REPORTING FROM ... GAME FIVE OF THE NBA FINALS

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"I played like garbage. I can and will do better."

I believed. I believed in KG. But the two writers sitting next to me at Game 5 were far more skeptical.

"Does he miss one or both?'' one of them said with 2:31 left to play and Kevin Garnett stepping to the foul stripe with a chance to knot the game at 95.

"He's missing both of them,'' the other writer said with confidence.

These cats are sleeping on my man, I thought.

"He's hitting both,'' I said, certain that the Big Ticket, an 80 percent foul shooter this season, wouldn't crumble in the clutch.

And then his first free throw bounced around the rim and out. And then his second was off by even more. And then two minutes later, he missed a tip-in off Ray Allen's errant driving layup.

About the only thing KG did right last night—besides grabbing 14 boards—was admit the truth. No sugar-coating, no frontin', no false bravado.

"My play tonight?'' he said, after scoring just 13 points in 33 foul-plagued minutes. "It was trash. I played like garbage. I can do better and I will.''

He better, especially with Kendrick Perkins likely out of Game 6 with his shoulder injury.

This is not rocket science. There is no mystery to Garnett's struggles. I've said it many times before and I'll say it again.

"Get on the block KG!''

"Just about every time he posts up, something good happens. A basket, an assist, a drawn foul. I want him down there 70 percent of the time. Instead, I get him floating around the arc and the foul line on the overwhelming majority of Celtics possessions.

KG can abuse Pau Gasol down low—and that's without the ability to go left.

That's right. Have you noticed? KG can't go left all the way to the basket from the left side of the paint.

The left side is there every time. A spin move or a hard drive will get him to the rim every time, but he doesn't take it. He may take a dribble for a half-spin left but he always turns back to his right.

I know KG must know this because he studies film with a vengeance. And I know he's got the ability to learn how to go left. The fact that he hasn't just tells me that he's not that serious about playing in the post, that he really doesn't want to be down there that much.

But if he really wants that ring—and I know he does—he'll suck it up and spend more time on the block.

Then I guarantee that he won't play like garbage.

There's no doubt that Paul Pierce's stature has increased tremendously this postseason. Not only has he been crazy clutch, going for 41 in a Game 7 against Cleveland and then 27 in a closeout Game 6 in Detroit, but he put 38 and 8 dimes (also 6 boards) on the Lakers in last night's potentially title-clinching contest.

Kobe's not surprised.

"Paul is one of my favorite players in the league,'' he said. "He's tough. There are not a lot of players that have a well-rounded offensive game. What I mean by that, he's got a good mid-range game, long ball, pull up to the hoop, pull up left, pull up right. He has the whole package. I enjoy watching him play. I enjoy playing against him, and he's fantastic.''

I didn't think Sam Cassell's fourth quarter take-down of Sasha Vujacic was done on purpose. But Sasha disagreed, saying "Yes, he did'' when I asked him that very question.

And Cassell's not the only Celtic that Vujacic thinks breaks the rules. He said the whole team gets away with murder defensively.

"They foul a lot,'' Vujacic said after the game. "They get away with a lot of fouls. We've got to know a lot of moving picks (are coming in Game 6). And they're going to get away with it. It's hard (for the refs) to see. They do it so quick that not everyone can see it.''

Rajon Rondo played just 14 minutes, 32 seconds in Game 5. He said his bum ankle wasn't the problem, that it's not bothering him at all. Doc Rivers didn't blame the ankle for Rondo's excess bench time either.

"Well, Rondo is just not playing well right now,'' Doc said. "We still believe in him. They're doing a nice job to start games with Kobe guarding him and roaming, and the ball is ending up in (Rondo's) hands. And what we're trying to get him to do is just be aggressive to the basket.''

Rondo, who had 3 points, 3 assists and 2 turnovers, said Rivers did not tell him after the game why he played so sparingly. But he said he'd be more aggressive in Game 6. He was slapping himself for passing up an open layup in the first quarter and instead kicking the ball out to Pierce for a 3-pointer.

"Paul was open, but the smart play was to take the layup,'' Rondo said. "But my job is to get guys going early. I've just got to look to be more aggressive and create shots for my teammates and take my own shots when I'm open.''

Leon Powe, the Game 2 star with 21 points, played even less than Rondo Sunday, logging just 4 minutes, 59 seconds despite starting in place of the injured Perkins.

"I was just trying to play defense and rebound and not force anything,'' Powe said. "I didn't feel like I was out there messing up. I know it comes with the territory, though. It's not bothering me. I'll just wait until next game.''

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