 | Sonics - Lakers 105-130 [Durant 20pts vs Bryant 23pts] LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2008 (AP) -- After the arduous and challenging road trip the Lakers had just completed against four of the best teams in the Western Conference, a visit from the lowly Seattle SuperSonics couldn't have come at a better time - especially without a day off in-between. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, seven of his teammates also finished in double digits on Friday night, and Los Angeles remained on top of the Western Conference standings with a 130-105 rout of the club with the second-worst record in the NBA. Luke Walton scored all of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to tie a season high, while Bryant, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf all spent the final 12 minutes on the bench. Odom had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Every Lakers starter scored in double digits, and the team is 14-1 when that happens. Los Angeles went 2-2 on a trip that began with losses to New Orleans and Houston and concluded with victories over Dallas and Utah - two teams that were a combined 58-8 at home before the Lakers arrived. The Lakers beat the Jazz 106-95 on Thursday. "I didn't see any effects from last night's ballgame,'' Bryant said after the Lakers sent the Sonics to their 10th straight loss and completed a sweep of the four-game season series. "Everybody is in great condition, and this morning at the shootaround, everybody was energetic and ready to go. I think we've been coming out with great focus and energy.'' The Lakers never trailed in their sixth straight win over the Sonics. They shot 61 percent from the field, converted Seattle's 16 turnovers into 24 points, and finished with a season-high 36 assists on 51 field goals. "We are sharing the ball, making sure everybody touches it and putting guys in positions where they can be successful,'' Turiaf said. "It's so much easier for us to score on other teams because they can't just focus on Kobe or Lamar.'' Center Pau Gasol, who sprained his left ankle during the opening game of the road trip, missed his fourth straight contest. Friday's signing of 33-year-old forward Ira Newble to a 10-day contract enabled coach Phil Jackson to dress 11 players and fortify a roster further handcuffed by lengthy injuries to Andrew Bynum, Trevor Ariza and Chris Mihm. "I think we're the front-runners,'' said Jackson, who is two wins away from his 14th 50-win season as an NBA coach and his sixth with Los Angeles. "I mean, if we had a healthy roster, I'd be much more comfortable saying that. But at this point, given our schedule, I think we have a real good opportunity.'' The Lakers got 56 points from their bench. Jordan Farmar had 14 in 24 minutes. Sasha Vujacic had 13 in 15 minutes. "My message to our young guards, Sasha and Jordan, is that we're investing these minutes in them the rest of the season so that they can give us this great boost of energy and surge that we get from them off the bench,'' Jackson said. "If pressure is going to take them out, we're going to have a problem in the playoffs. So we need to see them perform, regardless of what the competition is.'' Rookie Kevin Durant had 20 points for the Sonics, a year and three days after his Texas Longhorns were bounced from the NCAA tournament with an 87-68 loss to USC in the East Region. He averaged 19.8 points and shot 38.4 percent (28-for-73) in the four games against the Lakers - missing 20 of 26 shots against them in an overtime loss on Jan. 14 at Seattle. "I need to continue to expand my game and work hard at practice and before practice to help this team out,'' said Durant, who has played in all but two of Seattle's 69 games. "All in all, I think I'm getting a little more efficient with my shots, learning how to get shots and improving on the defensive end.'' This is the first time in the franchise's 41-year history that the Sonics have had two double-digit losing streaks in the same season. They began their first season under coach P.J. Carlesimo with eight straight losses, then dropped club-record 14 in a row from Dec. 31 through Jan. 27. Seattle (16-53) would have to win eight of its final 13 games to avoid matching the team's worst record ever, which was set during the inaugural 1967-68 season. The Sonics have lost eight straight on the road and 19 of the last 21 away from KeyArena. They have only one victory in their last 15 games overall, beating Minnesota in overtime on March 2. Notes: Gasol was on the floor before the game, shooting the ball and doing some activity drills. But Jackson doesn't expect him to be ready for the Lakers' home-and-home set with the Golden State Warriors on Sunday and Monday. ... The Lakers swept a season series from Seattle for the first time since 1989-90 (4-0). ... Seattle's next win will be Carlesimo's 200th as an NBA coach. |
