It had been two years since Kobe Bryant left the parquet floor of TD Garden in tears after his Lakers failed to beat the hated Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Now in 2010, Bryant and co. faced a similar dilemma on their home court. Game 7 against the Celtics: get revenge or fall short again.
It was far from a pretty game, but it was an absolutely gritty one, with L.A. scoring just 34 points in the first half.
And for a moment it looked like the Lakers were cursed to repeat history, as they trailed by 13 in the third quarter.