There’s something special about comebacks, especially when they come on the grandest of stages. There’s something to be admired about overcoming adversity, maintaining composure and emerging victorious.

That’s exactly what the Boston Celtics did Thursday at Staples Center in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. They rallied from a 24-point deficit to capture a 97-91 win over Los Angeles. Doc Rivers and Co. now own a commanding 3-1 series lead and can close the deal Sunday.

Nobody saw that coming when the Lakers led by 21 at the end of the first quarter and by 18 at intermission. This series was going to be even at 2-2 with the Lakers clearly in control of Uncle Mo(mentum).

Lamar Odom, who had come under heavy scrutiny for his abysmal Game 3 performance (five turnovers and just four points), came out on fire. He made the game’s first bucket and looked extremely intense from the get-go, setting the tone and igniting the crowd with a thunderous dunk for a 9-2 lead.

The Celtics looked inexplicably flat, allowing Los Angeles to hook up their backers for first-half bets as a four-point ‘chalk.’

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With the Lakers leading by 18 at halftime thanks to Jordan Farmer’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer, gamblers were looking at Boston minus three for second-half wagers. That equated to the Celtics plus 15, which was 7 ½ extra points of value from the original line.

That was the play because the second half was all Boston. With 2:01 left in the third quarter, the Celtics trimmed the deficit to single digits on a gorgeous reverse layup by Paul Pierce, who also got the ‘and-one’ opportunity and made the free throw to pull his team within eight.

Pierce’s 3-point play the hard way sparked a 10-0 run to close the third quarter. By then, L.A.’s advantage had shrunk to just one.

The crowd in Tinseltown was in shock. It was as if the Celtics had hit the mute button on the fans. All of a sudden, the only thing you could hear was Sam Cassell yappin’ it up from the sidelines.

(Quick thought: Cassell became infamous in college for dubbing the Dean Dome’s inhabitants as a ‘wine-and-cheese crowd’ after he led FSU to a win at North Carolina. After Game 4, I’m calling the Staples crowd the ‘Pathetic Pushovers.’ Seriously, every time a few bad things happen for the Lakers, their crowd goes into panic mode. When the going gets tough for the home team, the fans are supposed to motivate with noise, not sit down and zip their lips.)

After tying the game several times, it appeared as if Boston might fail to get over the hump. That’s the thing with comebacks: It takes so much effort just to get back in the game that many times a team is left too drained to perform at crunch time.

That wasn’t the case here. The Celtics got over the proverbial hump to take their first lead on a silky-smooth-no-hesitation-whatsoever jumper by Eddie House. The high-arching 18-footer at the 4:05 mark gave Boston its first lead of the game at 84-83.

The Celtics never trailed again. Ray Allen got a steal and then kept the next possession alive with an offensive rebound. After pulling down the board, Allen threw the ball back out for a reset. Moments later, he came off a screen and caught the ball on the left wing.

Sensing that Allen had enough space for a catch-and-shoot jumper, Kobe Bryant lunged out toward him. Likewise, Allen sensed Bryant’s desperation and drove hard to the baseline. The help came but Allen sailed past the basket, using the rim for protection, and converted a beautiful reverse layup.

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On the following possession, Jordan Farmer missed a 3-pointer from the left wing. On Farmer’s miss, I thought House did a great job of running out to get a hand in his face.

Up by three with just over two minutes left, Boston faced a critical possession. This was winning time.

Before the game on the Power Hours, I stated that the rest of this series would go a long way toward defining Kevin Garnett’s legacy. In other words, another clunker like he had in Game 3 would result in a tarnished image. Unless Garnett came up big, an otherwise great career would likely fail to reach that elite upper echelon.

Chris David went as far to call Garnett soft, citing a playoff series against Sacramento when KG didn’t respond in any way to a cheap shot from former teammate Anthony Peeler.

Both of us (C.D. and I) noted how weak it was for Garnett to be settling for perimeter jumpers rather than attacking the basket with authority. It reminded me of Chris Webber against the Lakers in the now-extremely-infamous L.A.-Sacramento series in 2002.

With those factors in mind, Allen and Garnett played pick-and-roll high above the key on the right side. As Gasol showed high on Allen, Garnett abandoned the play and flashed to the right wing, where he caught a pass from Allen about 20 feet out.

It was getting late in the shot clock, but Garnett had enough time to explore his options. He also had enough space to settle for a deep jumper, one he often takes and makes. In Game 3, he would’ve taken the shot, and he probably would’ve missed.

In Game 4, one of the defining moments of his career, Garnett didn’t settle. And why would he? He’s The Big Ticket. He’s the $100 Million Man.

And for Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and Larry Bird’s sake, he was being guarded by Pau Gasol. Garnett took two power dribbles to his left and came to a jump stop in the lane. He then elevated over Gasol and drained the short jumper for a  five-point lead with 2:11 remaining.

Bryant answered with a pair of free throws before Pierce made one of two at the charity stripe. Next, Bryant made a driving layup to make it 89-87. At the 1:15 mark, Boston got another key bucket from a reserve.

House, who finished with 11 points, had provided a big lift with Rajon Rondo playing limited minutes. But it was James Posey that had the monster performance from off the bench, erupting for 18 points.

His 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:15 left was huge, giving the Celtics a five-point lead. The Lakers would cut it to three at the 40-second mark, but Allen inserted the dagger on the ensuing possession.

Allen dribbled off most of the shot clock while closely guarded by Sasha Vujacic. When Garnett came to set an on-ball screen, Allen waved him off. He wanted to take Vujacic off the dribble, and that’s exactly what he did, gliding past the Slovenian and finishing strong with a left-handed scoop layup.

Game. Set. Match. Series? In all likelihood, yes.

As Phil Jackson, the nine-time title winner as a coach and two-time winner as a player, said after the game, “The series is not over.”

That’s true, but the Celtics’ riveting rally has the Lakers in a 3-1 hole. In NBA Finals history, no team has ever overcome that sort of deficit.

Does this Lakers team have the spine to pull off such an accomplishment? I seriously doubt it.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Solid calls from C.D. during the Power Hours: ‘under’ for the game, ‘under’ 32 for Kobe’s points (he finished with 17) and ‘over’ on all Lamar Odom props. David accurately expressed a strong opinion that Odom would step up in Game 4, and he certainly did, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.

--After the game, Bryant responded to a question about getting over the loss by implying that the Lakers would need a lot of “wine, beers and shots – like 20 of ‘em.” Come on, Kobe. We all know you need 30-40 shots (per game) to be happy. Twenty? That's like me saying I only need a six-pack of Budweisers for a Gator football game on a Saturday night. Get real.

--Gamblers backing Pau Gasol in prop bets against Garnett came out on top. Most books had Garnett as a 5 ½-point favorite against Gasol for total points and rebounds. KG’s 16 and 11 wasn’t enough to defeat Gasol’s 17-and-10 effort.

--Boston hooked up money-line backers with a strong plus 280 return (paid $280 on $100 risk) by winning outright. The Celtics have now covered the number in all four games in the Finals. They have also taken the cash in each of their six head-to-head encounters against the Lakers this year.

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened the Lakers as six-point favorites for Game 5. The total was sent out at 190.

--Boston center Kendrick Perkins is “questionable” after suffering a shoulder injury.

--Playing on a sore ankle, Rondo could only give the Celtics 17 minutes. He played decent, albeit somewhat tentative, finishing with four points, two assists, one rebound and zero turnovers.

--Mike Woodson has agreed to a two-year extension with the Hawks. Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks the move is a mistake.

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.