 | Warriors - Lakers 115-111 [Jackson 31pts vs Bryant 36pts] LOS ANGELES, March 23, 2008 (AP) -- Just when it appeared the Los Angeles Lakers were going to successfully rally from a 26-point deficit, the Golden State Warriors turned to Stephen Jackson. Smart move. Jackson scored six of his 31 points on two 3-pointers in the final 38 1/2 seconds, and the Warriors beat the Lakers 115-111 Sunday night. Jackson's first 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 112-108 lead. After Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer with 30.5 seconds left drew the Lakers within one, Jackson connected from the top of the key with 8.1 seconds left to put the game away. "He has made big shots for us all year,'' Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "I don't know how he does it. We put him in a good position where he was open.'' Bryant made two 3-pointers in the last 56.4 seconds, drawing the Lakers within one point each time. But Jackson responded on both occasions. "I hated that it came down to that,'' Jackson said. "I think we got a little too complacent with that lead. We should have known Kobe was going to come back and take over and bring his team back. "The biggest thing was in the third quarter we walked the ball up and they ran. And we got the lead by running. But we found a way to win. That shows the growth of this team from last year. It was ugly, but it was still a win.'' Monta Ellis also had 31 points along with seven rebounds and five assists for the Warriors, who won for the 10th time in 14 games. Baron Davis scored 18 points and Al Harrington added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State (43-26), which remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Denver in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The win was the second straight for the Warriors over the Lakers after a nine-game losing streak to their in-state rivals. Bryant scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and added a season-high 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers (48-22), who had their three-game winning streak snapped and fell percentage points behind the Western Conference-leading New Orleans Hornets. Lamar Odom had 19 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and Ronny Turiaf and Derek Fisher scored 16 each for Los Angeles. Lakers center Pau Gasol missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle, and won't play Monday night when the teams meet again in Oakland in a possible playoff preview. Golden State's Mickael Pietrus sat out the game due to a strained groin. Ellis made two foul shots with three minutes remaining to snap a 101-101 tie, and a jumper by Davis 30 seconds later gave the Warriors a four-point lead. They were on top the rest of the way. Turiaf scored five straight points to tie the game at 95 with 6:48 remaining. The Lakers had trailed 75-49 in the opening minute of the third quarter. Bryant made two free throws with 5:08 left to give the Lakers a 99-97 lead - their first since the middle of the first quarter. But Los Angeles wouldn't lead again. Bryant was quick to credit Jackson and the Warriors. "We had our opportunities. Stephen just made a couple big 3s,'' Bryant said. "They're really good at what they do - great individual players they can go to every night. It takes you a while to get used to defending them.'' Jackson said the outcome might have been different a year ago under similar circumstances. "Calls weren't going our way, they were hitting shots and we were missing shots,'' he said. "But this team wants it bad. We respect the Lakers, they're a great team and they're having a great year. But we just wanted this game because we needed it more than they did.'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson pointed to his team's 14 first-half turnovers as a key to the game. "We had a large gap to make up in that third quarter, probably took a lot of energy out of us to get there, but we just couldn't make a stop down the stretch,'' he said. After a 3-pointer by Harrington gave Golden State its 26-point lead, the Lakers suddenly got hot, going on a 32-9 run to draw within three points. Bryant had 11 points, Fisher added 10 and Odom scored six during the spurt. The Warriors scored the last three points of the third quarter to make it 87-81. Ellis had nine points during an 18-8 run to start the second quarter that gave Golden State a 52-38 lead, and the Warriors scored the last 13 points of the period for their 23-point lead at halftime, prompting many in the capacity crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center to boo the Lakers off the court. The 72 points matched Golden State's high for a half this season, and were the most allowed by the Lakers in a half. |
 | Warriors vs. Lakers Overtime Call In overtime there was a questionable call that changed the momentum of the game. Warriors and the Lakers. 3-24-08 |
 | Baron pushes Vujacic after near turnover Baron Davis tells Sasha Vujacic to get the f*ck out of my way! Download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/r1wvi2 |
 | LA Lakers vs Golden State Warriors March 24, 2008 Warriors @ Lakers: LAL 123 - 119 GSW kobe bryant had 30 points 11 rebounds and 7 assits, lamar odom had 23 points and 21 rebounds, derek fisher added 18 points and 4 assists. baron davis had 30 points 7 assists and 9 rebounds, stephen jackson had 29 points 3 assits and 7 rebounds, al harrington had 19 points and 11 rebounds. |
