Archive for the 'Post-Game' Category

Postgame Quotes: Lakers 99, Clippers 92

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 28, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

Lakers - ClippersThe Lakers controlled most of the their season opener against the Clippers despite the narrowing of a double-digit lead to just a point at the third quarter’s close, ultimately winning by seven behind 33 points from Kobe Bryant and double-doubles from both Andrew Bynum (26 and 13) and Lamar Odom (16 and 13).

Below are the postgame quotes from both head coaches and several players from L.A.’s two basketball teams:

Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson
On tonight’s game: “I thought we had a pretty good run in the first quarter. Second quarter, their second unit really outplayed us quite consistently there for the first four, five, six minutes. We got the momentum back and carried it into the second half. That third quarter was a real letdown for us which is not an issue we’ve had before. We missed a lot of easy shots and gave up a lot of opportunities to them and they came storming back in the game. I thought that second unit in the fourth quarter with Lamar out there really got things going and in the fourth we were able to sustain it. A long game for a lot of these guys and a lot of minutes for a number of starters.”

On the pre-game championship ring ceremony:
“It was a nice ceremony. I think it’s always tough to play games after those kind of ceremonies. I think some of the energy is always difficult to maintain because there is a lot of energy that’s dissipated I think when you go out in that and have that kind of ceremony and this kind of re-living the last year and you’re not ready to step up and march to the tune of this season right yet. We got it back. We did okay.”

On the performance of Ron Artest: “Ron did really well. I thought he shut down defensively really well. Some offensive things he had opportunities on he didn’t complete, but I thought he looked like he was in the mix and knew what was going on most of the time and felt comfortable with what we were trying to do.”

On Andrew Bynum’s defense: “He did pretty well. The first half we talked a little bit about our rotations and help defense and I thought Drew was much better in the second half giving help.”

Tex WinterLakers Forward Ron Artest
On atmosphere of first game and where he stood during ring ceremony: “I just waited back here and waited for them to enjoy their moment, and after they enjoyed their moment I came out and enjoyed it with the team”

On if ring ceremony gave him extra motivation: “At this point there’s no extra motivation needed. I’m already motivated to win.”

Lakers Forward Lamar Odom
On his reaction to the ring ceremony: “It felt good, part of history… I guess when we won, I got caught up in the moment a little bit and the parade as well, and today realized what we accomplished and was really proud of it. The company we’re in now… have a banner up that I’m a part of, it feels good.”

On former Lakers legends in attendance for ring ceremony: “This is an amazing franchise to be a part of and to be in that company is a big deal for a kid from Queens.

Continue reading ‘Postgame Quotes: Lakers 99, Clippers 92′

Lakers Celebrate Ring Night with Victory

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 27, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

58756222While seven years would be the shortest of times between championships for most professional franchises, it seemed far too long for Lakers fans that have celebrated the riches of a franchise that won five times in the 1980’s, three straight from 2000-02 and 15 total. It’s all relative, after all.

Yet when longtime PA announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced each Lakers player, coach and team staff member to a packed STAPLES Center as rings were collected from NBA Commissioner David Stern, it was easy to forget that an actual game needed to be played between L.A.’s two basketball teams.

Indeed, the building’s co-inhabitants (the Clippers, of course) had to sit through the ceremony … And then go 48 minutes with a defending champion that had beaten them in eight straight meetings.

Make that nine.

58756513Behind solid all-around games from Kobe Bryant (game-high 33 points), Andrew Bynum (26 points, 13 rebounds)and Lamar Odom (16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists), the Lakers emerged from STAPLES Center with a 99-92 victory (not to mention a shiny new toy).

Prior to the game, there was some question as to the Lakers’ level of focus after receiving championship rings that Phil Jackson – who knows a thing or two about rings – called “spectacular*,” particularly in the absence of Pau Gasol (hamstring). Early on, at least, the Lakers turned to Bryant to ensure that didn’t happen, and the Finals MVP went on the attack for 13 first quarter points to get the purple and gold out of the gates the right way.
*You can read all about the rings by clicking here.

Gasol’s absence would be felt early in the second quarter, however: with L.A.’s usual rotations out of whack, the home team’s bench allowed the Clippers to trim what had been a 13-point lead all the way down to three halfway through the second quarter.

But back came Bryant, who steadily helped the Lakers build their lead back to double digits at the half, thanks to 17 points, five boards and three steals. Much of his help came from Bynum, who looked just as good as he did while averaging 20 points plus in the preseason while matching Bryant’s 17 points.

