Lakers' Lackluster Performance, Destroyed In Game 1 (5.14.12)

That was hard to watch.

The Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the Lakers.

The Thunder scored 119 points, and it would have been more if the starters had played the fourth quarter. The Thunder blew the game open in the third quarter, pouring in 39 points. 39 points! Some teams only score that in a half. Since the game was so out of reach, the benches cleared to start the fourth and the Thunder put a 29 point beat down on the Lakers. OKC dropped 30 in the first, 29 in the second, 39 in the third, and 21 in the fourth. That's just way too many points.

The Lakers looked like a drained team. Coming off of an exhausting seven game series against the Nuggets, including a high energy, intense game seven, the Lakers seemed out of sorts for game one. All of the extra effort that was shown in game seven disappeared to start this series. The offensive and defensive execution of the Lakers failed miserably. The young studs of the Thunder had a full nine days of rest. During that time they got to scout the Lakers and prepare a game plan that worked extremely well. The Thunder saw how Ty Lawson killed the Lakers with the pick and roll. Russell Westbrook is a bigger, stronger, and (possibly) faster version of Lawson. He ran the pick and roll very well, and he nailed jumper after jumper from the elbows. The Lakers had no answer for the pick and roll, and believe me, they tried.

At first, the bigs sagged and let Westbrook shoot the jumper. This is a pretty good idea, however, Westbrook got hot. Westbrook is not the same guy that the Lakers eliminated in the first round of '10. This season Westbrook jumped his midrange 10-15ft jumper percentage up to 40.6%, far higher than his career average of 35.7% before this season. His new percentage is not spectacular, but it is decent enough to make him a threat, and Westbrook loves to shoot the pull up jumper from the elbows. Even more impressive, Westbrook is hitting 44.6% from 16ft to just inside the 3-point line. Before the season started, Westbrook shot just 37.8% from that distance for his career. Westbrook has clearly improved his shooting this year. The Lakers then decided to hedge the picks. Bynum and Pau would step out, but that didn't work either. Westbrook still hit the jumpers. If he decided not to pull up, he would drive by the bigs and finish at the rim. If he didn't do that, he would hit the screen man for the pick and pop jumper. For his final option, he would kick it out, and that guy would hit the rolling screen man in the lane for a layup. The Lakers even went to a 3-2 zone, something they showed for the first time during the last game of the regular season against the Sacramento Kings. This did not work either. The Thunder bigs would set a pick on the middle top guy, and Westbrook would explode from the wing and into the lane. Once in the lane, he could kick to the open man or finish at the rim. Everything the Lakers did failed. Then, in the third quarter, Westbrook decided to just punish Sessions and Blake. On three straight possessions he posted them up, and on all three he finished with a score. Simply put, Westbrook was spectacular. He shot 2-4 from the midrange, and 3-4 from 16ft to just inside the 3-point line. He finished the game 10-15, 1-1 from deep, for 27 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover. He was also 6-6 from the line.

The Lakers have no one to blame but themselves. If they had taken care of business in game five versus the Nuggets, they would have had an extra day of rest and a day to prepare a game plan. Instead they let it go to seven, and in doing so, spent a lot of energy closing out the series. I wouldn't say that the Lakers didn't try. They did. But they were a step slow on everything, and they had many mental mistakes on offense and defense.

On the first play of the game, the Lakers committed an unforced turnover. I guess I should have known how the rest of the game was going to play out. When the Lakers entered halftime down by fifteen, I figured the Thunder would have to cool off, and the Lakers would get back in the game eventually. Boy was I wrong. The Thunder shot 50% in the first quarter. They followed that by shooting 60% in the second. They finished the half 24-44 for 54.5%. Then came the third quarter. The Thunder came out and sank their first 7 shots for 18 points. This blew the game wide open and put the Thunder up 77-50. The Thunder continued their onslaught and finished the quarter 10-15 for 66% shooting. The Thunder finished the third up 98-68. Most teams score 98 points in a full game. The Thunder dropped that in just three quarters. Ridiculous. The Lakers finished the game with 15 turnovers, which the Thunder turned into 22 points. The Thunder led the league in turnovers this year, yet they only committed 4 for the entire game, leading to 6 points for the Lakers. This can be attributed to Westbrook. He controlled the tempo and directed the offense with precision.

The one thing the Lakers did well was score in the paint. In the first half, the Lakers efficiently dominated the paint on the offensive end. Once the game started slipping away, the Lakers abandoned the paint and began forcing jumpers.

Let's get to the recap. The Lakers won the tip, Sessions brought the ball up just past half court, and he tried to hit Kobe at the far wing. Westbrook played 5ft off of Sessions, noticed Sessions in autopilot, and jumped the gap. Westbrook finished with a layup in transition. Metta World Peace followed with a 3 from the top. I thought this was a pretty good sign, considering the hostility towards Metta following the Harden incident. However, Durant came right back. He curled to the top of the key, caught the pass, took one dribble to his left, turned the corner, and threw down a thunderous lefty slam in Metta's face. Metta came right back at Durant. Pau held the ball at the far elbow as Metta sealed Durant under the rim. Pau hit Metta right at the rim, Perkins rotated to help, and Metta hit Bynum at the near block for the easy dunk. Ibaka countered with a tip in on the next possession. Kobe followed with a trip to the line and sank his free throws. The Lakers then showed some promise on the pick and roll. Durant used a screen from Ibaka at the near wing, but Pau hedged very well. Durant hit the popping Ibaka at the far top of the key, and Ibaka bricked it. The Lakers came down, Pau set a pick for Metta in the far corner, and Metta hit a 3 from the far side. Durant missed a fade, and Bynum utilized an iso on the far block to get a trip to the line. Bynum sank both and the Lakers held the lead 6-12 with 9:06 remaining. Westbrook followed with a pull up 17ft jumper from the far top key. Kobe sagged and Westbrook nailed it. The next possession, Westbrook used a pick from Perkins at the near top key. Westbrook stepped back to his left and nailed the open 18ft jumper. At this point, the Lakers should have decided to hedge hard on every pick and roll to get the ball out of Westbrook's hands. This did not happen. A minute later, Westbrook ran the pick and roll from the near wing. He attacked middle, got in the lane, and got fouled on the shot by Kobe. He sank the free throws, making the score 14-16. Bynum followed with a nice baseline turn and reverse dunk.

