Kobe Bryant couldn't repeat his 40-point performance of game one, but then he didn't have to as he got all the help he needed from a balanced attack in game two of the NBA finals. Bryant had 29 points, eight assists to go with seven turnovers as the Lakers survived a scare in game two of the best-of-seven series for a 101-96 triumph and a 2-0 lead. By his own admission, Bryant said he didn't play well and could have done a better job of figuring out the Magic's game plan. "I didn't read the... Read Full Story
The brooms came out early in game three in Orlando but it had nothing to do with a Los Angeles Lakers' series sweep that some had been forecasting. This time it was to help celebrate a Magic victory. With just 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock a trigger happy Magic employee accidently released a shower of confetti onto the Amway Arena court. Workers tried to sweep up the mess but eventually gave up so Rashard Lewis could step up to the free throw line and ice the 108-104 victory which cut... Read Full Story
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers pulled out a gritty 101-96 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points but he and Los Angeles were nowhere near as dominant as they were in a Game One 100-75 thumping of the Magic, who could have won in regulation had Courtney Lee's lay-in attempt at the buzzer not rimmed out. "We just drove ourselves through the game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson told reporters. "I... Read Full Story
While the NBA finals are underway, Shaquille O'Neal spent the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway attending his first IndyCar Series race. Before giving the command to start engines Saturday night and riding shotgun in the pace car with three-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford, O'Neal attended the drivers' meeting and did a pre-race pit stop with the Luczo Dragon Racing team when he held a tire over his head with one arm. O'Neal also picked up rookie driver Raphael Matos. Matos took out... Read Full Story
Kobe Bryant scored 40 points for the first time in 28 finals games as Los Angeles delivered an assertive blow to the Orlando Magic in game one of the NBA finals. The challenge now is for Bryant and his Laker teammates to not get complacent for Sunday's game two at Staples Center arena. "For what it is worth I told these guys it doesn't matter whether we win by 60 or six," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson who watched his team level the Magic 100-25 on Thursday. "It is just one win." This is the... Read Full Story
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic enjoyed the bittersweet experience of successfully slowing down Kobe Bryant, but failing to prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from taking a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals series on Sunday. Bryant amassed 29 points in the 101-96 overtime win, but only found the target on 10-of-22 shots and was far less a force than the man who scored 40 points and single-handedly took over the opening game of the best0of-seven series. "I didn't think Kobe had a good game at... Read Full Story
Laker Basketball
By J-Ri ⋅ June 12, 2009 ⋅ Email This Post
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The ball careened off the rim and into the hands of Pietrus, another clutch jumper missed by Kobe Bryant.
Magic, 87. Lakers, 82. 1:02 left.
By all indications, the Lakers were done. They were visibly weary and deflated from battling the Orlando Magic. The 17k+ packed inside of Amway Arena. The whistles, or non-whistles, of Bennett Salvatore, Mike Callahan and Scott Foster. The mounting... Read Full Story
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic's record-setting shooting in the third game of the NBA Finals was not a concern, Los Angeles Lakers' coach Phil Jackson said. The Magic made nearly 63 percent of their shots during a 108-104 victory on Tuesday, trimming the Lakers' lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1. Their shooting percentage was a record for the NBA Finals, giving Jackson a little deja vu moment from when he played for the championship with the New York Knicks. "The team I... Read Full Story
Kobe Bryant had 29 points and eight assists and Pau Gasol scored 24 points to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-96 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic in game two of the National Basketball Association Finals. Lamar Odom added 19 points for the Lakers, who seized a two games to none lead in the best-of-seven championship series on Sunday. Rashard Lewis scored 18 of his game-high 34 points in the second quarter and Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando, who were... Read Full Story
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Pau Gasol could have been called for basket interference on a potential game-winning shot by Orlando Magic guard Courtney Lee in game two of the NBA Finals, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said on Tuesday. But Jackson told a news conference before game three that citing the Lakers forward for touching the rim during the shot would have been "something a high school ref might call." Lee's buzzer-beating lay-in at the end of regulation glanced off the rim... Read Full Story