Jackson talked about how effective Bynum had been on the offensive end (“It’s very hard to keep Andrew away from the basket”), but concluded his statement by re-iterating how important it was for Bynum to protect the basket. And while Bynum was effective on the glass with six boards at the half, he nor any of his teammates blocked a single Clippers shot, and the red and blue shirts were able to outscore the defending champs 25-17 in the third quarter to cut the lead to just one (76-75) heading into the final period.

ArtestYet the seesaw tilted back in the Lakers favor, as they tightend up defensively and scored easily in the paint, led by a heavy dose of Lamar Odom. In fact, in the first six minutes of the quarter, Odom scored eight points, grabbed two boards (both offensive) and nailed his second three-pointer, helping L.A. boost its lead to 10 once again until Bryant, Ron Artest and Bynum came in to close the game.

“I thought that second unit in the fourth quarter with Lamar out there really got things going and in the fourth we were able to sustain it,” said Jackson, who also reserved praise for Ron Artest in his first game as a Laker.

“Ron did really well,” the head coach continued. “I thought he shut down defensively really well. Some offensive things he had opportunities on he didn’t complete, but I thought he looked like he was in the mix and knew what was going on most of the time and felt comfortable with what we were trying to do.”

Artest did miss his fair share of open shots (3-of-10), but he moved the ball well within the offense (four assists), hit the glass (five rebounds) and played the type of defense Jackson described.

Meanwhile, Bryant hit the 33-point mark with roughly two minutes to go in the game, while Bynum and Odom polished their mutual double-doubles that helped render L.A.’s first victory of the 2009-10 season, allowing the large collective pregame grins to stick heading out of the arena.

Up next for the Lakers is a Friday evening tilt against Dallas, but until then a few numbers upon which to chew:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Fun story Phil Jackson told before the game: In his early days as an assistant coach for the Bulls, GM Jerry Krause forced him to wear the ring he won as a Knicks player because no one else had one (motivational tool). Jackson said he actually lost the diamond in the ring (there weren’t 14 diamonds then), and where did he lose it? Bennigan’s.

3 First half steals for a ball-hawking Kobe Bryant, who’d finish the game with four of L.A.’s 13 steals that helped push the Clippers to 20 turnovers.

9 Bench points for the Lakers, in limited time. The Clippers managed 29.

12 Second quarter points from Clippers reserve power forward Craig Smith, helping the Clips even up the Lakers at 27 for the period.

17 First half points for both Bryant and Andrew Bynum, who scored easily from inside and out.

22 Birthday for Bynum (video below), who celebrated the occasion by scoring 26 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing two assists.

33 Game-high points for Bryant on 11-of-26 shooting and 11-of-12 free throws, plus eight rebounds.

38 Minimum minutes played by four Lakers (Artest, Odom, Bynum and Bryant). The Clippers, in contrast, had only one player (Chris Kaman) play more than 36 minutes (36:53).

Lakers 105, Nuggets 119: Postgame 2

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 23, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

Sasha Anthony CarterAfter a hotly-contested Western Conference Finals between L.A. and Denver last season, and now back-to-back preseason games in Southern California just four days before the regular season opener for LA, the opposing squads were enjoying each other about as much as the Yankees and Red Sox on Friday evening.

In fact, trash talking and light shoving took up more time in the second quarter than actual basketball, beginning with an extended delay as Lamar Odom took exception to a Chris Andersen elbow (plus a little Kenyon Martin on the side). After respective assistant coaches had cleared players off the floor, play resumed for a few minutes, but it wasn’t long before separate flagrant fouls were called on Denver’s Joey Graham and L.A.’s Shannon Brown. Furthermore, there were six technical fouls called in the game, three for each team.

Some basketball was played, however. L.A.’s starters, which in this case included D.J. Mbenga and Odom in place of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol (sitting with minor injuries), played well out of the gates to build a 25-19 lead, but Denver promptly went on a 16-0 run and held on to build a 57-49 lead at the half against the Laker bench.

Joining Bynum and Gasol on the pine in the second half (and second quarter) were Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers were more interested in simply getting through the preseason than pushing for a victory.

Yet the half had to be played, and L.A.’s reserves ended up spotting Denver’s subs a 62-56 edge before the final whistle (finally) blew.

Mbenga scored 14 points in three quarters on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, while Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar combined for 29 points and six assists. It was Vujacic’s 18 that led all Lakers, while Adam Morrison (11) and Luke Walton (10) were also in double figures. The Lakers had all kinds of trouble with rookie point guard Ty Lawson, who was terrific in scoring 29 points with five assists to lead Denver.