Then it started getting ugly. The next LA possession, Sessions pounded the ball to the far corner. Kobe called for the ball, but Sessions decided to dribble out to the top. Sessions used a pick from Pau at the far top key, took the double, and hit Pau in the lane. Pau's momentum took him away from the basket to the near block, and Pau air balled the fading contested jumper. Instead of hitting Kobe in his sweet spot, Sessions decided to run his own play, which failed miserably. Sessions had an awful game. He made many mental mistakes, and he was even yelled at by Kobe in the second quarter for failing to perform a dribble handoff. Sessions finished the game 1-7 for 2 points, 3 assists, and 1 turnover in his 26 minutes of play. Westbrook followed the air ball with a 9ft pull up jumper in transition at the far mid block. The next play, Sessions hit Bynum at the far block. For some reason, Sessions cut from the far side 3 straight into the block where Bynum was. Bynum made his move and dribbled straight into a double. Sessions immediately popped back out to the far side and Bynum hit him. Sessions jacked up a 3 to beat the clock. It came nowhere close. The next play, Sessions brought the ball up and hit Bynum at the far top key. Sessions cut, and Bynum looked to give him the handoff. Sessions was unaware, and the ball bounced off of his head. Sessions gathered the loose ball, dribbled to the far corner, and tried to hit a cutting Kobe in the lane. The ball was high and behind. Kobe reached back and got one hand on it. The ball bounced to the top, and MWP ran it down. MWP hit Bynum at the far mid block. Bynum shook middle, turned baseline, and had his hook shot blocked by Perkins. The next possession, Pau had a layup swatted at the rim by Ibaka. Pau recovered at the far corner, faced up, attacked middle, and was stripped by Ibaka in the lane. Following a Harden and one, the Thunder finished an 11-1 run to put them up 25-19.

To close the quarter, Daequan Cook hit a jumper to beat the buzzer, allowing the Thunder to close the quarter on a 16-5 run and head into the second up 30-23. Kobe finished 1-3 for 5 points, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers. Bynum went 4-5 for 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Pau went 1-3 for 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover. The Lakers will need to review this first quarter on film and figure out how to utilize Bynum consistently. Bynum had his way with Perkins, Collison, and Ibaka to start the game.

Pau opened the second with a putback finish, further emphasizing the advantage the Lakers have in the paint. Pau then hit Metta on a cut to the rim for an easy layup. Then Pau attacked from the far elbow into the middle. Pau missed the floating jumper in the lane, but the Lakers crashed the glass. Barnes missed the tip, Hill battled for the offensive rebound and gathered it at the far block. Hill hit Pau in the lane, Pau sent a behind the back pass to Barnes at the near block, and Barnes went strong to the rim. Barnes missed, but Pau followed it with a tip in, making the score 35-29, Thunder lead. Following a timeout, the Lakers came out in a 3-2 zone for the first time. Fisher hit Westbrook at the near side 3. Hill closed out, and Westbrook blew by him and attacked middle. Hill actually fell over as he tried to recover on the drive. However, Pau rotated well and forced Westbrook to miss a tough layup.

However, the miscues continued. The Lakers came down, and Pau surveyed the floor from the far top key. Kobe began to curl to the top key, but he noticed Harden overplaying him. Kobe popped back to the wing, but Pau misread the play and sent the pass. Harden jumped the gap and easily finished the dunk on the break. Then Pau missed an open jumper from the top, and Harden finished an and one floater in the lane, swelling the lead to 44-31. The next play, Metta threw an errant pass, Kobe ran it down, and nailed a deep 26ft 3 to beat the shot clock. Westbrook came down and hit a contested 17ft jumper over Bynum on the pick and roll. Bynum did a good job contesting, but it didn't matter. Then Ramon Sessions pounded the ball, missed an opportunity to perform a dribble handoff with Kobe, and instead tried to hit Metta at the near mid block. When Sessions missed Kobe, Kobe actually yelled at him, "Come on!" With Metta fronted, Sessions decided to dump the ball off to Kobe about 6ft back from the near top 3. Kobe took a dribble in and fired up a 27ft brick to beat the clock.

Kobe followed with a nice attack to the rim, a pump to get KD to fly by, and a finish over Perkins. KD then used a Perkins pick to attack middle, shake Bynum, and hit an open 15ft jumper at the free throw line. Kobe then set up Sessions for a dive to the rim, but Sessions bobbled the ball in the lane and threw up an air ball. Fortunately, Bynum finished the putback. Westbrook followed with a pick from Perkins at the far wing. Westbrook dribbled to the far elbow and hit the pull up 15ft jumper. Bynum gave him way too much room, but it probably would have went in anyways. Sessions followed with his only positive play of the game. He dribbled to the near top, used a MWP pick at the near mid wing to attack the baseline, and finished a layup. The next possession the Lakers ran a nice set to take advantage of their size. Sessions hit Pau at the top 3. Metta and Bynum both stood at the elbows. Westbrook fronted Metta at the far elbow, so Pau hit Bynum at the near mid block, and Bynum sent the entry to Metta in the lane. With Westbrook on his back, Metta easily finished at the rim, making the score 50-42 with 3:21 to go.

The Thunder closed the quarter out strong, albeit with three unlikely plays. Westbrook ran another pick and roll, Bynum hedged and left Perkins, so Westbrook hit Perk for the open 16ft jumper. Perk sank it despite being a bit outside of his range. Then Metta almost stole the ball from KD. KD fell down, but Sefolosha ran down the loose ball. Sefolosha swung it to Westbrook, and Westbrook hit a contested 3 over Sessions to beat the clock. Bynum followed with a lefty turnaround hook, but the Thunder came right back. KD backed down at the near mid block, stepped back for the Dirk shot, and missed the entire rim. The ball flew off of the far side of the backboard and bounced off of Bynum. Bynum ran the ball down to the baseline and tried to save it. Bynum threw it back in, but it went right to Westbrook at the far wing. Westbrook immediately attacked the rim and earned a trip to the line. He sank both, making the score 57-44. These three unlikely plays gave the Thunder great momentum.

