Phil Jackson has gold band number ten and Kobe Bryant his fourth. The two Lakers legends are loaded with rings and have cemented chairs in the NBA hall. The Los Angeles Head Coach and MVP each earned another NBA championship after the Lakers overcame Orlando 99-86 in Game 5 of the Finals. L.A. stomped the Magic 4-1 in the series to claim their title. It was the 15th franchise championship for L.A.. Los Angeles’ 15 titles are two shy of Boston’s all-time record. Sunday’s trophy raising was Jackson’s fourth with the Lakers and tenth of all time, and places the legend as the winningest coach in NBA history. The Zen Master passed famed Celtics coach, Red Auerbach, on the all-time list. Game 5 marked Jackson’s 300th career playoff game.
Bryant was declared Finals MVP and captured the coveted championship seven years after winning with Shaquille O’Neal and a year from failing against Boston. Sunday, Bryant scored 30 points and averaged 32.4 during the series. Kobe finished with six rebounds, four blocked shots and five assists. The tall Spaniard, Pau Gasol, chipped in 14 points and reeled in 15 rebounds for Los Angeles. Despite falling behind by nine points in the first quarter, L.A. fought back with a leaping surge in the second. The Lakers trailed halfway through the second quarter before taking off. Derek Fisher nailed a three pointer to set the stage for the purple pests. They went on a 16-0 run, capped by forward, Trevor Ariza, scoring 7 of his 15 points and Fisher hauling in five. Ariza excelled and effectively drew fouls while attacking the basket. The Magic went about four and a half minutes without scoring a point during the second quarter Lakers lashing.
The Lakers lapped up a ten point lead, 56-46, as they headed into the locker room following the stellar second quarter. Orlando went on their own brief run after halftime. Their third quarter rally cut a ten point deficit to a five point Lakers lead. The Magic’s errant and inefficient play doomed them down the stretch. Lamar Odom controlled the paint and stepped up for L.A. with two 3-pointers for 6 of his 17 points. Odom also had 10 rebounds for a team that was in front of Orlando by as many as 18 in the second half. Bryant seemingly put the game out of reach with a jumper over Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu with eight ticks remaining in the game. Stan Van Gundy called a timeout but the Magic were prematurely raising the white flag on this Flag Day.
Los Angeles would not need a Game 6 for their most recent title. The Magic were never able to recover, turning the ball over and playing poorly. Orlando committed ten turnovers in the middle periods and were blanketed with little room to shoot. Los Angeles had a healthy advantage on the glass all night as the Magic were unsuccessful in recovering loose balls. Coach Van Gundy’s team shot just 8-of-27 from long range as they fell at home and lost a chance to return to Los Angeles. For a team that relies heavily on the three, this was not the night for the Magic to take off. Rashard Lewis led Orlando with 18 points but was only 3-of-12 from the arch. Dwight Howard grabbed 10 rebounds while scoring 11. Superman was never a factor last night, taking just nine shots and never getting things going to lead his team.
The Lakers were the better basketball team. They were the best all season and so remarkable they didn’t drop three straight games at all. The beat down in Boston a year ago seemed to inspire Bryant most. The All-Star Laker came out with a desire to win and completed his mission. The 30 year old would not come up short in 2009 and his outstanding play earned him the most valuable player. He took control of all possessions and showed grit when the games were on the line. Kobe became the only Laker besides Magic Johnson to record 8 assists in six consecutive postseason games. He also became the first since Michael Jordan to tally at least 25 points and have 8 assists in three straight Finals games. Although Bryant was the main ingredient in the Lakers’ recipe for success, role players mixed in some necessary reinforcements. The team’s nucleus was just as vital to victory as the beloved Bryant. Fisher was a steadying force in capturing his fourth ring. He came back to L.A. after stints in Golden State and Utah to propel the offense behind Bryant. Fisher’s three-point shot to force overtime and then 27 footer to seal the deal in the extra session of Game 4 was an important play. The 34 year old came into Game 5 trailing only two players for most three-pointers in NBA Finals history. Bryant was helped by the entire L.A. roster. In Game 5, four of his teammates scored in double figures to assist his incredulous effort. Gasol played second fiddle and was rewarded with a ring following his voyage from Memphis 16 months ago. The European adequately defended Lewis at the post and held Howard in check throughout Game 5. Players like Jordan Farmar went from works in progress to mature ball handlers. Odom went from a derailment in decline to a developed destructive defender. Odom, Ariza and Andrew Bynum all came through with tenacious toughness, deliberate dribbles, rattling rebounds and jiggling jumpers. Jackson’s in-game strategies were intangible factors throughout the series. The Lakers ridiculously defended their court by forcing focus, confronting Orlando guards with pressure and applying an ardent attitude.