After the game, Phil Jackson said that it was likely L.A. would get Bynum back for the season opener, though Gasol was less of a sure thing as he continues to strengthen a strained hamstring.

Only one number tonight:

4 Days until Ring Night.

Lakers 114, Clippers 108: Postgame

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 18, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

Bryant - GriffinPrior to Sunday’s Staples Center Shootout finale between L.A.’s two basketball teams, Phil Jackson was asked if he’d hold anything back, considering that the Lakers and Clippers open the regular season in just nine days.

“I hold back almost until March,” said Jackson.

Right. In other words, Jackson may toss in some sprinkles, hot fudge and (if he decides to get crazy) Gummy Bears come playoff time, but particularly in the preseason, it’s straight vanilla. No toppings.

Vanilla or not, 17,932 people saw a better-than-average preseason game that moved far more quickly than Saturday night’s win over Charlotte thanks to fewer fouls (55) and turnovers (29). As it turned out, the L.A. team wearing purple and gold overcame a poor first quarter to emerge with a 114-108 victory over the Clippers. The “home” team managed just 22 points to the Clips’ 33 in the first, but outscored their red and blue counterparts 92-75 for the rest of the game to get to 4-1 in the preseason.

58679342Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton missed the game with minor injuries for the second consecutive night - though Jackson said that all could have played were it a playoff game - leaving only Andrew Bynum to fill the void against a rather large Clippers squad.

That he did.

While L.A.’s 21-year-old center struggled to finish inside for the first time this preseason, hitting only 2-of-8 shots in the first half and 7-of-17 for the game, Bynum still managed to get the shots he wanted near the hoop despite the presence of seven-footer Chris Kaman, and impressed defensively and with his work rate in transition. Better yet, he had his best rebounding game of the preseason, cleaning the glass 13 times in 32 minutes to complement his 20 points.

“It was much better,” said Phil Jackson of his center’s performance on defense and the glass. “I thought the rebounding was good, and the fourth quarter run by (Bynum) and the second unit that played well enough to hold them off.”

Ron Artest had arguably his most comfortable performance of the preseason with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes (”I thought he was very good,” said Jackson), while Adam Morrison, Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar were all very effective off the bench. Morrison nailed all four of his three-pointers and had 14 total points, Brown went for 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and Farmar added 11 points and a team-high seven assists in 24 minutes.

And so, whether Jackson is interested in the team’s preseason record or not, the Lakers coasted to their fourth win in five tries heading into Tuesday’s game in Ontario, CA, against Golden State.

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Lakers double-double in the game, assembled by Andrew Bynum. The young center scored 20 points and 13 rebounds in the first three quarters. No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin (pictured at top) added a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards of his own.

5 Lakers players to hit at least one three-pointer (Adam Morrison, Ron Artest, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and Tony Gaffney), led by four from a slick-shooting Morrison.

8 Clipper turnovers forced by the Lakers in the third quarter, as the home team took a 26-17 edge in the preseason to head into the fourth quarter up 83-77. The Lakers turned the ball over only 13 times in the game, forcing 17 from the Clippers.

26 Game-high points scored by newly-acquired Clippers reserve forward Craig Smith in just 22 minutes.

31.8 Lakers shooting percentage in a rough offensive first quarter, including 1-of-6 efforts from both Bynum and Derek Fisher. The Clippers capitalized by taking a 33-22 lead out of the initial quarter.

49.2 L.A.’s shooting percentage for the rest of the game, allowing them to outscore the Clippers 92-75 in the final three quarters to win the game by six.

Artest Opens Strong in Anaheim

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 7, 2009
in Post-Game and Ron Artest
. Closed

artestThe Lakers knew what they were getting in Ron Artest before he was signed away from Houston in July, at least from a tangible perspective:

- A 6-7, 260-pound, muscle-bound frame.
- A well-rounded perimeter and post skill set that’s produced career averages of 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals.
- Numerous All-Defensive Teams (including a spot on last season’s Second Team) and a Defensive Player of the Year award.

Many of Artest’s physical traits were present in an all-too-easy 118-101 Lakers win over Golden State in Wednesday evening’s preseason opener, during which the Queens, N.Y. native produced 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 23 minutes.

“He just plays hard, man,” said Shannon Brown. “He can hoop.”

