``Pretty rough couple of days for me,'' he said.

Yet when a question was posed to Pierce about whether he hoped the Celtics would get another shot at the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, Garnett jumped in with an answer that was phlegm-free and to the point.

``Hell yeah,'' he said. ``We're the champs, right?''

On a night when the play was so physical that it hurt to watch, the Lakers emerged the winners, escaping the Garden with a thrilling but bruising 110-109 overtime victory over the Celtics. But while it will be debated that the Lakers should have been called for a foul as time ran out, it's doubtful anybody was more upset with the way this played out than Garnett.

After missing the beginning, middle and end of the last two games as he went one-on-one with the flu, this time he merely missed the of the game - which must have been even more painful. Having fouled out late in the fourth quarter, he was reduced to the role of spectator in the overtime session, watching instead of leading, scoring . . . the whole package.

``That's a critical factor,'' said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. ``I didn't think he was quite ready to play; he didn't look up to par. But even with him up to 90 percent, he is still a guy who can make shots and do a lot of things defensively.''

WAS Garnett ready to play?

``I got in and did a lot of cardio and really pushed myself to a limit and went to a point where I felt comfortable,'' he said. ``Tonight, I didn't even think about it. Doc (Rivers) told me to verbally comment or let him know, to communicate to him how I felt. I felt pretty strong.''

Garnett gave the Celtics 16 points in his 33 minutes and 19 seconds of reporting to work while still sick. And when it was over, Rivers quite candidly admitted he's more concerned about how Garnett is going to feel today than how he felt after last night's game.

So, Garnett might not even be the 90 percent healthy that Dr. Jackson diagnosed. And that's why, though there will be plenty of analysis about last night, and how it relates to a possible Lakers-Celtics reunion in the NBA Finals, it should be noted that the Celtics and Lakers you saw last night are not the Celtics and Lakers you'll see in June.

Assuming, of course, there IS a June for either team.

The Lakers are without their big guy, Andrew Bynum, for 8-12 weeks. Knee injury. Even hardcore Lakers fan Magic Johnson says his team can't beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals without Bynum. So . . . picture the Lakers of last night, then add in Bynum, and go from there.

And the Celtics may have had a guy in a No. 5 shirt running around last night, but they didn't have KG. Flu. So . . . picture the Celtics of last night, then add in Garnett, and go from there.

``I really don't know if it allows you to do much of anything,'' said Kobe Bryant when asked about Garnett's absence late in the game. ``They didn't have him at the top of the floor to stretch the defense and knock down a shot.''

And that's why Garnett was so quick to get all Ellis Hobbs last night and intercept a question intended for Pierce. The flu only made Garnett sick. But sitting and watching as the Lakers toppled the defending NBA champs in overtime . . . that had to kill him.

- sbuckley@bostonherald.com