Orlando was not short on chances in at least two of the Finals contests. In Game 2, Courtney Lee missed an alley-oop layup in the final seconds of regulation that would have given the Magic a victory and tied the series at one. Instead, the Magic settled for a hard-fought loss. Had Howard made his free throws to ice the match with 11 seconds remaining in Game 4, the Lakers might not have been celebrating their 15th championship in Amway Arena last night. Instead, Orlando’s life expectancy in the finals was short-lived and Los Angeles restored their franchise with another terrific title.
Parting points: Happy Birthday to Andy Pettitte.
Band of the day- Days of the New
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Series in Six
If you’re a fan of the Denver Nuggets, you woke up with the disappointing news there would be no Game 7. Denver was dropped and denied a trip to the NBA finals when they were defeated by Los Angeles, 119-92. The Lakers dispatched the Nuggets and return for the second straight season to the finals. L.A. did so by finally hitting their stride, bouncing and beating up a Denver team that simply lost their steam. The Lakers exercised with an attestation of attrition and the Nuggets neglected to normalize.
The bar was set high for Los Angeles heading into this season after a championship series loss to the Boston Celtics. Kobe Bryant and his teammates will have a second chance to capture a title for the Lakers and accomplish what they couldn’t do last year. The only obstacle they have to confront is the NBA Eastern Conference winner, either Orlando or Cleveland. Whichever team the Lakers face, they will be a well-rested team.
The Denver series was closer than some predicted to begin, but ended with the Lakers snowballing Denver in Game 6’s lopsided win. Bryant extinguished Denver by striking up MVP-like performances. After luring a Game 1 two point victory, Los Angeles fell to Denver 106-103 in Game 2. The Lakers shook off a loss and took control of the series in Game 5, playing their best basketball in the final twenty minutes of a 103-94 win. Game 3 put the Lakers back up by a game. The teams tipped off and clashed in Denver for Game 4. The Nuggets were the better team that game with a defining 120-101 slapping. Game 5 proved the Lakers had smarter players and Denver lacked an ability to close out games. Los Angeles won 103-94 to rectify the bad taste of Game 4’s Denver drubbing. With energy and discipline, the Lakers played outstanding again in the clinching Game 6 Friday night. There was no orchestrated comeback for the Nuggets this time.
Bryant scored 35 points, had 10 assists, 6 rebounds and one block in 42 minutes. Pau Gasol, playing the same amount of time as Kobe, had 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, one block and 3 steals for L.A. The two scoring stars got plenty of help from the other players. Including Bryant, three other Lakers scored in double digits. Lamar Odom added 20 points and an assists. Odom had 8 rebounds, including three on offense. Trevor Ariza chipped in with 17 points and went 3 of 4 from 3 point range. Transfixed Trevor hounded Denver’s, Carmelo Anthony. Ariza ascended with an assault, knocking and blocking the All-star Anthony. Luke Walton gave the Lakers 10 points from the bench, which included an uncharacteristic dunk over ‘Melo. The L.A. bench outscored the Nuggets bench 40-34. The Lakers shot over 57% from the field and 100% from the line.
Bryant berated the Nuggets and created a buzz when the Lakers went on a 21-7 run just before the half. His 11 points during the drilling took the air out of the Pepsi Center crowd and placed Denver in an arduous 53-40 hole. The Nuggets replenished after halftime and trimmed their deficit late in the game to 79-67. But it was Bryant stepping up again to show Denver the door. I am possessed by Bryant’s incredulity on the court. The Lakers replied with a 9-0 run and Kobe restored the team with seven straight points to make it 101-82. Kobe went 12 of 20 from the field and 9 of 9 at the charity stripe. The greatest clutch player in the NBA continues to perform at an unreachable utmost level.