The next play, Andrew Bynum quit. Metta stood at the near corner and looked to hit Bynum at the near block. Bynum was being fronted by Perkins, so Metta hit Pau at the free throw line. This provided a perfect high low opportunity. Pau looked to hit Bynum, but Bynum quit on the play and didn't keep Perkins sealed while flashing into the lane. Instead, Bynum let Perkins push him farther off the block. Pau swung the ball to Blake at the far wing, and Blake hit Kobe in the far corner. Kobe hesitated, allowing his man to close, and missed the contested shot. Bynum gathered the offensive rebound at the free throw line, and he shot the jumper, brick. KD pushed down the court, used a pick from Perk at the near top, and attacked. Bynum sagged off, so KD filled the space and pulled up to hit the easy 8ft floater in the lane over Bynum. This was the final bucket of the half, and the Thunder entered up 59-44.

The game was within striking distance, but that final run killed the Lakers. Kobe finished 2-4 for 5 points and 2 rebounds. Drew went 2-4 for 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Pau went 2-6 for 4 points, 1-3 on tips, 5 rebounds (4 offensive), and 1 assist. The Lakers were solid in the paint, but they suffered repeated lapses in execution, both offensively and defensively. The Lakers only made four shots outside of the lane in the first half, shooting 4-15. When they went inside, they shot 10-22 in the paint, with a couple of the misses coming as tipped shots.

The Thunder finished the game in the opening minutes of the third. Durant used a pick and hit an uncontested 15ft pull up from the near elbow. Bynum sagged off and didn't close on the jumper. The next possession, Westbrook dribbled to the near top and hit KD at the far top. Perkins set a back pick on Kobe allowing Westbrook to easily cut to the rim and finish an alley oop dunk. Bynum never called out the pick, leaving Kobe out to dry, and no one rotated to pick up Westbrook. Bynum watched the play, Kobe was taken out, and the help side was late. This play provided a perfect example of the mental breakdowns the Lakers suffered. Following a Sessions brick, Westbrook pushed up the near side and dumped the ball off to the trailing KD. Durantula nailed the open 3 from the near wing in transition. Kobe missed a jumper on the next play, and Westbrook brought the ball up to the near top, about 5ft back from the 3. Bynum stayed high to double, leaving Perk wide open at the near block. Westbrook hit Perk for the easy dunk. Bynum and Pau began looking at each other and talking. My guess is that coach Brown told Bynum to double Westbrook. Bynum acted as if he expected Pau to rotate. Something definitely went wrong. There's no reason to double Westbrook 30ft from the basket, especially if he's not running a pick and roll. The next defensive possession, Bynum hedged hard but could not recover to the rolling Mohammed in the lane. Kobe rotated and fouled him, Nazr made one of two. Then Westbrook brought the ball up the far side. Kobe met him at the far wing and almost stole the ball. Westbrook backed out, reset, and used a pick from Ibake to attack right. Pau hedged hard, but Westbrook split the double. Westbrook got into the lane and hit an open Sefolosha at the near top 3. Thabo kicked it to KD at the near side 3, swish. Thabo followed this with a nice defensive play. He crowded Kobe at the far top 3, popped the ball out, and finished the layup in transition. Westbrook then hit Thabo on a drive and kick for an open 3 at the far side, swish. This blew the score up to 77-48.

Three minutes later, with the score at 83-52, the Thunder committed their first turnover in 19 minutes. The Lakers went into a 3-2 zone. Westbrook attacked from the near wing into the middle. Nazr set a pick at the free throw line on the middle top man. Westbrook got into the lane and kicked it out, but Harden didn't drop to the level of the ball, and the ball flew out of bounds. If it hadn't, Harden would have had an open 3 at the far side. Two minutes later, Westbrook made up for his mistake and punished Sessions with a back down at the far mid wing. Westbrook turned middle, got to just inside the elbow, and sank the jumper. Blake checked in for Sessions right after this, but it didn't matter. Westbrook backed him down at the near mid wing, lowered his shoulder, Blake flopped, and Westbrook sank the baseline turnaround jumper off the glass. Then, he ran the same exact play. He backed down at the near mid wing, turned baseline, and hit the turnaround jumper, swish. Three straight plays, three straight buckets.

The Thunder finished the quarter up 98-68. Kobe went 4-11 for 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Kobe looked exasperated and exhausted. He tried to get LA back in the game, but there was nothing he could do. Bynum went 1-3 for 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Pau had zero stats in 8:43 of play. Nada, zip, zilch. The Thunder went 7-7 for 18 points to start the quarter, and they finished with 39 in the quarter. Ridiculous.

Nothing notable happened in the fourth besides Devin Ebanks getting ejected. Ebanks had some words for the refs and he was tossed. Kobe finished the game 7-18, 1-3 from deep, for 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. The Thunder have some great depth at the wing positions and they truly give Kobe problems. Kobe had to work for every shot, nothing came easy. Sefolosha did a great job on him. Then Harden would stick him, and sometimes even the lanky Durant. With three guys who are all long and athletic, Kobe needs to find a way to create space off of the ball. Isolations will not work against the Thunder. Kobe needs to run off picks and catch the ball on the move in order to succeed against this team. Bynum was pretty solid offensively. He went 7-12 for 20 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 3 turnovers. Perkins hurt himself on that wide open dunk. Bynum may have an even better stat line in game two, but it won't matter if him and Pau can't figure out how to defend the pick and roll. Pau went 5-11 for 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers. Pau's impressive game seven was nowhere to be seen in game one against the Thunder. Pau needs to continue being aggressive on the glass. Ibaka is long, but Pau is thicker. Pau should be able to move Ibaka around and score on putbacks. In the first half, Bynum and Pau were very successful in the paint, but in the third, things got out of hand, and the Lakers went away from them.