 | Lakers - Mavericks 102-100 [Bryant 29pts vs Nowitzki 35pts] DALLAS, March 18, 2008 (AP) -- Kobe Bryant took a pass in the lane and spun toward a defender, flicking the ball over his head once his back was toward the basket. The ball hit the glass, caromed off the rim and fell into the net. Just like that, the Los Angeles Lakers were up by 25 points midway through the third quarter. And the momentum the Dallas Mavericks thought they'd built with five lopsided wins over lousy teams seemed silly. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs ended up making things interesting all the way to the final buzzer, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome. The Lakers won 102-100 Tuesday night, ending a skid of three losses in four games and putting them back into a tie with Houston for the best record in the Western Conference. "It's a big win for us,'' Bryant said. "We had to stop the bleeding. We got a big lead, but it wasn't the way we wanted to close out the game. But we got the win.'' Bryant scored only nine of his 29 points in the second half. He also jammed his hip. An injury to an MVP front-runner could be devastating considering this was Los Angeles' second straight game without Pau Gasol and before the game coach Phil Jackson said emerging center Andrew Bynum probably won't return until the playoffs. "I'm good. I'm straight,'' Bryant said. "I jammed my hip into the socket. It hurt for a minute and then released. I'm fine.'' With Bryant slowed at the end, Vladimir Radmanovic stepped up, scoring 10 of his season-high 21 points in the final quarter. His spurt included three 3s, all of them while the Mavericks were challenging the biggest comeback in team history. Dallas made only 12 shots in the first half and scored just 38 points. It was so bad that some fans booed and others chanted MVP for Bryant. Jessica Simpson, sitting in the front row with beau Tony Romo, was in jeopardy of being blamed for another loss by one of her hometown teams. But the Mavs closed the third quarter on a 14-1 run, then opened the fourth with a 9-2 spurt. They pushed again at the end, with consecutive 3-pointers from Nowitzki making it 98-97 with 41 seconds left. A long 3 by Jason Terry got Dallas within 101-100 with 4.9 seconds to go. Derek Fisher made one of two fouls shots after that, giving the Mavericks a chance to win it or take their chances in overtime - like when the teams met in Los Angeles two weeks before. Nowitzki nailed a 3 to tie it last time, but this time his shot went wide right. Part of the problem was a low inbounds pass from Josh Howard that cost the big German precious seconds. "Still, I had a good look,'' he said. Nowitzki had 35 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high five blocks, but the Mavericks' five-game winning streak was snapped. Dallas fell to 0-6 against teams with winning records since adding Jason Kidd. Kidd had his worst game since arriving from New Jersey, with one point (0-for-3 shooting, including a missed 3-pointer in the final half-minute), seven assists and three rebounds in only 28 minutes. He was benched from 6:27 of the third to 5:51 of the fourth. Nowitzki said Los Angeles' great shooting in the first half kept Kidd from being a factor, which knocked the whole team out of whack. "It's hard to get out running when you have to take the ball inbounds every time,'' said Nowitzki, whose frustration about the first half was evident when he hurled the ball the length of the court after the buzzer. Lamar Odom scored 17 points for Los Angeles and Ronny Turiaf had 17 points, 17 rebounds and lots of tenacious play. Jackson was disappointed that his players let Dallas rally, especially since he warned them exactly what to avoid and they didn't listen. "They were pretty thick-headed tonight,'' he said. Terry and Howard scored 19 points for Dallas, which slipped to seventh in the West. With 24 losses, the Mavericks have the same amount as eighth-seeded Golden State, but lead the Warriors by three games in the win column. The Mavericks can't let this loss linger as Boston comes to town Thursday night and San Antonio on Sunday, giving them two more chances to try beating a championship contender. "If we come out and played focused basketball like we're capable of doing, we can beat anybody,'' Jerry Stackhouse said. "If not, we'll be hanging our heads down like tonight.'' Notes: Mavs security kept two more bloggers out of the locker room, as per team owner Mark Cuban's policy. ... Bryant shot 27 free throws last time the teams met. He had only six this time - and made only three. ... Dallas' game against the Clippers next Tuesday will be shown live in 3D high definition to an invitation-only audience of 100 fans picked from the team's Web site. The 2007 All-Star game and Game 2 of last year's NBA finals are the only previous live sporting events shown in 3D HD. |