The Nuggets made crucial mistakes and botched shots in Games 1 and 3. The games could have gone either way. Last night, there was no question which club was deserving of a trip to the NBA Finals. Anthony put up 25 points but only had a pair of rebounds and assists. J.R. Smith missed 5 three pointers of his 9 attempts, but scored 24 points in the Nuggets loss. Kenyon Martin turned in 13 points, and Chauncey Billups attained 10 to complement his 9 assists. Denver trailed most of the game and never mounted a serious charge in Game 6. They did shoot 80% from the line and finished 8 of 19 from the arc, but lost their eighth consecutive playoff elimination game by an embarrassing mark. So now it’s the Lakers who prevail and reach their record 30th final.
The Lakers executed well in the final two games of this Western finals series. They somehow cemented the cracks the Rockets and Nuggets exposed during these early rounds. L.A. looks like the best team in the NBA and a threat to thrash their next opponent. All the players did their part against Denver. Los Angeles controlled the match-up between the two benches, got another gorgeous game from Bryant, and more mobility from the defense. Bryant was poked all night by Denver defenders but still elevated from the perimeter to release shots. Odom, for the first time in the playoffs, had back-to-back performances worthy of praise. The Lakers are a better team overall when Odom is in the starting lineup. The 6’10” 29 year old hasn’t been a consistent force for Phil Jackson and was criticized for disappearing on his team last year. The resurgent Odom was hard for Denver to contain. The Nuggets also ineffective neutralized Gasol. Pau was an L.A. spark during Friday’s rout, and really has been oppressive this entire playoff run. The workhorse visibly confused the vulnerable Nuggets from down low and played well on the defensive front with 12 rebounds. Walton had a breakout game and took advantage of a porous, non-committal defense with wide-open jumpers. He was one pesky Pepsi Center presence.
The purple and gold defense never allowed Denver to get aggressive on offense. The Nuggets were excused last night because they barely showed up or creating contact. Anthony and Billups missed their targets. Chris Andersen was arid and Nene never took off. The Nuggets, at times, looked overexcited and unfocused. Denver put up a good fight in the first four games. The befuddled Nuggets did not get the inbound passes to put them over the top in the first two losses, and did not get a balanced attack in either of the final two defeats.
The Lakers dominated the glass and took care of their end of the court. L.A. will be a tough out for Orlando or Cleveland for NBA supremacy if they continue to pass the ball to players not named Kobe. Odom makes an impact just by being active and energetic. Gasol can capture close-out moments. Ariza is a proven shining player. Sasha Vujacic has athletic attributes ready to be showcased. Walton is a resilient role player with more to prove. Jordan Farmar embodies an attractive young talent. Andrew Bynum has glaring skills and ball-handling tactics. Bryant’s buckets are a winning requirement but sharing the workload give the Lakers are chance to make those momentum-shifting runs during the game. Los Angeles has respectable talent around their best player. Bryant is two titles shy of Michael Jordan. Jackson’s Lakers have been a playoff mainstay for years. Maybe this is the year L.A. wins it all again. It certainly looks like their time and I think there is still room in Jackson’s trophy case.
Parting points: It was a crisp morning, but I just had a blissful bike ride.
The bar was set high for Los Angeles heading into this season after a championship series loss to the Boston Celtics. Kobe Bryant and his teammates will have a second chance to capture a title for the Lakers and accomplish what they couldn’t do last year. The only obstacle they have to confront is the NBA Eastern Conference winner, either Orlando or Cleveland. Whichever team the Lakers face, they will be a well-rested team.
The Denver series was closer than some predicted to begin, but ended with the Lakers snowballing Denver in Game 6’s lopsided win. Bryant extinguished Denver by striking up MVP-like performances. After luring a Game 1 two point victory, Los Angeles fell to Denver 106-103 in Game 2. The Lakers shook off a loss and took control of the series in Game 5, playing their best basketball in the final twenty minutes of a 103-94 win. Game 3 put the Lakers back up by a game. The teams tipped off and clashed in Denver for Game 4. The Nuggets were the better team that game with a defining 120-101 slapping. Game 5 proved the Lakers had smarter players and Denver lacked an ability to close out games. Los Angeles won 103-94 to rectify the bad taste of Game 4’s Denver drubbing. With energy and discipline, the Lakers played outstanding again in the clinching Game 6 Friday night. There was no orchestrated comeback for the Nuggets this time.