Overall, game one had the perfect setup for a letdown. LA came off of a draining game seven, both physically and mentally. The team had to fly out to OKC and jump right into action without much of a game plan. I'm sure the coaches scouted OKC, but there was not much time to implement any of that prep work. With game two on Wednesday, I expect the Lakers to continue to pound away in the paint and provide a much closer game. The Thunder were on fire, sinking jumper after jumper. That's great, but it won't last. If the game is close in the fourth quarter, I will gladly watch OKC fire up jumpers while the Lakers go inside. Eventually OKC will go dry. The Lakers just need to stick with it. They need to figure out how they want to play the pick and roll and be consistent with it. Overall, I don't expect so many mental errors in game two. The game will be much closer, and hopefully LA can steal a game. The blowout indicates that the Thunder were that much better than the Lakers, but when watching the game, it was evident that the Thunder were hot. I don't expect them to shoot 53% from the field again, or 41% from deep. Plus, they didn't turn the ball over. For a team that averaged 16 turnovers per game in the regular season, committing only 4 was outstanding and gave them extra possessions. I consider this game more of an aberration than the norm.

Lakers Play with Pride and Heart, Win Game 7 (5.12.12)

If you just looked at the box score, you wouldn't understand what happened Saturday. You wouldn't understand how much effort both teams put into the game. You wouldn't understand the frantic nature of every loose ball. You wouldn't understand the nuances of the game, the deflected passes, the extra effort on the glass, the momentum swinging 3's. You just wouldn't.

The stats just don't provide justice to the best effort the Lakers have shown in nearly two years. Let me run off those stats.

I'll start with Kobe. Kobe went 7-16, 2-2 from deep, for 17 points, 1 rebound, 8 assists, 1 block, and 3 turnovers. Not that great of a line, right? Upon closer examination, this game highlighted the greatest amount of trust Kobe has shown with this team. There are only four guys on the Lakers who were a part of that title in '10, Kobe, Pau, Drew, Metta, that's it. Kobe put his full trust into his teammates and played facilitator all night. George Karl made sure that Denver doubled Kobe on almost every single touch. Kobe played possum, let the double come, surveyed the floor, and hit the open man. Kobe only registered 8 assists, but he was responsible for about 20 buckets. Kobe racked up numerous hockey assists, sending the pass before the assist. Kobe would kick out, the defense would rush that guy, and that guy would hit the open man on the weak side for the open jumper. Once the game got close, too close, in the fourth quarter, I'm sure Denver figured Kobe would start jacking up shots. Well, he didn't. He kept passing and the guys kept delivering, notably Steve Blake. The one time the Nuggets didn't double. Kobe drilled a game sealing 3 from the near wing with under a minute to play. Kobe played his finest facilitating game that I can recall since his playoff days in the early 2000's when he would feed Shaq. Impressive.

Then there's Metta World Peace. Metta's impact upon returning to the lineup from suspension was immeasurable. Metta went 5-15, 4-11 from deep, for 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 1 turnover. Not exactly the greatest offensive performance, but once again, his game needs further examination. Metta jacked up 3's, and this was a good thing. He wasn't exactly spot on, but Metta was a threat. I loved Ebanks and his contributions as a young player filling in for Metta, but whenever Ebanks played, the Nuggets could sink into the paint. Ebanks wouldn't shoot the open 3, so the Nuggets didn't worry about having to close out. The Nuggets packed the paint, doubled Bynum on and off the ball, waited for Ebanks to kick it to someone else, and then recovered to the threats. When Ebanks was out, Barnes would shoot the 3, but Barnes was atrocious. Barnes entered game seven with 12.5% shooting from deep, as he shot a miserable 3-24. With Barnes ice cold, and Ebanks a non threat from the perimeter, the Nuggets were able to double every single possession from the small forward position. The double man would usually be Gallinari, and Gallo's length was a problem on the double for Bynum. Bynum just couldn't get going. With the return of Metta, the floor opened up. Metta became a threat, and the lane opened up. Even more impressive was Metta's defensive play. Metta was spectacular. He was all over the court. He deflected numerous passes, he closed out hard, he forced contested jumpers, he stripped the ball, he got steals, he got blocks, he was a frantic but effective whirlwind on the defensive end.

Now onto the bigs. Andrew Bynum went 4-15 for 16 points, 18 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 6 blocks, and 1 turnover. Once again, those offensive numbers don't look great. However, Bynum was great on the offensive glass. Bynum corralled 9 offensive rebounds. He gave the Lakers numerous second chances. Bynum was also aggressive and forced numerous trips to the line, sinking 8-11 free throws. Although he didn't shoot efficiently, Bynum's performance was outstanding. Then there was his defense. In game six, Bynum was burned on the pick and roll all game. In game seven, Bynum put forth the effort and reaped the rewards. Bynum hedged hard on picks. Bynum contested jumpers after he was switched on the smalls. Bynum blocked 6 shots in the lane. Bynum altered another 5 shots in the lane. Bynum's "fake hustle" from game six was nowhere to be seen, game seven was all heart, all effort, true hustle.

Last but not least, Pau Gasol. Following his pathetic 1-10 for 3 points and 3 rebounds in game six, Pau was on the hot seat. During last year's postseason run, Pau received the largest amount of blame for his passive play against the Mavericks. Many believed that Pau's no show cost the Lakers the series, and so did the front office. They tried to trade him, but as we all know, David Stern stepped in and vetoed the trade for Chris Paul. Coming into game seven, Pau was averaging 11.1 points per game on 41% shooting, far below his season average of 17.4 on 50% shooting. Pau's listlessness needed to disappear, and it did. Pau opened the game with a tip in for the first LA bucket. This tip would foreshadow Pau's awesome night. Pau finished 9-19 for 23 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, and 1 turnover. Pau was phenomenal. His most impressive play featured six tips on the offensive glass before he finally got the ball to drop. Six tips! Pau kept missing the tip, but he kept battling, and he finally got the ball to drop. His 11 offensive rebounds were all heart. Pau showed why he is the most skilled big man in the NBA. An aggressive Pau Gasol is a top ten NBA player. Pau's performance highlights the full potential of the Lakers. When your third best player is a beast and can be the best player on the floor any given night, your team is pretty damn good. Pau just extended his stay in LA. If Pau had flamed out, he would surely have been traded this summer. I hope he plays with that fire for the rest of the playoffs.

