Garnett, Celtics dismantle 76ers

Kevin Garnett had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help the Boston Celtics beat the host Philadelphia 76ers, 107-91, last night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Whistled for a costly illegal pick late in a Game 2 loss, Garnett crushed the Sixers early and never let them think about a fourth-quarter rally.

Garnett scored 13 of Boston's 32 points in the second quarter.

Rajon Rondo had 23 points and 14 assists. Paul Pierce, playing with a banged-up knee, had 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 15 points and nine assists.

Thunder 77, Lakers 75: Kevin Durant hit the winning floater with 18.6 seconds left as host Oklahoma City erased a seven-point deficit in the final 2:08. Durant had five of his 22 points and James Harden four of his 13 during the Thunder's 9-0 run to close the game. Oklahoma City is up 2-0 in this series and is 6-0 in the playoffs this season.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum had 20 points each for the Lakers. Steve Blake missed a wide-open three-point attempt for the Lakers with 3.9 seconds left.

Bird Exec of the Year

Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird was voted the NBA's Executive of the Year yesterday, becoming the first person to be named the league's MVP, best coach and top executive.

The three-time MVP and Hall of Famer received 12 first-place votes and 88 total points from a panel of team executives throughout the NBA. San Antonio's R.C. Buford (56 points) finished a distant second, followed by Los Angeles Clippers general manager Neil Olshey (55).

Fines for Ebanks, Bynum

The NBA has fined Lakers forward Devin Ebanks $25,000 for comments to an official and ripping off his jersey after being ejected in Game 1 in Oklahoma City. Bynum has been fined $15,000 for not making himself available to the media after the Lakers' practice Tuesday.

-- AP