Bryant scored 35 points, had 10 assists, 6 rebounds and one block in 42 minutes. Pau Gasol, playing the same amount of time as Kobe, had 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, one block and 3 steals for L.A. The two scoring stars got plenty of help from the other players. Including Bryant, three other Lakers scored in double digits. Lamar Odom added 20 points and an assists. Odom had 8 rebounds, including three on offense. Trevor Ariza chipped in with 17 points and went 3 of 4 from 3 point range. Transfixed Trevor hounded Denver’s, Carmelo Anthony. Ariza ascended with an assault, knocking and blocking the All-star Anthony. Luke Walton gave the Lakers 10 points from the bench, which included an uncharacteristic dunk over ‘Melo. The L.A. bench outscored the Nuggets bench 40-34. The Lakers shot over 57% from the field and 100% from the line.
Bryant berated the Nuggets and created a buzz when the Lakers went on a 21-7 run just before the half. His 11 points during the drilling took the air out of the Pepsi Center crowd and placed Denver in an arduous 53-40 hole. The Nuggets replenished after halftime and trimmed their deficit late in the game to 79-67. But it was Bryant stepping up again to show Denver the door. I am possessed by Bryant’s incredulity on the court. The Lakers replied with a 9-0 run and Kobe restored the team with seven straight points to make it 101-82. Kobe went 12 of 20 from the field and 9 of 9 at the charity stripe. The greatest clutch player in the NBA continues to perform at an unreachable utmost level.
The Nuggets made crucial mistakes and botched shots in Games 1 and 3. The games could have gone either way. Last night, there was no question which club was deserving of a trip to the NBA Finals. Anthony put up 25 points but only had a pair of rebounds and assists. J.R. Smith missed 5 three pointers of his 9 attempts, but scored 24 points in the Nuggets loss. Kenyon Martin turned in 13 points, and Chauncey Billups attained 10 to complement his 9 assists. Denver trailed most of the game and never mounted a serious charge in Game 6. They did shoot 80% from the line and finished 8 of 19 from the arc, but lost their eighth consecutive playoff elimination game by an embarrassing mark. So now it’s the Lakers who prevail and reach their record 30th final.
The Lakers executed well in the final two games of this Western finals series. They somehow cemented the cracks the Rockets and Nuggets exposed during these early rounds. L.A. looks like the best team in the NBA and a threat to thrash their next opponent. All the players did their part against Denver. Los Angeles controlled the match-up between the two benches, got another gorgeous game from Bryant, and more mobility from the defense. Bryant was poked all night by Denver defenders but still elevated from the perimeter to release shots. Odom, for the first time in the playoffs, had back-to-back performances worthy of praise. The Lakers are a better team overall when Odom is in the starting lineup. The 6’10” 29 year old hasn’t been a consistent force for Phil Jackson and was criticized for disappearing on his team last year. The resurgent Odom was hard for Denver to contain. The Nuggets also ineffective neutralized Gasol. Pau was an L.A. spark during Friday’s rout, and really has been oppressive this entire playoff run. The workhorse visibly confused the vulnerable Nuggets from down low and played well on the defensive front with 12 rebounds. Walton had a breakout game and took advantage of a porous, non-committal defense with wide-open jumpers. He was one pesky Pepsi Center presence.
The purple and gold defense never allowed Denver to get aggressive on offense. The Nuggets were excused last night because they barely showed up or creating contact. Anthony and Billups missed their targets. Chris Andersen was arid and Nene never took off. The Nuggets, at times, looked overexcited and unfocused. Denver put up a good fight in the first four games. The befuddled Nuggets did not get the inbound passes to put them over the top in the first two losses, and did not get a balanced attack in either of the final two defeats.
The Lakers dominated the glass and took care of their end of the court. L.A. will be a tough out for Orlando or Cleveland for NBA supremacy if they continue to pass the ball to players not named Kobe. Odom makes an impact just by being active and energetic. Gasol can capture close-out moments. Ariza is a proven shining player. Sasha Vujacic has athletic attributes ready to be showcased. Walton is a resilient role player with more to prove. Jordan Farmar embodies an attractive young talent. Andrew Bynum has glaring skills and ball-handling tactics. Bryant’s buckets are a winning requirement but sharing the workload give the Lakers are chance to make those momentum-shifting runs during the game. Los Angeles has respectable talent around their best player. Bryant is two titles shy of Michael Jordan. Jackson’s Lakers have been a playoff mainstay for years. Maybe this is the year L.A. wins it all again. It certainly looks like their time and I think there is still room in Jackson’s trophy case.
Parting points: It was a crisp morning, but I just had a blissful bike ride.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