The most essential contribution may have come from Steve Blake. Blake went 7-11, 5-6 from deep, for 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. Blake's deep shooting was exceptional. If Blake had bricked those 3's, who knows if Kobe would have kept passing out of the double team. Kobe routinely set up Blake for open 3's and Blake knocked them down. His spot on shooting allowed the Lakers to punish the Nuggets for sinking the paint and doubling on almost every possession. Blake was clutch. With Sessions struggling in the biggest game of his life, Blake came in and gave 30 amazing minutes. His calm demeanor, cold stone shooting, and competitive fire was essential to the victory. Steve Blake is seeming to find his inner Fisher. Big shots in big spots, and he has the trust of Kobe, something that cannot be overlooked. Kobe seems willing to hit Blake in any moment. Kobe knows that Blake has the guts to take the biggest shot of the game, especially after that game four dagger.

Let's get to the game. As Metta fired up an open shot from the near corner 3, Pau established great position as the ball went up. The ball bounced off the rim and Pau sealed Faried on his back and went up for the clean tip in. This was the first LA bucket, what a great start. The next possession, Kobe brought the ball up the far side and got to the far wing. Kobe looked to hit Bynum on the far block, but Mozgov was fronting Bynum. Kobe swung the ball to Pau at the top of the key, and Pau sent the lob over the top. Bynum gathered it at the far block, came down, and went up for the dunk. Bynum followed this by altering Gallo's drive in the lane. Bynum rotated well, forced Gallo into a floater, and Gallo air balled it. Then Sessions drove and kicked to an open Pau at the far mid wing. Pau sank the open 15ft jumper. Two defensive possessions later, Bynum showed just how engaged he was right off the bat. Lawson stood at the far wing and ran the pick and roll with Mozgov. Lawson used the pick to go left and get to the far mid wing. Bynum stepped out and contested the jumper. Lawson sank it, but Bynum's effort was much more impressive than what he did in games five and six. In those games, Bynum would sag off and let Lawson freely shoot any jumper he wanted. Kobe followed with his signature reverse pivot fadeaway. Kobe caught it at the near elbow, faced up, took one dribble to the middle, and revert spun for the turnaround fade. Kobe pumped, Afflalo didn't bite, so Kobe leaned to his left and hit the fading 13ft jumper. Two minutes later, Pau fed Bynum an easy layup at the rim following a pick and roll with Metta. Pau followed that with a beautiful turnaround jumper that solidified his promise of a big night.  Then Metta hit his first 3 of the night. Metta held the ball at the far wing 3, and he looked to hit Kobe on the curl to the far mid wing. Gallo played off Metta, opting to sag and prevent the entry to Kobe, so Metta fired up the 3 and sank it. Two minutes later, Blake checked in and hit his first 3 of the night. Bynum was doubled at the far block, so he kicked it to Blake at the far wing 3 with 3 seconds on the shot clock. Blake went up without hesitation and drilled the 3. Bynum followed that with a great block in the lane on McGee. Then Bynum and Kobe closed out the quarter. Andre Miller ran the high pick and roll with McGee. Miller attacked right, Bynum stayed with him and swatted the layup at the rim with 7.6 on the clock. Kobe followed that up by blocking Al Harrington's jumper at the far mid wing, allowing the Lakers to close the quarter up 25-24.

Although the Nuggets stayed even with the Lakers, it was evident that Pau and Bynum were engaged, and the defense came to play. Kobe went 2-4 for 4 points, 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. Bynum went 2-4 for 5 points, 1 rebound (offensive), 1 assist, and 3 blocks. Pau went 2-4 for 6 points, 3 rebounds (1 offensive), and 2 assists. Ty Lawson had a great opening quarter, going 4-5, 1-1 from deep, for 9 points, and 2 assists. Lawson was held in check, but he had a five minute stretch where he scored all of his points.

The second quarter featured more Pau, and Kobe. Blake opened the quarter hot. He sank the first two shots of the quarter, nailing a long 21ft jumper from the far mid wing, and swishing a far corner 3. Barnes started the second, but after a quick turnover he was yanked and Kobe checked back in earlier than usual, at the 9:12 mark. Kobe immediately hounded Miller after checking in. Kobe forced Miller to air ball a shot in the lane. Kobe then fed Pau an easy dunk in transition. Kobe followed that with another feed to Pau. Kobe brought the ball up the far side, got to the far wing, crossed through his legs from left to right, elevated at the far mid wing, and hit Pau in the lane for the open layup. Everyone turned and watched Kobe as he elevated, allowing him to dish it to Pau for the and one layup. Pau hit the free throw. The next possession, Kobe got to the near wing, used a pick from Pau to attack middle, elevated, noticed Lawson doubling as he elevated, and hit the open Blake at the far corner 3, swish. Following Blake's 3, the Lakers didn't score for 4 minutes. Kobe solved that with a near wing 3 in rhythm after Pau hit him from the top of the key. Pau closed the quarter with a tip in. Sessions pushed the ball with 7 seconds left in the half. Sessions hit Bynum at the near block, and Bynum turned baseline to shoot the turnaround jumper. Bynum missed, and Pau followed with a tip in at the far block just before the buzzer went off.

The Lakers entered the half up 48-42. Kobe went 1-4 for 3 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists. Bynum went 1-5 for 3 points and 5 rebounds (3 offensive). Pau went 3-6 for 7 points, 4 rebounds (2 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.

The third quarter featured huge runs by both teams. The Lakers got the lead up to 16, but the Nuggets finished the quarter only down by 1. Kobe started off hot, but Ty Lawson stole the show and exploded in the third.

