In the past, people may have questioned Paul Pierce’s status as a superstar. But after putting up one amazing performance after another in the 2008 Playoffs, Pierce proved his place among the greats and was awarded the Finals MVP award.

In Game 6, back on their home floor, Pierce led Boston to a blowout 131-92 win. The 39-point victory, just three points shy of a Finals record for largest margin of victory, proved without a doubt that Boston was the best team in the league this season.

Over the six game series, Pierce averaged 21.8 points and 6.3 assists per game, including a 38-point effort in Game 5. And he now knows that this season’s team, which won the most games in the regular season, is among the greats.

“It means everything. I’m not living under the shadows of the other greats now. If I was going to be one of the best Celtics to ever play, I had to put up a banner, and today we did that,” said Pierce.

Kobe, the regular-season MVP, finished Game 6 with 22 points. Losing is never easy, but L.A. can look back the surprise season, one where they weren’t expected to get to the playoffs, much less finals, with pride.

Kobe Bryant, as usual, led Los Angeles in scoring with 25 points, but the difference between their Game 4 loss and their Game 5 win was the improved play from Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

Both players had double-doubles – Odom with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Gasol with 19 points and 13 rebounds. When Boston whittled Los Angeles’ lead from 19 to 3 points, it was Odom and Gasol who got L.A. back on track.

“I tried to stay focused throughout the game,” Odom said. “I thought last game that I played, I thought I didn’t make enough plays down in the fourth quarter. I just wanted to stay focused, make plays throughout the game.”

Paul Pierce had another monster game for Boston with 38 points, but it was not enough. Game 6 is Tuesday in Boston.

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.

It wasn’t the prettiest game to watch, but LA. didn’t care. They used tough, aggressive play – and Kobe’s 36 points – to take Game 3. Against a team like Boston, that plays such good defense, it’s not about style, it’s about winning.

“We’re playing a great defensive team,” Bryant said. “They’re going to take something away. The important thing for us is to figure out how to win despite that, and that’s the key if you want to win a championship.”

L.A. knew they couldn’t go in a 0-3 hole and expect to win the series. Proving why he is this season’s MVP, Kobe shouldered the scoring load in maybe their most important game all year long.

“It was big. The biggest win of the year and we have to follow it up with one more,” said Lamar Odom.

The Lakers are now unbeaten at home since March 28th. Game 4 is Thursday.

For 40 minutes, Boston ferociously protected their home court, dominating Los Angeles by as much as 24 points. But Los Angeles, powered by Kobe’s 13 fourth-quarter points, staged a late rally to bring the score to 104-102.

As the Boston crowd grew nervous, Paul Pierce delivered the response the team needed by driving the lane, drawing a foul and hitting two clutch free throws. As L.A. tried to respond with a quick basket, Pierce blocked the shot. His late-game heroics gave Boston some breathing room as they closed out L.A. with a 108-102 win.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the series and learned a lesson about what happens when you let up on a team led by Kobe Bryant.

“I think we got kind of complacent with the lead,'’ Pierce said. “We weren’t staying aggressive. We let them pick up their pressure. We stopped guarding. We got to take a lesson from this fourth quarter to keep playing regardless of the score and finish the game.'’

Kobe finished the game with 30 points and will be looking forward to three-straight games back in Los Angeles. Game 3 is Tuesday.

Boston fans held their breath when Paul Pierce went down holding his right knee in the third quarter of Game 1. As their leader, main offensive weapon and the heart and soul of the entire franchise, losing Pierce would have been a devastating blow. It was Game 1 of the finals against the seemingly unstoppable Lakers. Could their other two stars step up and carry the team to victory? Could their bench sustain them in the clutch, knowing that Kobe had yet to turn it up and start raining shots?

As Pierce was carried off the court, and wheeled back to the locker room, these were questions that silenced basketball fans at the Garden and on every couch across the country. Too much was on the line. And after 10 years with Boston, through the highs and the lowest of lows, there was no way he was going to the miss the rest of his first Finals game ever.

“Once I felt I could put weight on it, I was like, I had to get back out there to help my ballclub,” Pierce said. “That was all that was going through my mind, just being a part of it. I just wanted to get back out there.”

As all eyes were recovering from the shock and settling back into the game an eruption emerged from the stands. Before cameras could focus in on the cause everyone knew what it meant. The Truth had returned. After a quick LA timeout and a few strained footsteps Pierce went off, finishing the game with 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half. He was 7-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.

It was legendary performance by Pierce and an epic start to the Finals.

LA kept the game close, exchanging leads throughout the game. Their top scorers Pau Gasol and Kobe combined for 39 points in the loss. Game 2 is Sunday.

Last night Los Angeles beat out San Antonio 100-92 in Game 5 to become the 2008 Western Conference champs. It was another amazing playoff performance by Kobe Bryant, who put up 39 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, to help his team overcome an early 17-point deficit. With this victory LA proved what their regular-season record showed: they are the best in the West.

“I think it is a tremendous accomplishment,'’ Bryant said. “I think the West is extremely tough. We’re all extremely excited and proud about it. Now, it’s time to go on and see if we can’t finish it off.'’

Kobe got plenty of help, including a monster game on the boards by Pau Gasol. He finished the game with 19 rebounds and 12 points.

Los Angeles is now 12-3 in the playoffs, including 8-0 at home. They haven’t lost at home in over two months.

Tony Parker led the defending champions with 23 points in the loss.