Harder to measure was how Artest would gel with his new teammates, but early reports out of training camp suggested that the man with stints in Chicago, Indiana and Sacramento prior to Houston fit like Pau Gasol and soft hands. Standing out most clearly has been that ever-present energy alluded to by Brown.

Ron Artest“I try to always go hard, try to always play hard, I’ve been doing that for a long time,” Artest said prior to the game. “It’s the only way I know how to play.”

Preseason or not.

“You always want to give 100 percent when you play,” the St. Johns product continued. “You always try to find a way to take it up a notch, no matter if it’s preseason or regular season. The coach will be the one to minimize the importance of the game based on playing time. But as long as you’re out there, you gotta play.”

That he did, particularly on defense, showing some versatility in defending Warriors forwards (like Stephen Jackson) and guards (like rookie Stephen Curry). On the other end, particularly in the first half, Artest found himself left all alone - for the first time in several NBA seasons - on the perimeter. Of course, that’s what happens when Andrew Bynum is occupying the block, Pau Gasol is on the high post, Kobe Bryant’s lurking and Derek Fisher is spreading the floor from the corner.

“It’s going to be great throughout the year (to be that open), he said. “Over the last couple of years a lot of those shots have come off the dribble, with pressure, off down screens and that kind of stuff. It’s going to be a fun year.”

Indeed, he may have been too open as he missed his first three shots, but the fourth - for which he took an extra second to line up - swished through the net. Artest found other ways to contribute in the half, amassing four assists and five boards plus a steal in nearly 16 minutes of burn. Then in the second half, he found his stroke, hitting 3-of-4 as he began to find his spots within Phil Jackson’s offense.

“I haven’t worked in the triangle in a long time but now is about playing against other teams, and (I’m going to) learn fast,” he explained.

“Ron has a number of things he has to comprehend,” said Jackson. “We’ve kept it relatively simple, but we’ve added some things these last couple of days. We just want to see how he does.”

That’s to be determined as the season rolls on, though Artest did get his first taste of how just how good the Lakers can be, witnessing an array of dunks (like an absolutely viscious Shannon Brown hammer slam over Mikki Moore), threes (four in the third quarter) and effective defense that kept Golden State on the perimeter (to the tune of 36 percent shooting through three quarters).

“If you’re playing on a championship team, you’re just hungry to be on that team,” said Artest. “You want to get another one. You don’t think you can bring that much, you’re looking for guidance and help to get a ring. Maybe you don’t realize how much you bring.”

A near triple-double in 23 minutes wasn’t a bad way to start.

POSTGAME NUMBERS
45: Inches in Shannon Brown’s vertical jump, all of which the Anaheim crowd witnessed during his ridiculous dunk in the second quarter.

29: Assists for the Lakers on 44 field goals, led by seven from Ron Artest and six from Jordan Farmar.

20: First half points from Andrew Bynum on 7-of-11 shooting, including three dunks. He’d finish with a game-high 24 points along with five boards.

18: Lakers turnovers, a stat that tends to trend high in the preseason.

16: Steals amassed by an active Lakers defense, led by three each from Bryant, Farmar and Derek Fisher.

15: Rebounding edge for the longer Lakers (53-38), including 17 offensive boards and led by nine each from Bryant (who added 22 points in 26 minutes) and Artest.

4: Third quarter threes by the Lakers, from four different players.

Lakers Stop the Thunder in Vegas

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on July 14, 2009
in Off-Season, Post-Game, Summer League and Video
. Closed


As we saw during L.A.’s fourth Summer League game in Las Vegas, each NBA franchise sending a squad to Sin City has a different goal, depending primarily on that team’s roster heading into the 2009-10 season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (0-2) - a team building for what looks to be a bright future - falls among those squads eager for a first look at their first-round picks (James Harden and B.J. Mullens in this case), looking for an early indication of how they’ll fit in with the senior squad.

The championship-winning Lakers (3-1), on the other hand, sold their first two picks and, based on the minute distribution and the way the offense was run, were primarily interested in the health and form of signed-through-next-season Adam Morrison.

Morrison, who came into the game averaging 22 points in his previous three, again led the Lakers in scoring with 17 points, even though he needed 18 attempts to get there (5-of-18) in a come-from-behind 74-68 win.

“I wasn’t happy with how I played tonight, but I’m glad we got the win,” said Morrison, who added five boards, two assists and two steals. “Overall I feel pretty good and am glad to be getting some good minutes on the floor.”