Kobe started off the quarter with a 9ft jumper in the lane. Then Kobe got an easy layup in transition as Sessions stole the ball, went coast to coast, and dumped the ball off after he drew the defender. Kobe followed that with an assist to Metta. Kobe used a pick at the near top 3. Kobe attacked to the near mid wing, elevated, and kicked it to the open MWP at the far wing 3, swish. Denver immediately took a timeout as the score swelled, 55-45. Pau finished an offensive rebound with a turnaround jumper in the lane, and Kobe set up Metta with the hockey assist. Kobe was doubled at the far wing, at about 35 feet. Kobe hit Pau at the far mid wing, and Pau swung it to the wide open MWP in the near corner 3, swish. The next possession, Kobe pulled off a beautiful left handed finger roll. Kobe brought the ball up the far side and got to the far wing. Kobe avoided a pick from Pau, attacked left, ball faked a pass to the far corner in order to freeze the help man, and finished with a lefty finger roll over McGee. The play was breathtaking and it put the Lakers up 62-46.

Then Ty Lawson took over. Following a Kobe turnover, Lawson finished a dunk in transition. Then Al Harrington pulled the chair on Pau, and Pau traveled as he stumbled backwards. Lawson came down, got Bynum to switch on him at the near side 3, and blew by Bynum baseline to finish a reverse at the far side. Then Blake missed a jumper, and Lawson finished the layup in transition out in front of everyone. Following a Metta missed free throw, Miller pushed up the far side, probed into the lane, and hit Lawson for a near side 3, swish. However, this play is notable for the how Lawson got open.  JaVale McGee absolutely pummeled Blake in transition, running him over, and setting up Lawson for the wide open shot. No foul was called. Kobe set up Blake for another open jumper swish, but Lawson followed with a floater in the lane, and one. Lawson missed the free throw, but the deficit dropped to just five, 67-62 with 2:41 to go. The next possession, Kobe set up Metta for a wide open 3 from the top. Metta missed, but the Lakers did a great job of getting back in transition, and this time the refs made a call. As Miller pushed up the far side, Al Harrington streaked down the middle. Harrington didn't notice Blake until it was too late, and he crushed him, plowing through him at the free throw line. It was the same exact play that happened with McGee, but this time the refs called it. Following a Hill miss in the lane, Lawson pushed up the near side, attacked the rim at full speed, and finished the layup in transition. Then Al Harrington made two free throws to tie the game up at 68. Kobe followed with some free throws. He nearly air balled the first one, as he put a lot of arc on the shot, and it came up short, barely touching the front of the rim. Kobe sank the second one, and the Lakers closed the quarter up 69-68.

Kobe went 3-6 for 7 points, 2 assists, and 1 turnover. Pau went 1-1 for 2 points, 2 rebounds (1 offensive) 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Bynum went 0-2 for 1 point, 5 rebounds (2 offensive), 1 block, and 1 steal. Lawson was great, he went 6-7, 1-1 from deep, for 13 points, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers.

With twelve minutes left in the season, both teams played scrappy ball and gave their all. However, one thing was apparent, the Nuggets don't have a star player. The Nuggets have a great team. They have guys who can all go off, especially Lawson and Gallinari, but they don't have a proven closer. The fact that they went to Al Harrington as their go to guy speaks volumes. Harrington is a volatile offensive weapon, sometimes he's hot, sometimes he's not.

Following a reverse layup from Miller, Harrington hit his only 3 of the quarter in semi transition, making the score 69-73, Nuggets lead. Mike Brown immediately called timeout in order to stop Denver's 20 point swing. Following the timeout, Blake drove from the near corner into the lane. Blake kicked out to an open Metta at the near top 3, swish. Kobe followed with some impressive defense on Lawson. Lawson attacked from the near wing into the middle, but Kobe bodied him up the entire time. As he got in the lane, Lawson had nowhere to go, Kobe altered his shot, and Lawson air balled an ugly heave. Kobe came down, dribbled from the near wing to the top 3, passed out of the double, and Blake hit the open 3 from the far wing, giving the Lakers a 75-73 lead.

The next 40 seconds of basketball were wild. Brewer drove from the near corner into the lane. Pau swatted the layup and a mad scramble for the ball ensued. No one could control the ball, players kept getting their hands on it and tipping it. The ball finally bounced out to Lawson at the near wing 3. Lawson shot the 3 to beat the clock, but he missed. Blake took the outlet, pushed up the far side, and had a two-on-one advantage with Kobe. Blake hit Kobe, Kobe sent it back, and instead of finishing the layup, Blake decided to throw an ill-advised lob. JaVale McGee made a great hustle play and got back in time to spike the lob away. Lawson gathered the ball, pushed up the far side, hit Miller at the far wing, and Miller hit Harrington streaking down the middle for a layup, tie game.

Those 40 seconds were crazy, but nothing can top this play. Following a pick and roll switch, Pau played some great defense and forced Lawson to kick the ball out to Miller with the shot clock running down. Miller caught the ball at the near wing, about 30ft from the basket, and fired up an air ball. The Lakers came down, Kobe ran an iso from the top of the key, and Kobe missed a jumper at the far elbow. Bynum went up and missed the tip, then Pau crashed in and tipped the ball, not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, not five times, but six times. Pau tipped the ball six straight times until the damn thing fell through the net. It was incredible. He just kept going after it. The official stat sheet says that Pau only got four offensive rebounds on the possession, but it should be six. Pau was fired up following his maximum effort, and he put LA up 3 midway through the fourth. Andre Miller followed with an and one to tie the game. The next possession, Bynum missed a baseline righty hook, and Pau followed it with another tip right down the middle of the lane. Fortunately, it only took one try this time.

