Lakers Smack Magic, Pop Champaign

The Los Angeles Lakers are your 2009 NBA Champions.  Not too surprising considering they had the world’s best player, a player who craved a 4th championship, a player who was motivated beyond any measure to finish the job this time. And his teammates followed his lead all the way to a championship. That player has put himself in the conversation as one of the top 5 greatest basketball players of all-time.

Kobe Bryant, the greatest wing player of this decade, vaulted his team’s play to another level and the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans can now celebrate a 15th championship. This one was a long time coming. Just 24 months ago, it looked as though Kobe Bryant would never wear the purple and gold again. It started to get ugly, with Kobe asking to be traded before the ’08 season. Teams lined up trying to secure Bryant’s services but GM Mitch Kupchak refused to trade the superstar. I’d say it turned out to be a good move.

In a dominating performance, the Lakers won their 4th title in the last 10 years by soundly beating the Orlando Magic 99-86 to win the series 4-1. Big ups to Phil Jackson for a record 10th title as a coach. He is one of the top 3 coaches of all-time. Yes he had Jordon and Pippen, then Kobe and Shaq but everyone needs talent to win a championship so that argument is just ridiculous. He is arguably the best coach ever. And this year there was no second star player. It was Kobe and some good players who filled in nicely and that is how you build a champion.

Game 5– Kobe Bryant led the way with 30 pts to go with 6 rebounds, 5 assists,  4 blocks, and the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award. He averaged 32.4 pts and 7.4 assists in the Finals. Lamar Odom added 17 and 10, Ariza had 15 pts, Gasol racked up 14 pts and 15 boards, and Fisher had 13. Orlando was led by Rashard Lewis’s 18 pts on 6-19 shooting. The Lakers shot 8-16 from behind the arc compared to the Magic’s 8-27 and outrebounded the eastern champs 47-36. I was disappointed by the Magic’s response after LA went on a killer 16-0 run at the end of the 1st half. Frankly, it looked as though Orlando packed it in after that. Rashard Lewis for one was not hustling after rebounds. Ariza beat him to a ball early in the 4th and it just showed he was mentally gone. He wasn’t the only one. The entire Magic team played poorly and other for game 3, they shot terribly from 3 pt. range, which was their undoing. The 3-pt. shots went down against Cleveland but not in the Finals against a more determined, couragous team. If you actually take a closer look at LA, they were not suprememly talented. Kobe is the best player in the world, Gasol is one of the top big man but in no way is he dominant,  and Odom is a good player but excruicatingly inconsistent. All three played great in the series and that was the difference. Ariza was just awesome throughout the entire playoffs. He has turned himself into an invaluable player because of his desire, hustle, 3-pt. shooting ability, and excellent defense. The rest of the team are bench players. Fisher is a verteran who stepped up at the end of game 4 but other than that, he is an average player. Walton, Farmar, Vujacic, Brown, and Bynum are bench guys right now. So LA wasn’t like Boston from last year where they were obvioulsy talent laden with three stars in Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and a young stud in Rondo. But the Lakers came back tougher this year and they played very well. They were clearly the best team in the last two rounds of the playoffs.

The lasting image i’ll remember from this series is Kobe’s hanging banker over Dwight Howard midway through the 3rd quarter of game 5. Just an unblievable display of strength and hangtime, especially considering he shot over a 7 footer with mad bunnies. Which play was better, MJ’s against the Lakers in the ’91 Finals or Kobe’s over Superman?

Player of the Finals other than Bryant: I love Trevor Ariza’s game and the way he plays. While his Finals stats were modest at 11 pts and 6 rebounds, he’s like the Chase Utley of basketball in terms of playing the game “the right way.” He plays with so much desire and determination and it translates to success. As mentioned, he has become a great shooter and a stud defensively. He can jump out of the gym and doesn’t make many mistakes. You’re not nervous when he gets the ball because he doesn’t get flustered by pressure. He got hurt at the end of last year and I think that if he and Bynum hadn’t gotten hurt, LA might have won over Boston or at least made it a tougher series. Ariza (and Odom) are free agents this year and if the Sixers (my team) weren’t so stacked at small forward, I’d beg them to sign Ariza. LA needs to sign at least one of the two while also upgrading through trades/draft/free agency because if they don’t do that and Bynum doesn’t develop next season, LA won’t win the title next year. Boston will be improved with Garnett’s return and Orlando and Cleveland will be just as good if not better as well.