Morrison, who said his health is no longer an issue, moved quite well in an active 34 minutes, and his stroke looked pure the few times he managed to find space against an athletic Thunder defense that keyed on him doggedly. At least six players on OKC’s Summer League roster will play for the big squad, which gave the Thunder a distinct edge in on-paper talent.

Still, the teams went back-and-forth through the first three quarters with the Thunder up five heading into the final period, but the Lakers outscored their opponents 23-12 in the period to steal the contest. L.A. turned it on in a big way in the final two minutes, highlighted by a 6-0 run capped by a Ben McCauley reverse lay-up with 24 seconds left that sealed the game.

“It was good to come out with a win using our team concepts,” said Lakers Summer League Head Coach Chucky Brown. “Adam is our best scorer, and we wanted to get him the ball.”

That they did, but OKC countered with Kyle Weaver - who started and guarded Kobe Bryant in the regular season - to chase Morrison all over the place. The former No. 3 overall pick out of Gonzaga saw frequent double and triple teams particularly when he got into the paint, resulting in a tough night from the field even as he kept his average at 20.8 per game in Vegas.

“They were doubling (Morrison), but I thought Adam did a good job,” said Brown. “I thought he got hit on the arm a few times … They just tried to take him away from us because he’s our biggest scorer.”

Though L.A. lacked OKC’s athleticism, they didn’t lack for effort, typified by second round pick Chinemelu Elonu’s game-high eight rebounds, plus 14 steals that signaled 23 Thunder turnovers.

“We wanted to turn up the defensive pressure in the second half, and we were able to do that,” said Brown, whose team opened the half on an 11-2 run and caused 12 of OKC’s TO’s in the second half.

That helped the Lakers overcome a poor shooting night all around (41.4 percent) even as OKC hit 52.8 percent of its shots, led by an excellent 9-of-14 for 23 James Harden points. Fellow rookie Mullens added 10 points, five boards and five blocks for the Thunder.

With that, both teams essentially got what they were looking for at the Summer League: A flash of young talent for OKC and a heavy dose of minutes for Morrison.

L.A.’s final game comes against Houston on Thursday evening.

Lakers 99, Magic 86: Championship Postgame

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on June 14, 2009
in Finals, Playoffs and Post-Game
. Closed

blog_post_finals09
For a full calender year, the Los Angeles Lakers possessed a single, pervasive thought that permeated through the team’s collective brain…

Championship or bust.

After catching the title scent early in the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals with a 16-0 run, the Lakers sprinted away with the franchise’s 15th championship with an all-encompassing display of basketball.

Each and every player that stepped foot onto the Amway Arena floor wearing purple and gold offered something productive: Kobe Bryant nailed shots near and far from the basket; Pau Gasol swatted shots and defended Dwight Howard impressively; Lamar Odom sank corner threes and attacked the glass; Trevor Ariza swiped the ball and like Odom, buried triples; Derek Fisher made savvy plays and controlled the tempo; Andrew Bynum stood tall in the lane … And so on, and so forth.

No stat line was more impressive than that of Bryant, who put up 30 points, five assists, six boards and four blocks. But the net result of the total team effort was effectively what L.A. showed all year: They were too long, too strong, too deep and too skilled.

“It felt so good to be able to have this moment,” said Bryant, who fittingly won the Finals MVP award. “We tried not to envision it too much, you know what I mean, because you just get too excited. You try not to think about it, just think about playing the game, and for this moment to be here and to reflect back on the season and everything that you’ve been through, it’s top of the list, man.”

They won 65 regular season games, and got better as the playoffs rolled on, eliminating a tough Denver Nuggets squad with six straight dominant quarters and rolling the Magic in five games, winning their final two of 16 playoff contests on the road.

Their coach, Phil Jackson, who won an almost unbelievable 10th NBA Championship to pass the late Red Auerbach, talked not about himself but about his players after the dust settled.

I’d like to say that it’s really about the players; it’s about Kobe Bryant, about Derek Fisher’s leadership of the team. “I tried to take them through some of the build up things that we had to do last year as a basketball club. They came together this year and were self motivated, and for a coach that’s always a positive sign. When a team is ready, they’re aggressive, their learning curve is high, and they wanted to win. I’ve always felt as a coach you have to push your team, and I told them they had to push themselves. I wasn’t at the stage of my life where I could get out and do the things that I had done 10 years ago or 15 years ago to push a team. And they pushed themselves, and I really feel strongly that this is about them.

