In a comeback for the ages, Paul Pierce returned Boston from a 24-point deficit to win Game 4.

At the end of the first quarter, it looked as if the series was headed to a 2-2 tie. With Boston missing shots and Los Angeles scoring at will, Boston was down by 21 after the first quarter and 18 at halftime.

But something clicked for Boston in the third quarter. Behind Paul Pierce’s game-high 20 points, they went on a 21-3 third quarter run. Boston finally took the lead 84-83, and went on to win 97-91. It was an epic comeback that will be remembered as one of the most exciting games in Finals history.

What made the comeback even more historic is that it happened on the road. The key to the comeback was Boston’s belief in themselves.

“We said coming out of the third quarter that regardless of what the score is, we’re not going to look at the score, we’re just going to go out and play and compete. I just thought they did a better job of competing, getting to all the loose balls, outrunning us, rebounds,” said Pierce.

Three L.A. players had double-doubles in their loss – Kobe (17 points, 10 assists), Lamar (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Pau (17 points, 10 rebounds). No team has lost in the Finals after being up 3-1. Game 5 is Sunday.