Following Pau's phenomenal plays, the momentum swung to LA. Andre Miller attacked from the far wing to the far corner, but Metta was all over him. Metta blocked his fading shot in the corner and the Lakers set up an iso for Kobe at the near mid wing. Kobe backed down to the near block, noticed Ty Lawson coming to double on his backside, turned middle, and hit the wide open Blake in the far corner. Blake swished the huge 3. The next trip down, Pau and Bynum both blocked shots in the lane. Following Bynum's block, Metta ran down the ball and dove for it at the sideline. Metta didn't get it, but the shot clock only had 0.4 on it. The Nuggets inbounded on the near side. They sent a lob to McGee at the rim. Bynum jumped early, and McGee almost threw down a sick one handed dunk. McGee barely missed, Faried followed for the tip dunk, but the ball went in and out. McGee gathered the offensive rebound at the far block, but Metta stripped him and the ball went out. The Nuggets reset, and Lawson ran a high pick and roll with McGee at the far top 3. Pau switched onto Lawson and he blocked Lawson's jumper from the near top 3. Lawson recovered the ball, drove the lane, and kicked out to the open Afflalo at the far side 3. Afflalo bricked it, but Faried ran down the offensive rebound at the near sideline. Faried got the ball, pivoted to face the basket, and as he began to attack middle, his push off foot stepped out of bounds, turnover. The Lakers could not capitalize, but Metta stripped Gallinari in the lane on the following possession for his umpteenth great defensive play. Kobe fed Pau after being doubled, and Pau got fouled and sank the free throws, putting the Lakers up 85-75. Al Harrington followed with a Jordanesque jumper from the near elbow. Harrington stood at the near wing, drove right to the near elbow, and crossed over from right to left. Harrington sent Pau flying with a nice push off with his off hand as he executed the crossover. Harrington stopped on a dime and hit the 17ft jumper. His shot was exactly like MJ's last shot for the Bulls, except it didn't come from the top. Harrington's jumper cut the deficit to just five points. The next possession was probably the play of the game. Pau passed up an open jumper and instead backed down to the far block. Pau turned baseline and shot the turnaround jumper. Pau missed and the ball bounced to the near side. Although boxed out by McGee, Bynum was able to reach his arm up over McGee and get a hand on the ball. Bynum tipped the ball in over McGee at the near block and gave LA a nice 7 point cushion with 2:38 to go.

Following some bricks from Al Harrington from deep, Afflalo gathered the third offensive rebound of the possession. However, Afflalo stepped out of bounds as he gathered the ball under the backboard. The Lakers came down and utilized some great ball movement to get Bynum a trip to the line. Kobe used an iso from the near mid wing to back down to the mid block. Kobe kicked it to Metta at the far top 3, but Metta passed up the open shot and hit Blake at the far corner. Blake pumped to get the fly by, took a dribble to his right, and elevated. McGee rotated and rushed out to Blake, so Blake dumped the ball off to Bynum at the far block. Bynum took a playoff foul from Miller and he sank the free throws, 89-80. McGee followed with a nice attack to the rim for a foul, and he made one free throw. Kobe took a double, hit Metta at the far wing 3, but Metta missed. Lawson pushed the ball and hit Afflalo at the near wing 3, swish, 89-84 just like that.

Then Kobe highlighted the luxury of having a closer. With a minute left in the game and Denver on a mini run, Kobe sealed the deal. Blake hit Kobe at the near wing with 7 on the shot clock. Kobe faced up, rocked right twice, and hit the 3 in Afflalo's face, splash. The shot was epic. Kobe was crowded so well, that he didn't even land right. He fell to the ground, got up, and low-fived the court side fans, notably Justin Timberlake. Justin gave Kobe a nice pat on the butt and Kobe ran back down the court as the crowd erupted. Al Harrington followed with a concession layup, making the score 94-86. Pau hit two free throws, then contested a 3 by Lawson that bricked. Miller got the offensive rebound and hit Harrington at the near wing 3, brick. Afflalo gathered the offensive board, attacked middle, and had his shot altered by Bynum for an ugly heave that got nowhere close. Bynum sank two free throws to put the final stamp on the game. The Lakers won 96-87.

Kobe went 1-2, 1-1 from deep, for 3 points and 2 assists. Pau went 2-8 for 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Pau had 5 missed tips and 7 offensive rebounds. His activity on the glass was amazing. Bynum went 1-4 for 7 points, 7 rebounds (3 offensive), and 2 blocks. Al Harrington went 5-10, 1-6 from deep, for 11 points. The Lakers attacked the rim, the Nuggets fired off 3's.

In the end, it came down to who could control the paint. Following game one I wrote, "You can't teach size." I attended that game, and it was clear, the Lakers were too big for Denver in the paint. George Karl admirably got his bigs to perform well throughout the rest of the series, especially JaVale McGee, but they were no match for the size and skill of Bynum and Gasol. In game seven, Bynum and Pau absolutely dominated the paint. They gobbled up boards, blocked shots, altered shots, rotated from weak to strong side, and just did everything that you can ask a big man to do. This is why Kobe Bryant feels that this team is a championship contender. When Drew and Pau come to play, the Lakers are formidable. Unfortunately, it took a do or die situation to get the bigs motivated. The bigs need to have that killer mentality throughout the rest of the playoffs if the Lakers plan on doing any damage. Kobe always brings it, but he can't do it alone without Drew and Pau.

Game seven featured some of the most intense basketball I have seen. Game seven in '10 against Boston was nuts, especially considering it was a finals game, but this game seven was right on par, albeit for less of an accomplishment. The way everyone stepped up, the way Pau killed the glass, the way Bynum stepped out and hedged on screens, the way Metta stripped the ball, the way Blake hit clutch 3's, and the way Kobe hit that final 3, it was great, it was amazing, it was inspiring.

Although the Lakers blew their send off with KCAL 9, they did Fox Sports West right and sent the station off with a game for the ages. Fox Sports West ended their telecast, and 27 years of coverage, with a nice montage of the Lakers. We'll miss you FSW. Now onto the next one. Game one Monday in OKC. 

MVP Depreciation? (5.11.12)

Do you remember when winning the NBA MVP meant that player was going to be doused in champagne in the final game of the season? You don't? It's alright. I couldn't remember either. After crunching the numbers, I realized that 35 out of 56 MVP winners did not win the championship during their MVP season. Upon closer examination, 28 of those MVP's didn't even make the finals that season. Does the MVP carry any significance if the best player on the best team isn't winning the championship? I'll leave that up to you to decide.