In their final contest, the Lakers first survived the inevitable first quarter back-against-the-wall charge that saw Orlando take a 15-6 lead with force, cutting the lead to just two as the quarter ended, and going off on a 23-10 run to close the first half up 56-46.

It was academic from there, the Lakers refusing to allow anything on defense in tacking five points onto the lead after the third quarter, up 76-61 heading into the final quarter en route to a championship.

If a dagger were even needed at that point, Bryant pulled up from three as if a defender (JJ Redick) weren’t right in his face, countering a Jameer Nelson three that had provided Amway Arena’s last grasp at survival. The Magic tried to mount a last gasp effort by hitting six threes in the fourth quarter, but never got closer than 11 points.

A championship had been won.

Check back later this week for an extensive season-ended “By The Numbers” column, but until then, only one matters:

1
NBA Title earned by the L.A. Lakers on Sunday, June 14 at Amway Arena in Orlando.

Lakers 99, Magic 91: Postgame 4

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on June 11, 2009
in Finals and Post-Game
. Closed

Derek FisherTo: Los Angeles Lakers Teammates
From: Derek Fisher
Subject: An NBA Finals Victory

Derek Fisher’s no stranger to big shots. In fact, big shots, particularly in the playoffs, are among his closest friends.

But nailing a three in the face of Orlando’s Jameer Nelson to force overtime in Game 4 of the NBA Finals with 4.6 seconds remaining took it to another level.

Of course, that shot alone would have been enough to produce flowing rivers of praise for a player that had endured a great deal of criticism for his play particularly early in the postseason, but to not only save the game but then add its winning shot by sinking another triple with 31.4 seconds left in overtime was almost too good to be true.

“It’s character,” said Phil Jackson. “It’s not just about talent, it’s about character, and he’s a person of high character, brings that to play, not only in just his gamesmanship but also his intestinal fortitude.”

“Even greater than 0.04 because I feel like we’re as close as possible from our end goal,” said Fisher, referring to his 2004 game winner against San Antonio. “It’s at the top.”

Kobe Bryant, who led the way with 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, was happy to explain why he’s developed maximum trust in his point guard.

“He’s been there before,” said Bryant. “He’s been there and done that. In the locker room I was teasing him a little bit because he was 0-for-5 on threes before he made those last two. But that’s Derek, though. I think those shots at the end of the game are actually easier for him than the other ones.”

Fisher’s first dagger, which followed a Pau Gasol dunk with 31.9 seconds remaining, took L.A. from what seemed to be almost inevitable defeat - Orlando was up by five with the ball and less than a minute remaining - to a victory that brought them within a single victory of the NBA title.

After the top-of-the-key swish in OT, Gasol followed a Turkoglu missed three by streaking up the floor to collect a long rebound, taking a few steps and dunking to put L.A. up 96-91 with 21.6 seconds remaining to seal the deal, but L.A. knew it wasn’t time to punch the clock.

“We know we still have work to do,” said Fisher. “We’ve got to be ready to go come Sunday.”

That the Lakers had a chance to come back in the first place was courtesy of a fantastic third quarter that featured a swarming defense and 13 points from Trevor Ariza, turning a 12-point halftime deficit into a four-point lead heading into the fourth. Ariza’s, who also hit a huge three with 2:36 left in the fourth to tie the game, scored just one fewer point than Orlando in the third, and his teammates added 17 to cap a 30-14 quarter. The third made up for an odd first half that demanded all 12 players on the active roster to check into the game as Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom all picked up two early fouls.

Another huge factor in the outcome of the game was Orlando’s struggle at the free throw line; the Magic made just 22-of-37, including 13 misses from Hedo Turkoglu (five) and Dwight Howard (eight). No misses were bigger than two Howard clanks with 11.1 seconds left in regulation.

That provided the Lakers with that final chance, and anticipating a foul, Bryant passed immediately to Ariza, who found Fisher up the floor for his fateful jumper that left the Magic with little to say.

“The mood was very somber,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy of his locker room. “Very, very somber.”

As for the Lakers, it was fitting that Derek Fisher didn’t celebrate for too long, instead reminding his teammates of L.A.’s 2000 championship team that was trounced in Game 5 after taking a 3-1 lead in Game 4.

After all, L.A. needs another victory, and that’s the only number necessary tonight:

1
Wins needed for the Lakers to claim an NBA Championship.

…On second thought, one more number:

2
Derek Fisher’s jersey number was never so fitting.

Lakers 104, Magic 108: Postgame 3

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on June 9, 2009
in Finals, In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

KobeIn the old school NBA JAM 2-on-2 video game, players would get “On Fire” after three consecutive makes from the field.