Key Play of the Finals: No question it was Derek Fisher’s 3-pointer over Jameer Nelson to force OT at the end of game 4. If Fish misses that, the series is deadlocked at 2 and who knows what would have happened. But he knocked it down and then hit the game winner with 31 secs. left in the extra session. As a veteran in this league and with 3 championships coming into the series, Fisher clearly had more experience and it payed off. In fact, that was the key to the entire series. The Magic were a young team while the Lakers were here last year and had guys who had won before. It up in coaching too when Van Gundy stuck with Nelson and sat Rafer Alston on the bench for all of the 4th and OT. And Nelson didn’t foul Fisher but instead let him rise into a 3-ball. Makes no sense and the Magic will be beating themselves forever for giving away that game. Oh what could have been for Orlando.

Post-Game Analysis: NBA Finals – Game 4

99-91 (OT)

Down the stretch on the biggest stage, in the biggest game, it was the old veteran guard who made the two biggest plays of the series. Derek Fisher’s long 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in regulation tied the score and the Lakers went on to beat the Orlando Magic 99-91 in dramatic fashion.

Fisher’s 27 foot 3-pointer over Jameer Nelson came after Dwight Howard missed two free throws with 11.1 ticks left. Then with under 35 secs. left in overtime, Kobe Bryant kicked the ball out to the top of the key where Fisher launched and swished home another clutch 3 ball, this time breaking the 91 all score. This shot was the game winner and gives Los Angeles a commanding 3-1 series lead while also putting LA one win from a championship. The Lakers were led by star guard Kobe Bryant who moved pass legendary Celtic Dennis Johnson into 16th place on the Finals scoring list by scoring 32 pts. It was difficult though as Bryant hit just 11-31 shots, although he did make all 8 of his free throws while adding 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu’s 25 pts and Howard’s 16 pts, 21 reb and 9 blocks were not enought to keep Orlando from the brink of elimination. Game 5 is Sunday in Orlando.

Play of the Game: Derek Fisher’s game tying bomb from a couple feet behind the arc saved LA from falling into a deadlock with the Magic and instead puts the Lakers one win from capturing their first NBA title since Shaquille O’Neal and the boys swept New Jersey to win their third straight championship back in 2002. But the truth is Fisher should never have been allowed to shoot the ball but for a bone-headed defensive play by Jameer Nelson. As Fisher received the ball from Trevor Ariza just behind halfcourt with 8.5 secs. left, Nelson retreated and allowed Fisher to get to the three point line without any defensive pressure. Fisher (who was about 30 feet from the hoop) then took a little hesitation step while Nelson stood beneath the three line. D-Fish rose and fired home the trey while Nelson barely got a hand up. But Nelson should have been 1) on the bench! Alston had a great game 3, what the hell was Van Gundy doing? Van Gundy said he stayed with Nelson because the group he had on the floor in the fourth regained the lead and because it reached a point when Alston had sat too long– http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports-nba/20090612/Whitlock-Van-Gundy-Choke/– Are you kidding me ? 2) Nelson should have been right on top of Fisher, a 3 ties the game for god’s sakes and 3) even fouled the veteran guard before he got the shot off. This would have put Fisher on the line with about 7 secs. to go and would have prevented Fisher’s game tying attempt. Instead, Nelson did neither and Orlando is now on the doorstep of elimination.

Player of the Game: Trevor Ariza deserves player of the game honors for leading the Laker 3rd quarter comeback. Orlando led 49-37 at the half but Ariza and co. quickly turned the game around. After a jumper by Fisher, Ariza dunked the ball and Bryant hit a 3. Ariza then scored the next 9 points including two treys to bring LA to within one at 54-53 at the 6:41 mark. The rest of the Lakers took over from there and ended up outscoring the Magic 30-14 to take a 67-63 advantage into the final quarter. But it was Ariza’s furious play that sparked the comeback. Then in OT, Ariza grabbed a huge offensive rebound with about 48 secs. to go, which gave LA another chance to take the lead. Less than 20 secs. later, Fisher was hitting the game winner, only because of Ariza’s hustle and determination.

Key Stat: Orlando was atrocious from the foul line, hitting just 22 of 37 shots for 59.5%. Dwight Howard was 6-14 including 2 missed free throws that could have made it a two possession game. Instead, the Magic’s lead stood at 87-84 and Fisher preceded to hit his game tying shot seconds later.

Game 5 Outlook: The outlook is bleak for Orlando as no team has comback to win games 6 and 7 on the road. But to even get the series to a game 6, Orlando must salvage game 5 at home. They have the physical talent to do it, but where will their heads be after collapsing at the end of game 4? Orlando has bounced back after heartbreakers but this one is different because instead of holding home court advantage and having a chance to take a 3-2 series lead, the Magic are left to wonder what if. They must bounce back and keep themselves alive otherwise, Kobe and the Lakers will be celebrating in Orlando on Sunday Night.

