The Lakers finally allowed Kobe’s greatness to win a road game in the Western Conference Finals at U.S. Airways Arena. They certainly didn’t spare us any heart palpitations in doing so, that’s for sure.
The Phoenix Suns’ second unit nearly pulled off another Houdini act by roaring back to within three after heading into the fourth quarter down by 17. The near-haymaker 16-4 run by the Suns set the stage for the best closer in the game to kill the lights, and the series.
Each and every time Phoenix got to within a possession of the Lakers, Kobe promptly drilled the kind of jumpers that no video game could ever duplicate. Jared Dudley, Channing Frye, and Grant Hill all felt the fiery venom of the Black Mamba slowly arresting the pulse of the Suns’ postseason.
As my friend said after the game, “Kobe spoils us with his greatness,” a sentiment that I’m sure we all could not agree with more. Even so, no matter how much I watch Kobe “embrace the moment,” as Lamar said following the win, his ability to lock into his mechanics and silence 20,000 opposing fans in a heartbeat, leaves me melting into my seat every time.
The court is his canvas and he only knows how to paint a masterpiece.
Kobe’s incredible heroics in Game 6 however, may have been irrelevant if not for Game 5’s hero, Ron Artest, stepping into his own circle of playoff greatness with 25 points (4-7 from deep). The play of the first half was when Ron pick-pocketed Channing Frye on an inbounds pass and easily turned it into a quick layup to extend the Lakers’ lead to 56-47.
If you want to gauge how significant Artest’s offensive contribution was, consider the fact that Pau Gasol was only able to scrape together 9 points on 2 of 9 shooting as he was yet again, hampered by the collapsing defense of the Suns. Hardly anyone would have believed that the Lakers could walk away victorious with Gasol having such an anemic outing in the season’s biggest game thus far.
While Kobe and Ron featured as the headliners last night, this game was a masterful example of Phil Jackson’s ability to make adjustments.
NEXT: How the Lakers Zoned in for the Win
Ever since Game 3, all we’ve been hearing is the Suns’ zone this, the Suns’ zone that. It may have taken three games, but in Game 6, the Lakers were able to force the Suns to abandon their game plan.
For much of the first half, Lamar Odom was camping out on the baseline as the Laker guards asserted themselves into the paint with dribble penetration and worked the ball to LO, who was able to either score himself or set up Pau and Drew with easy scoring chances. As Doug Collins said, the “seams and pockets” of the zone defense were being exploited for buckets and even offensive rebounds (14 for the Lakers).
In the second half, Phoenix eventually shifted back to man defense, which ultimately paid the most dividends in the fourth quarter when Kobe was able to use and abuse whomever he was being checked by. Outshooting the Suns from the three-point line (10-24 Lakers, 9-26 Suns) surely impacted Alvin Gentry’s decision to go away from the zone as well.
The Lakers also made defensive adjustments of their own by quickly sending a help-defender to Amare Stoudemire as soon as he caught a post-entry pass. While he did score 27 points, most of his damage was done at the line (13-15) as he shot a forgettable 7 for 20 from the field.
As Bruce Bowen harped on during NBA Fastbreak on ESPN, the reason why Amare is not a max-contract player is because he does not make his teammates better when double teamed.
STAT was clearly frustrated by the Lakers’ swarming defense and he only managed a mere four rebounds while committing three turnovers with no assists. When you’re attempting to force the defending champions into a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals, those STATs are hardly going to make that dream worthwhile. Perhaps he should have asked Leo for help.
Too bad he’s a Laker fan, ha.
I’d have to admonish myself if I didn’t mention the play of Derek Fisher. It may have only been one of his four field goals, but the running baseline jumper that he nailed in crunch time to push the lead back up to seven undoubtedly assured the possession game in our favor. For all the criticism he endures, with such class and dignity, you have to admire and appreciate his Cool Hand Luke demeanor in the playoffs, regardless of time and score.