On subsequent possessions with that player, the ball would turn orange, and a flame would follow the rock’s inevitable trail through the twine until the net singed off the rim.

That was just a video game, but perhaps riding the energy of a city’s first Finals appearance in 14 years, the Orlando Magic played as if each player were NBA JAM(ming), shooting an Finals record 62.5 percent (40-of-64) in the game, including a 75 percent (24-of-32) first half.

“Ball was going in the basket,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “That always works.”

Yet L.A. stuck around.

Never trailing by more than eight, the Lakers managed to cut Orlando’s lead to just three with 5:55 to go in the game when Pau Gasol nailed a baseline hook, and two when Derek Fisher hit a three with 5:25 remaining. Then, with eight fourth quarter points from Lamar Odom and some key defensive stops, Gasol drew a foul with 2:41 remaining, sinking both freebies to tie the score at 99. At the point, the shooting percentages mattered little.

“That tends to even out,” said Phil Jackson.

As such, the teams traded blows into the final minute, and the Lakers came up with a key stop on Gasol’s block with 37 seconds remaining in the game to get the ball and a chance to tie, down two at 104-102.

Bryant, the ball in his hands, had struggled after a ridiculous 17-point first quarter, making just 4-of-15 shots, but … well … he’s Kobe Bryant. One expects him to make a play.

Instead, while attempting a high pick and roll with Gasol, Bryant lost the ball when Dwight Howard reached in; Mickael Pietrus eventually gathering the loose ball after Gasol appeared to have control. Bryant then wrapped up Pietrus, who sunk both freebies at the other end, putting the Magic up four with 28.7 seconds remaining.

From that point forward, the Lakers missed four three-pointers, two by Bryant, and the Magic held on to win 108-104 after two Rashard Lewis free throws with 0:00.2 seconds on the clock.

“It’s disappointing,” said Bryant. “I’m used to coming through in those situations, my teammates trust me to come through but it didn’t happen.”

“They made some plays down the stretch we weren’t able to match, even though we got the best in that fourth quarter,” added Phil Jackson.

Contributions to Orlando’s win came from across their roster. After getting little from any of their role players in Games 1 and 2, the Magic received huge contributions from Rafer Alston (20 points) and Mickael Pietrus (18 points) on a collective 15-of-23 shooting, complimenting 60 combined points from Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.

For the Lakers, Bryant ended up with 31 points and eight assists, while Pau Gasol added 23 points and Trevor Ariza 13, but 10 missed free throws and 25 personal fouls hurt the road team.

So, whether it was a less-than-good defensive effort throughout of one misplaced Kobe Bryant dribble that did L.A. in, the Magic held serve at home to bring the NBA Finals to 2-1 with Game 4 back in Amway Arena on Thursday.

Until then, some numbers:

75
Magic shooting percentage at halftime on a ridiculous 24-of-32, though the Lakers weren’t bad at all with 22-of-41 (53.7 percent) shots. L.A. actually had control for most of the half, but a late Magic charge produced a five-point cushion at the half.

62.5
Orlando’s Finals record shooting percentage for the game on 40-of-64 field goals. They also shot 23-of-30 (76.7 percent) from the line.

38
Combined points from Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus, who combined for just six points in Game 2 and 20 points in Game 1 (14 from Pietrus).

18
Second chance points for the Lakers to just five for the Magic, in part because of Orlando’s hot shooting (which didn’t allow any follow ups). The Lakers grabbed 11 offensive boards to five from Orlando.

13
Turnovers for both teams, which produced 16 points, respectively.

11
Points off L.A.’s bench from both Lamar Odom (eight of which came in the fourth quarter) and Jordan Farmar, who played 16 minutes off the bench. Shannon Brown didn’t see the floor, and Sasha Vujacic saw only three minutes off action at the end of the first and start of the second quarter.

5
Three pointers from the Magic on 14 attempts, meaning Orlando shot 35-of-50 on two-point field goals, otherwise known as 70 percent.

Lakers 101, Magic 96: Postgame 2

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on June 7, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

TeamIt took overtime for the Lakers to find the same effort they’d put forth in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but at the end of a sunny Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, the home team managed to seal a five-point win that secured a 2-0 series lead, a luxury the Lakers didn’t have against either Houston or Denver in the West.