 | Lakers Beat Warriors: Should a Ref Decide a Game? 3.24.08 After losing to the Golden State Warriors the night before, the LA Lakers come back and defeat the Golden State Warriors 123-119 in overtime after a controversial call made by referee, Bob Delaney. Whether a Warriors, Lakers, or NBA fan, should a referee decide the outcome of a game or should a player? Did Delaney have the proper angle to make the call? After spending 2-1/2 to 3 hours watching a game, I would like to watch a play to decide the game rather than someone blowing a whistle. Great one Bob Delaney! Pretty anticlimactic... Update: From reading many of the comments, we have passionate NBA fans everywhere. I'm a Warrior Fan, but I try to be as unbiased as I can. The Warriors deserved to win the night before at the Staples Center. The Lakers deserved to win at Oracle Arena the following night. The season series is tied 2-2. The Warriors frequently use that "wheel'' play when inbounding the ball (actually it's a pretty cool inbound play). If you notice: 1. Fisher is moving and DOES hold Ellis to block him from running his route. 2. Ellis DOES run directly into Fisher instead of around him. 3. Fisher DOES pull Monta into him as he was falling to draw the offensive foul call (NBA players do this pretty often - usually in lane during a drive or when rebounding the ball - but not so often on an inbound play). Can you call a defensive foul on Fisher for holding onto Ellis especially since Fisher is moving?...Yes. Can you call a offensive foul on Ellis for running directly into Fisher and not running around him?...Yes. Can you can foul on Fisher for pulling Monta down with him as he was falling?...Yes. Should an official call a foul with 4 seconds left in that circumstance that would allow either one team to solidify a win at the free throw line or another team to tie the game at the free throw line without even in bounding the ball...NO! Should have been a NO CALL! The league did comment shortly after the incident: "So, I was informed by the league office that the NBA DOES NOT voluntarily release its opinion or analysis about controversial judgment calls. The offensive foul ref Bob Delaney called on Monta Ellis is considered a judgment call. The NBA only volunteers its analysis for specific rules violations or in serious circumstances. The league does, however, share its findings on controversial calls when a member of the media asks. So I asked. And Stu Jackson answered. "We did review," he said Tuesday. "The call was incorrect." "After looking at the play, the foul was on (Derek) Fisher and not (Monta) Ellis. It appeared that Fisher pulled Ellis down." |
 | Kobe Bryant's 30pts,11reb vs Warriors OAKLAND, March 24, 2008 (AP) -- After 101 minutes of sensational hoops in two days, the Lakers and the Warriors each emerged with one victory and a common desire to hang on to their respective postseason positions. If they do, these California rivals will meet again next month - though their playoff series will be hard-pressed to live up to this immensely entertaining miniseries. Lamar Odom made the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Lakers shook off the Warriors' frantic regulation rally to hang on for a 123-119 victory Monday night, avenging their four-point loss one night earlier. Kobe Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime while playing with a gash under his left eye, and Odom had 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Lakers reclaimed the Western Conference's top spot and avenged Sunday night's 115-111 defeat. The Lakers overcame a 26-point deficit before losing at home Sunday, and they blew a nine-point lead late in regulation before rallying to win in Oakland. Both games kept fans riveted, with abrupt momentum swings and all manner of late-game heroics - and, unfortunately, one officiating decision that played a large role in the sequel. "We felt like we should've won the game last night, but Stephen (Jackson) made a couple of big shots, and tonight we made plays down the stretch,'' said Bryant, who had just two points in overtime under a heavy zone. "They just were not going to let me beat them. We had to trust that we're going to make plays, and we did.'' Los Angeles couldn't have done it without Sasha Vujacic, who scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in overtime. The game felt an awful lot like a playoff preview for the first-place Lakers and the eighth-place Warriors. Nelson kept Davis and Stephen Jackson on the floor the entire night, while Phil Jackson never took Odom out and gave Bryant just 65 seconds on the bench even after he got hit in the face inadvertently by Davis, causing a cut that required five postgame stitches. Fisher scored 18 points for the Lakers, whose fourth win in five games put them a half-game ahead of New Orleans for the top seed in next month's playoffs. Los Angeles also avoided losing its season series to the Warriors for the first time since the 1994-95 season. After Davis' tying free throws with 3.6 seconds left in regulation sent it to overtime, the game turned when the Warriors set up to inbound the ball at midcourt after Odom's layup. Delaney called an offensive foul when Ellis and Fisher got mutually tangled, and the Lakers then got two clinching free throws from Bryant with 3.3 seconds to play - his only points of overtime. "I thought it was going to be a no-call, just two guys fall down and the play goes on,'' Fisher said. "So when the whistle blew, it caught me off-guard as well. ... I don't think anybody was necessarily guilty of anything, but from the angle that Bob had, it looked (Ellis) had his hands to my chest, which he did. But like I said, I wasn't trying to fall down at all in that situation.'' Ellis had 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors, who have lost four of seven in a critical stretch for their playoff hopes. Jackson added 29 points, but Golden State's lead over Denver for the conference's final playoff berth dwindled to a half-game. "I thought our comeback was great,'' Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "We really battled, and didn't have great games from everybody. I played my guys a lot of minutes both games, and fatigue was a bit of a factor, but we were right there to win it. It was a really great basketball game.'' |
