Well the Dodgers lost 7-2 on Sunday against the Phillies, which had me feel all sour, and I mean... Come on, these are the finals man!
So let's start with the first quarter. May I say, by far the most BORING quarter I have ever seen in a basketball game. Both teams combined to score 30 points to end the quarter at 15 a piece. Both teams shot poorly, too many dumb fouls. I can't recall a time where I switched channels to watch another program over 20 times during a Lakers game. Bynum was hit with two fouls as fast as you can say his full name which opened the door for Dwight Howard to post up Pau Gasol for some easy baskets. Except, Dwight didn't do that. This is a guy who publicly criticized his coach for not getting enough touches two series ago and when he did, he flourished. But seeing Dwight in the first quarter, I don't think there was a time where he asked for the ball. Kobe only scored three points where he should have scored a lot more because Courtney lee and Mickael Pietrus drew two fouls on him.
Second quarter begins with some fire. Odom was hitting. That phrase alone told any Lakers fan that good things are going to happen. The dude he was guarding though, Rashard Lewis, was busting shots that pretty much canceled Odom's offense. Lewis was so good in the second that you thought him missing a shot in that quarter was more incredible than watching him make three-pointers from the 562 area code. He scored 20 points before halftime. Kobe was being the player I was afraid he was going to be in this game, a fascilitator. He had six points combined for the first two quarters along with five assists and a couple of bad turnovers. Him being "fascilitator Kobe" meant he was going to have his share of turnovers, to which he had seven in the game. He wasn't slashing to the basket like he should and put Dwight in a foul mess because Bynum and Odom were in a bit of foul trouble. He didn't take advantage of the fact Pietrus and Lee weren't on him and therefore opened the window for him to post up a smaller guard in Reddick to get some easy points. 40-35 Lakers at the half.
(Gulp...) Only forty points?
On a happy note, Hedo was nowhere in this game up to that point. Happy note right?
I skipped Ariza's story about the loss of his brother at half time and used that time to drive to my girl friend's house. I get there to see that the Magic were making a run and our five point lead was turned into a three point deficit. I was happy to see Kobe now being Kobe. Scoring early and making plays for his teammates by reading the defense the Magic were giving him, which wasn't much. But with key turnovers and sloppy defense, the Magic were playing fundamentally sound basketball with Hedo now turning the tables on the Lakers. Third quarter ends. 65-63 Magic up.
From the time the commercials started after the end of the third to the beginning of the fourth, I must have told myself "We cannot lose this game" a record of 4957394790475 times. My palms were sweating, I began to get hot, my girl friend was talking to me but I could not comprehend what she was saying as I stared at her with disbelief. I was getting a fever right on the spot!
Fourth quarter begins. Both teams had that "There's no way in hell I'm losing this game" face on. Shannon Brown comes in at the point. Kobe starts, thankfully. Jameer Nelson starts, thankfully. Both teams were attacking each other and countering each other's points. If the Lakers had a four-point lead, it would be washed away, same with the Magic. The Magic won the sweepstakes to enter the "Kobe and Lamar Show". Seriously, Kobe and Lamar teamed up to score 18 points in this quarter, everyone else had seven. 72- 75 Lakers with the lead and the momentum after Kobe scored from a pass from Gasol. Magic's defense? How about a basket by Turkoglu, a Kobe turnover, and a Lewis three.
UGHHHHHHHHHHH.....
Stan Van Gundy & Ron Jeremy. Seperated at birth!
Like I said though, no lead was safe in this quarter. The Lakers responded with baskets by Fisher and Gasol. Kobe then finally drove in to pick up fouls from Pietrus, who fouled out and brought in Lee to which Ron Jerem...uh... Stan Van Gundy make the "Well, here it goes... God are you there?" face. Instead of Lee guarding Bryant, SVG assigned Hedo to guard Bryant. I thought this was fantastic, Hedo is the worst defender the Magic have, I think my two-year-old niece could have ran around him and make an easy basket. Except this move by the Magic may have been the best move they made all game. Hedo guarded Kobe brilliantly the last three minutes of the game. After Kobe made a ridiculous shot over Hedo to score the tying basket at 86-86, 1:10 left to go, the Magic responded with a twenty-something foot jumper by Hedo, who then did his best Gene Simmons impersonation by sticking his toungue out and put the Magic up by two with 47 seconds to go.
UGHHHHHHHHHHH.....
I looked so bad that my girl friend stared at me and thought she should prepare to take me to the emergency room. Fisher brings in the ball, we're now heading to the 30 second mark. Fish drives it in, makes a ridiculous pass to Gasol, and scores the tying basket. No timeout for the Magic, they run the floor. Lee gets open and finger rolls in his shot in the basket, BUT MISSES.
Nine seconds to go. It's Kobe time. Kobe brings in the ball, drives, and shoots... and gets blocked by Turkoglu. Game still tied at 88.
Turkoglu grabs the ball and takes a timeout, the refs grant the Magic six-tenths of a second to go. They drew up a play, only for Hedo to take another timeout because he couldn't bring the ball in. I thought either Howard was going to rise up and throw in the ball in the basket or Rashard Lewis doing his best Derek Fisher 0.4 shot he made against the Spurs in '04. Instead, Hedo threw the ball to a wide-open Courtney Lee to make an alley-oop, BUT MISSES!!!!!!!!
This took the breath out of everyone, we could have lost! Phil just got outcoached by SVG in that moment, but Lee couldn't capitalize.
Did he choke?
Well put it this way, would you give the ball to a rookie guard who came out of Western Kentucky, played only 12 minutes, scored only 2 points, and missed a lay-up that could have won the game ten seconds ago? I don't know who choked more, Coutney Lee or Eminem in "8-mile" when he couldn't perform in his first rap battle.
The NBA. Where overtime happens.
After basket exchanges from Howard and Bryant, Fisher steals and draws a foul from Turkoglu. Makes both shots
Brilliant.
Hedo misses a 13 footer, Bryant comes up the floor, drives and passes a ridiculous pass to Gasol who makes the basket... AND-1 !
Brilliant.
The game was in the Lakers hands and they won 101-96. Boring beginning, exciting finish. We're now up in the series 2-0. I'm getting ready for the parade.
UGHHHHHHHHHHH.....