“We just drove ourselves through the game,” said Phil Jackson, whose team trailed by two heading into the fourth quarter and nearly lost at the buzzer. “I didn’t think Kobe (Bryant) had a good game at all as far as his standards go (but) we had other guys contribute. Lamar (Odom) had an outstanding game … He came through in a big way for us.”

That “almost lost” came after Bryant appeared to get hit on the arm with 0.6 seconds left on the clock before his attempt at a game winner was blocked, allowing Courtney Lee a chance to convert an alley-oop off the inbounds pass at the other end as regulation time expired, but he missed.

“There is a sense of relief because they played very well,” said Jackson. “However, we had the ball at the end of the game with nine seconds after making a really good defensive play. We didn’t get a good shot … But (that) disappointment didn’t weigh us down going into overtime.”

Though Orlando never led by more than three points, L.A. was able to respond to the adjustments the Magic made in no small part because of Odom, as alluded to by his coach.

While Bryant led the way with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting plus eight assists, L.O. was fantastic in chalking up 19 points, eight boards, two assists and three blocks on 8-of-9 shooting in 45 minutes off the bench with Andrew Bynum in foul trouble all game. Odom made shots from all over the court to get his eight field goals, but it was two clutch free throws with 22.1 seconds left in OT that turned a three-point lead into a five-point edge and ultimately sealed the deal for L.A.

“Lamar just had a great, great game, particularly in the fourth quarter,” said Bryant after Odom scored eight points with three boards in the final regulation quarter.

The home team, who’s still undefeated this season while wearing its Sunday white uniforms, needed every one of Odom’s points as Orlando sent consistent double teams at Bryant, which worked for the majority of regulation as his non-Odom teammates struggled to hit shots. Most notably, a 4-for-11 start from Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza’s 3-for-13 didn’t help. But in the overtime, in stepped Gasol and Derek Fisher.

First, Gasol drew a foul off Fisher’s penetration and hit both from the line (10-of-11 in the game). Next was a tough Kobe jumper over Hedo Turkoglu, and then a huge defensive play from Fisher, who stepped into the passing lane to intercept a JJ Redick pass before drawing a foul and sinking both foul shots at the other end to put L.A. up 94-91. If that wasn’t the game’s biggest play, then Gasol’s and-1 layup off Bryant’s dish was, as it gave the Lakers a 6-point lead that Orlando couldn’t overcome despite finding its three-point shooting stroke.

“The three-point shooters seemed to flourish tonight,” said Jackson, noting Rashard Lewis and Turkoglu’s combined nine triples. “It kept them in the ball game.”

What hurt the Magic, on the other hand, were 20 turnovers, resulting in 28 Lakers points, because L.A. knew the Magic were going to shoot much better than the 29-percent-effort in Game 1 of the Finals, and they did, netting 41.8 percent of their looks. The knew the general effort of Orlando would be much better, and it was, shown through a 44-35 edge on the glass that limited the Lakers to only four offensive boards. Furthermore, the Lakers mustered just 28 points in the paint after going off for 56 in Game 1, but they simply fought their way to a victory.

“They played extremely well, but we played well enough to win,” concluded Bryant.

Dwight Howard’s 17-point, 16-board double-double and 56 combined points from Lewis and Turkoglu were leaps and bounds better than the threesome’s Game 1 performance, but it wasn’t quite good enough.

“We wanted to win this game just to keep the pressure on them,” said Odom. “Both teams want this. It was is tough for us last year, getting embarrassed in Boston. I guess with this win, we kind of kept that pressure on. But we still have to take care of business, just focus on each possession.”

In two days, they’ll get a chance to do just that.

Until then, a few numbers:

1
Shot taken by Courtney Lee before he found the ball in his hands with consecutive chances to potentially win the game in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter. He missed both looks from close range as L.A. sent the game into overtime.

4
Threes made by the Lakers in the first half, one more than was made in the entire Game 1.

7
L.A.’s biggest lead in a closely-contested ball game that saw the Magic have no higher than a three-point advantage.

10
Points in the paint by the Lakers in the first half.

20
Shots missed by Orlando’s guards on 26 attempts, including Rafer Alston’s 1-of-8 and JJ Redick’s 2-of-9.

20
Shots made by Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis on 38 attempts, including nine of Orlando’s 10 three-point makes.

30
Orlando’s third quarter scoring output on 11-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-6 from Hedo Turkoglu, which turned a 5-point Magic deficit into a 2-point lead heading into the fourth.

85.7
L.A.’s free throw percentage on 24-of-28 makes, including 9-of-9 in the overtime.