 | LAKERS DOWN 1:56 to go (OT Highlights Complete) L.A. Lakers 123, Golden State 119 OAKLAND, March 24 (AP) -- After 101 minutes of sensational hoops in two days, the Lakers and the Warriors each emerged with one victory and a common desire to hang on to their respective postseason positions. If they do, these California rivals will meet again next month - though their playoff series will be hard-pressed to live up to this immensely entertaining miniseries. Lamar Odom made the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Lakers shook off the Warriors' frantic regulation rally to hang on for a 123-119 victory Monday night, avenging their four-point loss one night earlier. Kobe Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime while playing with a gash under his left eye, and Odom had 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Lakers reclaimed the Western Conference's top spot and avenged Sunday night's 115-111 defeat. The Lakers overcame a 26-point deficit before losing at home Sunday, and they blew a nine-point lead late in regulation before rallying to win in Oakland. Both games kept fans riveted, with abrupt momentum swings and all manner of late-game heroics - and, unfortunately, one officiating decision that played a large role in the sequel. "We felt like we should've won the game last night, but Stephen (Jackson) made a couple of big shots, and tonight we made plays down the stretch,'' said Bryant, who had just two points in overtime under a heavy zone. "They just were not going to let me beat them. We had to trust that we're going to make plays, and we did.'' Los Angeles couldn't have done it without Sasha Vujacic, who scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in overtime. The game felt an awful lot like a playoff preview for the first-place Lakers and the eighth-place Warriors. Nelson kept Davis and Stephen Jackson on the floor the entire night, while Phil Jackson never took Odom out and gave Bryant just 65 seconds on the bench even after he got hit in the face inadvertently by Davis, causing a cut that required five postgame stitches. Fisher scored 18 points for the Lakers, whose fourth win in five games put them a half-game ahead of New Orleans for the top seed in next month's playoffs. Los Angeles also avoided losing its season series to the Warriors for the first time since the 1994-95 season. After Davis' tying free throws with 3.6 seconds left in regulation sent it to overtime, the game turned when the Warriors set up to inbound the ball at midcourt after Odom's layup. Delaney called an offensive foul when Ellis and Fisher got mutually tangled, and the Lakers then got two clinching free throws from Bryant with 3.3 seconds to play - his only points of overtime |
 | Allen Iverson 2001 NBA Final Game 5 vs Kobe Bryant Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers drove a stake into the heart of the Philadelphia 76ers and staked their claim as the NBA's next dynasty. Led by Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers won their second straight title with a 108-96 victory in Game Five of the NBA Finals, completing the greatest postseason run in league history. "A dream come true," O'Neal said. "I always knew we could do it, especially after the first one last year. I just knew that if we did what we were supposed to do that we could get it done." "Team Shaq" has gone back-to-back, claiming its 13th championship. The Lakers did it by going 15-1, with the lone loss coming in overtime against the 76ers in the opener of this series. That ended a 19-game winning streak, but O'Neal quickly restored order, powering the Lakers to four straight wins as he claimed his second straight NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. "The first championship was just to get the monkey off my back," O'Neal said. "The ones that I get from now on will just be to stamp my name in history -- as far as for myself, as far as for whatever team I'm on." "It was an unbelievable run for us in the playoffs," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who won his eighth championship, one shy of the legendary Red Auerbach. "Their concentration was incredible during this period." O'Neal collected 29 points and 13 rebounds in the clincher. He manhandled Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo, averaging 33 points, 15.