The defending champions from 2009 may have nearly flubbed their chance at closing out the Phoenix Suns last night, but now, a shot at redemption against the champs from 2008 awaits.
NEXT: 16 vs. 18, the C’s are Coming to Town
I’m sure that all Laker fans can attest to this: WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR BOSTON EVER SINCE GAME 6, 39 POINTS.
Had Kevin Garnett not gone down with his right knee injury last year, perhaps our shot would have come sooner. But as Kobe said in his post-game interview, “Championships are championships,” and the title won against the Orlando Magic last year counts just as much any other.
I’m sorry Mamba, but we all know you’re just being diplomatic about this because you have to.
While I’m sure his fourth ring meant so much to him in so many other ways, with the most obvious being the fact that the Shaq-talk has since ceased, there is no way that a second shot against the Lakers’ arch nemesis, the “mighty” Boston Celtics, is just another NBA Finals to anyone who has purple and gold flowing through their veins – Kobe included.
All Laker fans have been begging the basketball gods for a rematch championship round against the team that undeniably embarrassed us two years ago. A loss in the NBA Finals is painful enough as is, but to lose a title to the C’s? That wound can only be patched by returning the favor – no substitute.
The 3-1 regular season record (the one loss coming with Kobe out) against the Celtics since the 08′ Finals has quenched our thirst for Gang Green blood, but only as much as a sip of your friend’s ice-cold beverage on a scorching-hot day. We all want a celebratory sub-zero Gatorade bath, Mango and Grape flavors please.
I can’t begin to describe the anticipation and excitement that I feel when I think of the Artest vs. Pierce matchup. As we observed in the Lakers’ one-point win in Boston this season, Ron definitely has an intimidating presence against the most hated player in Lakers Nation. Artest not only got into Pierce’s head, but he did it early and he used it to his advantage throughout the game, both offensively and defensively.
Debate regarding Andrew Bynum’s health and effectiveness will hit a crescendo in the Boston series as he was the only player missing from the 2008 Finals for the Lakers. To the chagrin of Phil Jackson, Drew even said during the week, with the Suns series far from complete, “We want to get Boston because we lost to them and we want to get that one back.”
Again, I really commend Bynum for gutting it out and playing through pain while having to hear many fans even approving a sign-and-trade deal already for Chris Bosh. Give the guy some credit, he’s been providing us with very strong minutes and we will need every bit of him, torn meniscus and all, to have any chance at exacting revenge against the Celtics.
As Derek Fisher discussed on TNT’s Inside the NBA following Game 6, a loss in the Finals is never forgotten, but a loss to the Celtics in the title round holds its own special place – and it’s not a warm merry place, you can count on that. As with last year, the Lakers looked very subdued during the Western Conference championship trophy presentation, during which Laker legend Michael Cooper said, “Boston you want us, here we come.”
Every former Lakers player who has gone toe to toe with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, star players especially, do not ever relent from their hatred for their lifetime rivals from the East. Byron Scott, an analyst for ESPN, even admitted on Sportscenter the other night, how difficult it was for him to commend the C’s on closing out the Magic in their Game 6, while also revealing that he still owns nothing that is green.
If we as fans hate them so much, I can’t even imagine how much animosity Lakers players must harbor deep in their hearts.
Well, the moment that we have all been praying for, calling for, chanting for, is now upon us. For the 12th time, the Lakers and Celtics will strap on the gloves and go to war for the NBA championship. I usually refrain from using the war analogy as it pertains to sports, but with this matchup, there’s really no other way to describe it.
As one of my favorite writers, J.A. Adande wrote last night, a title against Boston is the final agenda item Kobe needs to cement his legacy beyond Magic Johnson’s at the pinnacle of Lakers lore. As ridiculous as it may sound, being that he plays for the franchise that Magic made elite, it’s pretty much true.
But is it even possible for the Mamba to suprass his level of greatness? We will see in four days.