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Inactives
Lakers: DJ Mbenga, Sun Yue
Heat: James Jones, Shaun Livingston, Dorell Wright
Kobe Shoe Update: In the pregame, I mentioned that Kobe was going to be wearing his new Nike Zoom Kobe IV’s, but he’s actually wearing a special edition: the Venoms. According to Kobe’s people, only 48 pairs of these specific pairs are available: 24 in Miami, 12 in L.A. and 12 on Kobe’s website. Ariza is wearing the normal Nike Zoom Kobe IV’s. Now that we’re settled on that front, here are your starters:
Lakers Fish, Kobe, Luke, Pau and Bynum
Heat Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony
First Quarter
Let’s go back to our timestamps here, shall we?
8:13 Guess how many points the Lakers had at this point of the game? If you weren’t watching, you’d be wrong, because “three” is the right answer. Five turnovers, 1-for-3 from the field and even a basket interference call made sure of it. The Heat weren’t much better though, going 1-for-8 and missing two free throws for just four points. The game was as slow starting as the crowd was slow arriving (think E-Honda in a 40-yard dash).
6:29 Wade knocked down his second consecutive field goal, this one a three, to give the Heat an early 11-7 lead. At the other end, Kobe answered in the lane, and something tells me that the Olympic work-out buddies are both in “Alpha Dog” mode tonight…
5:14 With Kobe guarding him, Wade pulled up for his sixth shot of the game out of a timeout, and for the fourth time, he hit it (10 points). Shockingly, Bryant ran down to shoot at the other end, but missed for the second time with two makes. Fortunately for the Lakers, Gasol (who’s moving fine and showing no signs of sickness) was there to tip in. 16-13, Miami.
3:19 We’ve been talking about Gasol’s gazelle-like floor-running throughout this season, and it was evident once again in the first quarter after Walton gather a loose ball. Pau, who like everyone else was below the free throw line extended, immediately took off, sprinted past rookie Mario Chalmers and received a nice pass from Walton for an uncontested dunk. Meanwhile, coaches watching KCAL and ESPN nodded their heads, recalling their collective “big men get rewarded when they run” mantra.
1:52 Wade drew his second phantom call of the first quarter when Bryant appeared to cleanly strip him as Dwyane flashed through the lane. Wade’s well known to draw fouls when he doesn’t get touched (certainly more than Kobe these days), and that was no exception to the rule. If you saw it on TV, you may have had a better angle than me, but my opinion comes more from Kobe’s reaction … Which was basically to run all the way down to the other free throw line in protest. If he’s emphasizing his disgust that emphatically, it probably wasn’t a foul.
1:29 You know it, Phil knows it, Jordan knows it: Farmar’s been struggling recently. Which is why his game-tying three was a good early sign.
0:00 Kobe grabbed a loose ball off a Farmar drive near the buzzer and stuck it off glass for two, which tied the game at 26 and gave Bryant eight points.
Quarter Notes
Second Quarter
11:43 Farmar exploded to the hoop and finished beautifully with his right hand, and a possession later (11:16) fed Odom on a nice cut to the hoop. Odom hit 1-of-2 to put the Lakers up 29-26. Remember, Odom’s in particularly good spirits after having the chance to chill at his offseason home.
9:55 Apparently Phil Jackson had some good stuff to tell Farmar when they spoke the other day … Another triple from Farmar found him 3-of-3 for eight points, a dime and two boards, and gave L.A. a 32-29 edge. Farmar obviously didn’t go to the Subway in downtown Miami that produced, for me, both the most expensive and worst turkey sandwich I’ve had from the chain out of … hmm … 1,034 Subway subs I’ve had in the past 15 years. He must have had room service at the Four Seasons.
8:10 Farmar can’t miss - another layup and the Lakers were up five. The Heat, meanwhile, really struggled to generate anything looking like an offense with Wade on the bench, as they managed just three points in the first four minutes with the former Marquette star watching.
6:59 Beasley managed to score four straight points to pull the Heat within one as Wade checked in, however, and the Lakers weren’t really able to take advantage of Flash’s absence despite far superior second-unit talent.
6:34 Fisher triple. That was his second on three attempts, and he was already third in the NBA coming into the game with a 47.4 percent average from deep. Make that 48.1 percent, which puts him above Matt Bonner and into second place behind only … wait a second … Kevin Durant? Really? Somehow Durant’s shooting 48.4 percent to lead the league. Bryant followed up with a pretty finish in the lane to give L.A. its biggest lead at 39-33.