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in the series. "His defense is really, I think, one of the keys for us winning," Jackson said. "He was a presence inside, both offensively and defensively." O'Neal's impact was undeniable. Not only was he an unstoppable post presence, his teammates made a record 36-of-75 3-pointers playing off him. "I've never seen a player better in my life," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "I mean that." "I'm drunk," O'Neal said as he entered the interview room. "A lotta champagne." It was a lot of O'Neal, but it wasn't all him. It only seemed that way. Philadelphia native Kobe Bryant, -- heavily booed in his hometown throughout the series -- silenced this city with something less than brotherly love. Bryant had 26 points and 12 rebounds, shaking off a poor first half. He averaged 24.6 points and was outstanding in each of LA's four wins, perfectly complementing O'Neal -- which was not always the case during the season. "It's a thing in the past," Bryant said. "We'll do our best to try to keep a team effort, keep a community. Hopefully, we won't have to go through what we went through this year, and I don't think we will." The Lakers did not exactly bury the 76ers. Following the script of the entire series, they allowed a huge lead to dwindle in the fourth quarter before two 3-pointers by Derek Fisher served as dual daggers to the heart the Sixers displayed to the very end. NBA MVP Allen Iverson scored 37 points despite suffering another injury, this one to his ribs. He averaged 35.6 points in his first Finals and allowed a basketball-crazed city to believe it could topple Tinseltown. "Allen told me he thought he cracked some ribs," Brown said. "They X-rayed it, I don't know, they didn't find that. It's what that kid's about. He had a phenomenal year. "And I think being in this environment on this stage, people really recognize what an unbelievable competitor he is and what a great player." Iverson's competitive spirit got the best of him. He walked off the court as the buzzer sounded, refusing to shake hands. He also blew off the postgame media session when he saw he had to wait for Bryant. But the "Little Guy" and a big heart were nowhere near enough for the Sixers, who struggled on offense and saw their dogged defense decimated by a dynasty. "They got our attention during the course of this series," said Jackson. Injury-infiltrated Philadelphia fought hard in every game, but playing uphill took its toll and the Sixers were pushed back by the 7-2, 330-pound O'Neal, a mountain of a man and the NBA's king of the hill. "It may not seem like I'm happy on my face," O'Neal said in the interview room. "I'm also greedy and I'm not done." "Shaq has got more in him," Jackson said. "I expect him to have more than two championships before he's finished with this game." Rick Fox scored 20 points for the Lakers and Fisher added 18, all on 3-pointers. LA made 12-of-17 from the arc, devastating the double-teams the Sixers ran at O'Neal. Philadelphia's Tyrone Hill had his best postseason game with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Mutombo added 13 and 11 before fouling out and Eric Snow had 13 and 12 assists. "They came out and proved to the world that they were a defending champion," Mutombo said. Bryant scored seven quick points early in the final period to give the Lakers a 92-74 lead. But the Sixers would not allow any early celebration, putting together another of their patented pushes. Hill's jumper made it 93-84 with 5:24 to play but Fisher drilled a 3-pointer. Mutombo fouled out with 3:41 left, but Philadelphia kept coming as Hill's three-point play cut the deficit to 100-92 with 1:51 to go. Snow's free throw got it a point closer, but Fisher made another from the arc to seal it with 51 seconds left. Brown pulled his weary warriors off the floor to a standing ovation that lasted until the final horn as tears welled in Iverson's eyes. Right before tip-off, the video scoreboard showed a hilarious cartoon that depicted O'Neal as a building-crushing monster before Iverson emerged as "Underdog" to save the day. That got the crowd going and Snow's return to the starting lineup sparked the Sixers to their first opening-quarter lead of the series, 27-24. Mutombo held O'Neal relatively in check, Snow ran the offense and Iverson scored 11 points. Iverson also collected three fouls, going hard to the floor after a collision with Bryant with 42 seconds to go. He began the second quarter on the bench with an ice pack on his right side and spent the early part of the period trying to stretch it out while missing three straight shots. Meanwhile, O'Neal and the Lakers found some rhythm. Robert Horry made his seventh straight 3-pointer to pull LA into a 29-29 tie and O'Neal scored eight points in less than three minutes, including a short jumper that gave the Lakers the lead for good at 36-34 with 7:57 remaining. O'Neal dropped in an alley-oop pass from Fox and Bryant sank a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 49-40 with 3:43 left before Iverson found his stroke again. He scored six quick points to get the Sixers back in it. The Lakers led 52-48 at halftime behind 17 points by O'Neal and six 3-pointers. Iverson scored 19 points. Bryant, who shot 2-of-10 in the first half, got untracked as the Lakers widened the gap in a foul-filled third quarter. He scored eight points and set a tone by going to the basket and attacking the offensive boards. O'Neal and Matt Geiger had a staredown and received technical fouls. Bryant heard the "Kobe (stinks)" chants once again, but a 3-pointer by Fisher silenced the crowd and gave LA a 78-66 advantage with 2:24 to play. The Lakers led 83-68 entering the final period. |
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