After stealing the ball in the final minutes against the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant dunks the ball in Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals on Sunday in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 103-98. - AP

LOS ANGELES (AP):

As purple-and-gold streamers rained down, Lamar Odom nodded his head in approval, Derek Fisher caressed the game ball against his chest and Kobe Bryant clapped his hands before striding from the floor.

The P.A. announcer cried, "This is not over yet!"

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't done playing. The NBA finals are headed East.

Bryant scored 25 points, including a decisive dunk in the final minute and Odom added 20 as the Lakers, playing with pride on their star-studded stage, prevented the Celtics from winning a 17th title with a 103-98 win in Game 5 on Sunday night to close to 3-2 in this restored rivalry.

"We didn't want to see any champagne popping," Odom said. "It wasn't easy. I wouldn't expect it to be."

No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title. The first 28 failed and now the Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead and lost Game 4 and nearly squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5, have a chance to do something extraordinary.

Winner-take-all

They'll have to win on the Celtics' parquet floor tonight to force a winner-take-all Game 7, where anything is possible. Especially with Bryant, the game's best player, on hand.

"In training camp if you told us, 'We'll give you two games that you have to win to win a world championship,' we would have taken it in a heartbeat," Bryant said. "This is a great opportunity for us."

On a night when Bryant didn't have his best game, the other Lakers came up big. Pau Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Odom had 11 rebounds and four blocks, Derek Fisher added 15 points and Jordan Farmar came off the bench to get 11. "

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 38 points and played all but two seconds. Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 14 rebounds and Ray Allen had 16 points. But Boston's Big Three couldn't close out their first chance at winning it all and now will get two cracks at home.