2:52 L.A. briefly took an eight-point lead before four quick Heat points leading into the TV timeout at 2:52. However, immediately out of that TO, Bryant canned a triple (15) points, meaning Wade had to answer with a jumper at the other end (16 points). Let me ask this question: Whom would you take in a 1-on-1 matchup between Kobe and Wade? Maybe it seems obvious to me, because even with Wade’s great ability, Bryant’s proven himself the better defender, and is strong enough to make Wade settle for a few fade-away jumpers. While Wade’s really good on the block with his back to the basket, he’s not quite as good as Kobe is down there, another reason Mamba might have an edge. Can we please see this at the All-Star game?
1:20 Just after I laud Kobe’s D, Wade makes a great play on defense in rotating over into the lane from the weak side and intercepting an Odom pass intended for a previously wide-open Gasol. Chalmers then converted a three at the other end to bring the Heat within two at 44-42. Five-point swing there…
33.3 Tie game after two Chalmers free throws. That’s eight points for the Kansas guard who hit that amazing clutch game-tying three-pointer to send the National Championship game vs. Memphis into overtime, in the process destroying my seemingly guaranteed win in three different brackets. It’s not in my heart to ever forgive Chalmers for that, but he can have my respect (because I’m sure he cares about that).
Final Seconds Another slick Bryant drive and finish off glass (17 points) was erased by a Marion dunk with 1.3 seconds left in the half to make it 46-46 heading into the locker room.
A thought on why Lakers games are closer than expected:
In fairness, the Lakers have to learn how to bury teams even when their effort level is that high, but should L.A. really be expected to bring paramount energy in all 82 games? Maybe so, but more importantly, it doesn’t truly matter until the second half of the season (see: San Antonio Spurs circa 2003-2007). It’s important to see the Lakers go on elite defensive stretches (which they’ve managed in most games), but I for one don’t expect to see it for 48 minutes each night.
Point Guard Play
That was the best eight-minute stretch we’ve seen from Farmar in weeks. It wasn’t just the numbers (10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, 2-of-2 from the line; one steal, assist and rebound) but his on-court demeanor. The shots he took were good shots, and he didn’t force the issue but on one play that ended up with a Bryant layup. Fisher added eight points, a steal, two boards and a dime of his own to give the Lakers a nice one-two punch at the point.
As a team, the Lakers made up for 12 turnovers by shooting 54.3 percent from the field (including 7-of-12 from Kobe), while the Heat used an eight-attempt edge at the free throw line and 10 points off those TOs to stick with L.A.
Third Quarter
10:57 Fisher turned the rock over trying to force it into Bynum. I write about this because the Lakers must have turned it over four times trying to force the interior pass in the first half, with Miami generally gambling into those passing lanes. You’d also be taking a gamble by eating at Rosa Mexicana in downtown Miami and then trying to eat anything in the morning (due to fullness, not sickness. Fantastic Mexican food there, including the best churros ever (plus caramel, chocolate and berry sauces).
9:27 Best move of the night, from Wade. His crossover on the baseline made Bynum go into a yoga position (Warrior 3?) where he turned his left hip 180 degrees (could have been stretching) before Wade cut back to the hoop and finishing to tie the game.
6:26 Wade’s steal and layup gave the Heat a temporary two-point lead that would be erased by Fisher’s free throws, but was noteworthy because Wade slid across the floor as if a Slip-’N-Slide were on the baseline, trying to draw a foul. No dice that time, but he’ll get ‘em next time.
5:58 Gasol just failed to catch a pretty easy Fisher lob pass, but I’m going to give him a few more minutes before wondering if his few days off have him a bit tired right now.
4:14 A zealous to quite zealous reach-in from Daequan Cook when the Heat already had four team fouls put Bryant at the line. Even though he missed one, swiping at Kobe (who was at the three-point line) really was about as good an idea as signing your son up for a youth tennis league match with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf’s kid (random, huh).
3:02 The Heat announcer took 30 seconds to say: Udonis Haslem. And the Lakers take a time out. In real time, it was like this: Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddddddooooonnnnnnniiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssss Hhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssslllllleeeeeeeeeeeeemmmmmm. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddd thhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeee Laaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrs taaaakkkkkkkke TIIIIIIIIIMMMMMEEEEEE OOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His jumper gave the Heat a 65-61 lead with 3:02 remaining, but was that the time to injure one’s vocal chords, cause temporary hearing loss and annoy everybody?
2:12 Cook atoned for his foul on Bryant with a J that gave Miami its biggest lead to that point at 67-61. Moments later, Cook hit a far bigger shot, a triple that pushed the lead to nine.
Pounding it Inside? Whatever happened to the Lakers pregame intent to pound the ball inside on Miami? Bynum has taken just one shot, and Gasol (who officially does look tired from this vantage point) eight (three in the second half). It’s been more of a jumper fest for the Lakers, who made seven-of-17 shots in the quarter (41 percent).
