Phil Jackson and the LA Lakers survived to fight another day in the NBA Finals - with a little help from Avram Grant and John Terry.

Kobe Bryant's 25 points helped stop the rot for LA with a 103-98 victory that cuts the deficit in the best-of-seven series with the Boston Celtics to 3-2.

Fighting on: LA coach Phil Jackson had star man Kobe Bryant to thank

And Jackson revealed that a chat with former Chelsea boss Grant, who is a guest of the Lakers this week, about the Champions League Final helped give him a secret edge.

Jackson said: "We talked about the situation that happened with Chelsea in the Manchester game, the disappointment John Terry had.

"Obviously, he missed the penalty kick that would have been a winner for him.
And the support - I wanted to know the support he gave his players in that type of situation.

"We talked about what kind of character Terry had and we exchanged some ideas about coaching." 

The Lakers allowed a 19-point second quarter lead to slip and the Celtics eased ahead 58-57 early in the second half before LA rallied and held on in a tense finale.

Bryant was aided by 20 points from Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol's 19 while a brilliant 38-point show by Paul Pierce proved in vain for the Celtics who can still win the 17th title in their history at home on Tuesday night.