest franchise, even though Boston leads them 17 to 15 in titles. While the Celtics have more titles, most of them came during the 1960s. Since that decade, the Celtics have only won six titles and they endured a 22-year drought before winning in 2008. The Lakers, on the other hand, have been far more dominant of late, winning nine titles in the past 30 years. I also believe the Lakers also have the greater individual players, with Magic, Kobe, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, Elgin Baylor and George Mikan eclipsing the all-time Celtics greats.

Hollinger: No, the Hawks and Blazers are better than both of them. … In all seriousness, two honors are secure regardless of the outcome: Boston’s as the best single-city franchise in the entirety of NBA history, and Los Angeles as the best of the post-merger era. That’s always how I’ve differentiated L.A. and Boston in the great franchise debate.

Sheridan: No, but it’s getting close. Bill Russell & Co. were so dominant in the 1960s that the foundation they built has stood up for 50 years. But Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant are closing in, and a win Thursday plus another championship next year, a three-peat, would give L.A. the tiebreaker.

Stein: Not quite. Not when the Celtics — even if L.A. prevails — would still hold a 17-16 lead in overall championships win … and a still-sparkling record of 9-3 when they see the Lakers in the Finals.

3. Surprise, surprise: What X factor might change Game 7?

Abbott: Pau Gasol versus Rasheed Wallace has been a fun curio in the early parts of the series, but with Kendrick Perkins out, this matchup takes center stage. The team that gets the better of this has the inside track on the title. If Wallace is hitting 3s, it’ll mean a lot for Boston and will make space for Paul Pierce and the Celtics’ other scorers.

Adande: Rasheed Wallace hits 3-pointers from all over the place, disrupts the Lakers’ defense and inspires the Celtics to victory.

Arnovitz: Rasheed Wallace’s bump in minutes will give the Celtics a different offensive look. They’ll be a more perimeter-oriented team, but they’ll also be playing without a guy who performs the necessary grunt work that makes the offense flow. Will Wallace’s presence out along the arc help them loosen the vise the Lakers’ defense applied in Game 6?

Broussard: Rasheed Wallace or Glen “Big Baby” Davis will have to be big for the Celtics to win. They’re going to have to fill in defensively for the injured Kendrick Perkins and be the offensive threats that he hadn’t been. With their perimeter shooting ability, they can open up the floor for Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo to drive to the basket.

Hollinger: Frontcourt foul trouble. The injuries to Kendrick Perkins and Andrew Bynum mean both coaches could have to go deep into their bench (Shelden Williams? Josh Powell?) or contemplate playing small should other frontcourt players pick up too many early fouls. They just don’t have enough bodies anymore.

Sheridan: Ron Artest. I love the guy; he is one of the most mesmerizing players in the NBA to watch from up close, and let’s just say he’s a wee bit nuts. You add an ingredient like him to an already noxious mix, and anything can happen.

Stein: Would Rondo making free throws qualify as a surprise, surprise at this point? Since he’s 4-for-17 (24 percent) for the series, I’d say so. But instead of just limiting this to what happens at the line, let’s be clear: Rondo has to play well for the Celts to be able to steal this decider on the road. Boston will probably need big games from Rondo and Ray Allen. The Lakers’ defense gets scrambled when the ball is moving and those two can get it going.

4. What do you expect to see in Game 7?

Abbott: This series has not really had a buzzer-beater yet. My one big hope is that we get to see Kobe Bryant shoot a baseline turnaround jumper, over two defenders, with the buzzer sounding and all the marbles on the line. I don’t even care if it goes in or not. As a basketball fan, I’m dying for that drama, and I expect we’ll get it.

Adande: The Lakers will most likely exploit the absence of Kendrick Perkins inside and use a balanced effort to win.

Arnovitz: Despite Wallace’s range, the Lakers’ defense will continue to pack the paint, even if it means ignoring Rondo beyond 16 feet, and leaving itself occasionally vulnerable on the perimeter. The Celtics will counter by having Paul Pierce attack the additional space created in the half court with an extra shooter on the floor.

On the other end, the Lakers will spend the first half examining which offensive opportunities exist apart from Kobe Bryant. If enough surface, the Lakers will vary their attack. If Gasol can’t establish his spot at the elbow or maximize his post game, then Bryant will dominate the ball — and the Celtics’ defense will have to decide exactly how much of their defense to devote toward him.

I’m going with the Lakers in a last-possession game.

Broussard: I picked the Celtics in seven before the series began, so I’ll stick with that. But my gut tells me the Lakers will prevail. I think it’ll be a tightly contested game with signature performances by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Hollinger: We haven’t had a white-knuckle final-minute finish yet, and I’m wondering if this is the game in which we get one. It would be a fitting conclusion to a mostly evenly matched series. If it gets to that point, I wonder about two things: (1) Rasheed getting a T at the worst time to cost Boston a valuable point, and (2) Hack-a-Rondo. I said L.A. in seven before the series and I’ll stick with it now, but unlike Game 6, I think this one may go down to the wire.

Sheridan: I expect to see a dogfight, a close game throughout, one of the best games of Kobe Bryant’s career, and a thrilling finish that ends with Paul Pierce making the biggest basket of the night. (And afterward, Broussard and I will toast each other for our sage-like pre-series “Celtics in 7″ predictions.)

Stein: The Lakers’ AWOL defense and confidence were relocated in Game 6. A paranoid coach would say L.A. won too easily Tuesday night, which could lead to overconfidence that gives Boston its new life. But I don’t see it. The combination of Kobe’s desperation to make sure the Lakers don’t lose a Game 7 on their floor combined with the fact that all of his helpers are feeling good about themselves again — while the Celts are bemoaning the loss of Kendrick Perkins and Rondo’s inconsistency — adds up to champagne for the home team. (One question from me, though: Why even ask us to try to predict the future in a series with the most fickle momentum in recent memory?)

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