Post Game Analysis: NBA FINALS Game 3

104-108

Even tough the Orlando Magic had set a Finals record by shooting 75%, they held just a 5-point lead at halftime. And although their overall shooting percentage also set a Finals record by finishing in the low 60s, as the clock hit the 2:45 mark in the 4th quarter, the Magic’s lead had evaporated. How could that be possible? The Magic were playing their best game and yet it looked like the Lakers would pull out game 3 and take a formidable 3-0 series lead. However, as they have done everytime  their backs are against the wall, Orlando conjured some more Magic and stopped the Lakers cold down the stretch to get back into the series.

Rafer Alston’s resurgence combined with the bench scoring from Mickael Pietrus and solid play from their “big 3,” the Orlando Magic held off a Laker comeback attempt to win game 3 of the NBA Finals 108-104. After shooting a combined 3-17 in the first two games of the Finals, including 0-8 from 3pt. range, Alston had 20 pts on 8-12 from the field while Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard led the way with 21 pts each. Kobe Bryant led LA with 31 pts and 4-3pt.s but made just 5 of 10 free throws. Pau Gasol continued his great play, scoring 23 pts on 9-11 shooting but was held to 3 measly rebounds.

Play of the Game: With about 35 seconds to go and with a chance to complete the comeback, Kobe Bryant got a screen from Pau Gasol and went left, past his defender (Pietrus) where he met Dwight Howard who was helping until Pietrus could recover (a term called hedging.) Kobe tried to cut back to his right and sqeeze by Howard. But the defensive player of the year stuck his hand out and deflected Kobe’s crossover attempt towards Gasol and Pietrus. Gasol dove to the floor and snatched the ball from Pietrus (who tried to pick up the ball and dribble downcourt) but fortunately for Orlando, Pau did not call time while on the ground and instead played hot potato. He flipped the ball behind him towards Bryant but Pietrus stepped in front to intercept the basketball and was immediately fouled by Bryant. Pietrus knocked down both free throws with 28 secs. left, giving Orlando a 106-102 lead it would not relinquish.

Player of the Game: This was a tough call because Orlando had 4 guys who played exceptionally well. But it was Mickael Pietrus who made the biggest impact, especially in the 4th quarter. He guarded Bryant for most of the game and after the black mamba went off for 21 pts in the first half, Pietrus slammed the snake back into its cage by holding Bryant to 10 2nd half pts on just 4-15 shooting. And on the offensive end Pietrus was brilliant in scoring 18 pts off the bench, 10 of which came in the final quarter. He hit a tough fadeaway from about 18 ft. early in the 4th and later slammed home a missed shot to give Orlando a 101-99 lead with 2:19 remaining. He did all this without doing what he does best; Pietrus did not hit a 3-pt. shot.

Key Stat: This has to be Orlando’s ridiculous shooting numbers. They hit on a Finals record 62.5% of their shots but interestingly took just 14 shots from deep and knocked just 5. It has been said that Orlando must hit 8-12 three a game to win or at least shoot around 40% from long-range. But in game 3, the Magic hit shots from inside the arc and got great play from point guard Rafer Alston and point-forward Hedo Turkoglu (18 pts, 7 ast-1 to, 6 reb).

Outlook for Game 4—Expect another tight, exciting game. I don’t understand those who think the Lakers are way better because its obviously not true.  LA didn’t sweep like some predicted after they took a 2-0 lead and LA won’t win the next two games either. Orlando was a Courtney Lee layup from winning game 2 in Los Angeles after leading for most of the 4th. The ball didn’t role the Magic’s way and it’s over with. LA did not have a lead the entire 2nd half in game 3, yet played well. Orlando was clearly the better team and I think they’ll do it again Thursday Night.

Post-Game Analysis: NBA FINALS – Game 1

75 – 100

The Lakers came out strong in front of the homecrowd as they took a big first step in revenging last season’s disappointment of losing in the NBA FINALS vs. Boston.  Kobe Bryant was a man on a mission in leading Los Angeles to a 100-75 rout of the Orlando Magic in game 1 of the best of 7 series.  Bryant showed he does not want to hand over the title as the NBA’s best player just yet as he scored a personal finals high 40 pts while chipping in with 8 boards and dishing out 8 dimes.

Pau Gasol led a plethora of Laker big men with 16 pts and 8 rebounds, Lamar Odom had 11 and 14 off the bench and young Andrew Bynum scored 9 pts and 9 rebounds. On the other side, nothing went right. Bench extrodinare Mickael Pietrus led the way with 14 pts with most coming in garbage time while Dwight Howard, who was coming off a 40 point night in the clincher vs. Cleveland, was held to just 12 pts and 15 rebounds. Jameer Nelson completed his comeback after suffering what at the time appeared to be a season ending shoulder injury suffered February 2nd and scored 6 pts off the bench to go with 4 assists. He was obvioulsy a bit rusty but for those who thought he was not going to have any impact, I have a feeling they just might end up chocking on their own words by the end of this series.