0:00 Wade swished a buzzer-beating prayer from about 30 feet to give the Heat a 12-point lead heading into the quarter, which was only slightly less annoying to Laker fans in the building than the PA announcer’s call of the play (I’ll spare you).
Worse than the poor shooting in that third quarter was the fact that L.A. wasn’t able to generate many good shots out of the triangle, but instead depended on Kobe’s offense. Bryant, with 24 points, took a seat on the bench to start the fourth, with L.A.’s second unit (plus Radmanovic instead of Odom) attempting to bring the Lakers back into a game.
Fourth Quarter
10:20 Back-to-back turnovers from Vladi weren’t exactly for what L.A. was looking to start the quarter. Miami wasn’t any better, however, as neither team scored in the first two minutes.
9:11 Finally a bucket in the fourth, when Bynum grabbed an errant Vladi three and converted with a nice spin move.
8:47 After a Heat turnover, Vujacic pulled up in transition and buried a three, which capped a 5-0 to pull L.A. within seven. Shutting Miami out for the first four minutes of the quarter was precisely what the Lakers’ second unit needed to do.
8:05 During a time out, the Miami Heat Street Band - featuring saxes, tubas, trombones and trumpets - played TI’s “Whatever You Like,” which pleased me. Out of the TO, Josh Powell entered for Radmanovic, who struggled to find a rhythm with the Heat contesting every pass on the perimeter. Certainly, this pace seems better suited to Powell, who won’t be shy in knocking some Heat around. It wasn’t Powell, but Vujacic for whom the play was called, and Sasha drained another J off a curl to cut the lead to five.
7:00 Big play … Vujacic looked like he may have been tripped on a screen, and Cook nailed the open three from the corner for Miami’s first points of the quarter.
5:15 Chalmers answered an Ariza jumper that had cut it to four to make it 80-74 Heat. In other news, the volume of Miami’s sound system has now taken a full year off my hearing. It was almost worth it though, because some guy spun on his head for a good minute to “Jump On It” during another TV timeout, out of which we’ll surely see Kobe and Wade. The larger point in the game, however, is that the second unit gave the starters a good chance to win by cutting a 12-point lead in half.
3:51 Bynum did a good job to close out on Wade’s jumper, but Dwyane hit it anyway to bump the lead back up to six.
3:07 Fisher, who had missed just two free throws all season heading into Tuesday night’s game, missed his second of the week before Haslem’s jumper put Miami up seven at 84-77.
2:33 Odom missed two free throws. That’s 3-of-4 misses from the stripe.
2:00 A crucial minute-long sequence started with a huge three from Ariza, off a nice look from Gasol, to cut the lead to four. Subsequently, an ill-timed technical foul on Phil Jackson, protesting some call, didn’t end up hurting when Haslem missed the free throw. Wade then nailed a gorgeous driving, floating shot, before Gasol scored on an uncontested dunk. Seconds later, Wade hit a jumper for his 34th point at the 1:20 mark, but Gasol hit two free throws to keep the lead at four. All the happened in a minute.
1:14 The Lakers needed a stop, not bucket-trading. They almost got one when Bryant tied Wade up for a jump ball, but Wade won it, and for some reason Fisher fouled Haslem with seven seconds left on the shot clock? Don’t get that one?
54.8 Haslem, who had just missed the technical, missed both free throws. Ouch, especially from a good FT shooter. The Lakers can score and get one stop, and have a chance to tie or take the lead.
41.7 Kobe took care of the first part with a tricky lil’ spin move and floating right-handed leaner in the paint to make it 88-86 Miami. Now for that stop…
24.0 Wade missed. Rebound Lakers.
9.5 After Odom missed in the lane, he was blocked by Wade (a great play), and Gasol gathered the loose ball. He was then fouled, but the ref instead chose not to blow his whistle but to give L.A. possession even though Pau knocked the rock out of bounds. Usually, that’s an automatic foul call for a guy like Gasol, but not this time.
8.5 Pau drew that foul on a nice inbounds pass from Odom, and with a crowd roar louder even than the PA announcer’s voice (well … that could be pushing it), he missed the first, allowing the Heat to keep a one-point lead.
6.8 Wade drew the foul on the inbounds pass, and he … missed the front end. Wow. Two big misses from two clutch players. Actually, rewind a few seconds further, and both teams missed four free throws in the final minutes.
0.00 Kobe rimmed out. Bryant, after receiving the inbounds pass, used a Gasol pick to get into the lane, took a dribble and faded away from 17-feet. It was a good look, and a good shot, that literally rolled around the rim one full time before popping out. As such, a valient comeback attempt (L.A. was down 12 to start the quarter) fell inches short.