Post Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets–Game 6

                                                                                                          119  92                                                                                                                                           

With a dazzling combination of outside shooting, dunks and hook shots, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets on Friday night in route to a 119-92 victory culminating in their 2nd straight trip to the NBA Finals. Leading the way with his leadership and playmaking was none other than 07-08 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. Bryant might have had his best all around game in this series as he scored 35 pts while adding 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Power forward Pau Gasol added 20, 12 and 6 while Trevor Ariza continued his great postseason run with 17 pts on 7-9 shooting from the field. And for the first time all postseason, Lamar Odom showed up in back-to-back games as he led the Laker bench with 20 pts and 8 boards. All this led to the Lakers playing their best and most complete game of the series as they held the Nuggets at bay from start to finish.

Turning Point of the Game: Kobe Bryant scored 11 points in a decisive 21-7 Laker run over the final 6:37 of the second period that turned a one point defecit into a 53-40 halftime lead. The run took the buzz out of the Nugget fans and frankly took the air out of the Nuggets, who did not respond to the adversity of being down double digits in an elimination game. Denver began to throw up wild jump shots and played without poise while Kobe and his teammates steadily increased their lead to 18, then 21, and finally 27 points late in the 4th.

Player of the Game: For the second straight game, this title goes to Kobe, who was unstoppable all game. He could have scored 50 if he wanted to, but instead looked  for his teammates all night resulting in 10 assists for Bryant. The Lakers had five players score in double figures including four who had 17 pts or more. When the Lakers have this much balance in their scoring, no one will be able to beat them. Kobe’s unselfishness was evident from the start and he finished  12-20 from the field with 2 baskets from behind the arc and 9-9 shooting from the foul line. The Lakers had a ridiculous  plus 31 point differential when Bryant was on the court, which summarizes his night up well.

Key Stat from Game 6: Coming into Game 6, the Lakers had shot a modest 74% from the free throw line in the series against Denver. Well on Friday Night at the Pepsi Center, LA shot a perfect 24-24 from the foul line. Championship teams must shoot well from the line and the Lakers proved they are a very good free throw shooting team, led by Kobe, who is making over 90% of his free throws in the NBA playoffs. Also, LA was hitting on just 33% of its 3pt. attempts vs. Denver but in Game 6, they knocked down 9-16, good for 56.3%

One more thing. Denver should be proud of the way they played throughout the entire 2008-2009 season. They finally won a playoff series and reached the conference finals for the first time since 1995. But they will regret their lack of poise late in games in the series against LA and they did not play smart on numerous occasions. They had too many stupid fouls and technicals and took many bad shots a recipe for defeat against a confident, experienced Laker team. But expect Denver to retool and be in the hunt next year.

Post Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets – Game 4

 

 

101 – 120

 

 

For the first time in this exciting, dramatic Western Conference Finals, the team that led after the first quarter was able to end up on top as the Denver Nuggets throughly outplayed the Los Angeles Lakers en route to a 120-101 win in game 4. Denver was on top from the start, leading for all but one minute in a thrashing of the defending western champions. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 pts on just 10-26 shooting while Pau Gasol added 21 pts and 10 rebounds. The second seeded Nuggets received 24 pts each from Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith to offset a poor night from Carmelo Anthony who was held to 3-16 shooting from the field.

The Lakers did not listen to our keys to the game as they came out sluggish, while the Nuggets came out strong in the first quarter, taking a 7 point lead only to see the Lakers cut the defecit to 3 after one quarter. But Denver responded, led mostly by its bench as J.R. Smith (9pts and 4 assists in 2nd quarter) and Linas Kleiza (7pts in the quarter) combined to lead the Nuggets on a 17-7 run and take a 39-26 lead midway through the 2nd quarter. Kobe Bryant’s 19 first half points allowed LA to stay within striking distance as Kobe repeatedly got to the line and knocked down his jumpers. The key to the Nuggets’ first half success was its passing, which led to easy baskets and open jump shots. J.R. Smith was effective in driving the ball into the interior of the Laker defense, causing LA’s bigs to step up to stop him. This left Nene open underneath for an easy slam and led to a Linas Kleiza wide open 3 pointer.

Denver also did an excellent job of contesting every shot by Kobe Bryant. Kobe took multiple shots falling away with a hand in his face so give credit to the Nuggets for executing their game plan. They also dominated the boards, outrebounding LA 58-40 including 20 offensive rebounds which led to tons of extra possessions.