LeBron James is about to pull down his third NBA MVP in nine seasons. Yet for all of his regular season greatness, LeBron is rather infamous for his inability to capture a title. I am as big of a LeBron hater as there is. I love the fact that the guy hasn't won a ring. I understand and recognize his talent, but I also understand how much he shirks away from the big moments. LeBron is the greatest front runner in NBA history. Nobody plays better when they have a nice lead and everything is going their way. Once things get tough, LeBron folds. He has had his impressive moments. The first that jumps to mind is the 48 he dropped on a great defensive Pistons team in the '07 playoffs. LeBron scored 29 of the final 30 points for the Cavs in that game and led Cleveland to a two point victory. At 22 years old, many felt LeBron would continue his impressive ascent to Jordan's level. But, and there is always a but, I have seen LeBron quit, and so have you. He did it in '09 against the Magic in a year he was destined to meet Kobe in the finals. He followed that up by quitting in his final game ever as a Cavelier against the Celtics. Do you remember how he ripped off that Cavs jersey? He couldn't get that jersey off fast enough. Then he mentally checked out in the fourth quarter of games two through six last year against Dallas. Three straight years, three straight exits when he was a favorite. Oh, and don't forget, he was the MVP in '09 and '10.

Following last season's flame out against the Mavericks, I sent a text to many LeBron lovers and stated, "What did the King say to the Prince? Nothing, he just slapped him with his five rings." This is obviously a Kobe-LeBron dig, but the bigger picture points to the moniker of LeBron, "King James." Kings wear rings, where are LeBron's? Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player of the post-Jordan era, yet he only has one MVP title in now his sixteenth season. This is a travesty. Historians will look at Kobe's career and wonder how this ever happened. Especially in a season where Kobe scored 62 points in three quarters, outscoring the Mavericks 62-61. A month later Kobe dropped 81 on the Raptors, a feat that some consider more impressive than Wilt's 100. Seriously, how did Kobe lose to Steve Nash in the MVP voting? Kobe Bryant will never win another MVP. LeBron is too versatile and just puts up too many numbers in the assist and rebounding categories, numbers that Kobe can't touch, and isn't asked to touch. The only guys who can seriously contend with LeBron for MVP in the next ten years are Durant, Rose, Paul, Griffin, Love, Howard, and maybe, just maybe, Bynum. LeBron is going to win another three MVP's, guaranteed.

Yet, how many rings is LeBron going to sport? Well, let's just say LeBron is about to become the only three time MVP without a championship to his name. LeBron can change all of that this season. His Heat are poised for a run to the finals, especially considering the team most felt could give the Heat problems, the Bulls, were just knocked out in the first round by the 8 seed Sixers. So, LeBron is the front runner, will he pull it out this time? He usually succeeds as a front runner, uh oh. His only resistance to the finals will be decrepit Boston. As a Lakers fan, I absolutely detest Boston, but I will definitely be rooting for LeBron to fail. I'm not sure why I have so much joy when LeBron fails. Maybe it's because I understand his talent. I know how good the guy is. I know what he can do. I know that he is an unstoppable freight train. I also know that the only person that can stop LeBron is LeBron. I think that is where the joy comes from. Nobody beats the guy but himself. Maybe I'm delusional, but I feel that if I was LeBron, I'd win. Irrational? Probably. Where else can the hate stem from though?

So, back to the MVP discussion. Do you know who was the last MVP to win the NBA championship in that same season? Well if you guessed Tim Duncan, you are right. Duncan won his second straight MVP in '03 and his Spurs defeated the Nets in a series no one watched. The series was the lowest rated finals series ever, until the Spurs swept LeBron's Cavs in '07. Yes, the golden child of the league was a part of the lowest rated NBA finals matchup ever. So what does it all mean? Well, pretty much, it means that no one is Michael Jordan or Bill Russell. MJ and Russell carry the greatest success rate as an MVP being the champion, an 80% success rate. Both won MVP five times, and both won the championship four of those five seasons. Isn't that what MVP is all about? Shouldn't the best player in the league always win the championship? Well it doesn't necessarily work that way. If anything, the MVP trophy holds a lot less value to team success. Ironically, the MVP is almost always given to the best player on the best team.

With that in mind, how do so many MVP winners come up short? Are the sports writers of America missing something and only focused on fitting a narrative? Probably so, but honestly, why aren't MVP's leading their team to victory? The only spotless MVP's ever are Shaq with one MVP and a championship in '00, Olajuwon with one MVP and a championship in '94, Willis Reed with one MVP and championship in '70, and Bob Cousy with one MVP and a championship in '57. That's it. Notice that each of those guys only won once. They dominated for a year and brought home the hardware. Impressive, but not Jordanesque or Russell-like. Shaq probably deserved at least one more MVP during that three-peat in the early 2000's. Every other MVP has tasted defeat at least once. Greats like Magic, Bird, Kareem, Russell, and Chamberlain all won multiple MVP's but lost a championship in at least one of their MVP seasons. Guys like Nash and Karl Malone each have two MVP's but no hardware. At least Malone made the finals, Nash will go down as the most undeserving two time MVP in NBA history. Since 2000, only Shaq and Duncan have held up both the MVP and the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Let's look at those recent winners. Derrick Rose was shut down by LeBron in the conference finals and the Bulls lost. LeBron quit against Boston in the conference semifinals. LeBron quit against the Magic in the conference finals. Kobe lost to the Celtics in the finals. Dirk exited in the first round against the 8 seed Warriors. Nash was upset by the 4 seed Mavericks in the conference finals. Nash was steamrolled by the Spurs in the conference finals. KG was handled by Shaq and Kobe and upset by the 5 seed Lakers in the first round. Duncan delivered a championship. Duncan was bounced in the semifinals by the lower seeded Lakers. Iverson lost in the finals to the Lakers. Shaq delivered hardware. So there's the list. Two guys delivered rings. Two other guys led their team to the finals. The rest all flamed out.

LeBron James has the chance to become like Wilt Chamberlain and Moses Malone. Moses won his third MVP in a five year stretch, and his second in a row during the '83 season. Moses left the Rockets via free agency after his '82 MVP season and he carried the '83 Sixers in a sweep versus the Lakers for a championship. Similar to Moses, LeBron has been dominant in a recent span, and he also left via free agency to join another team and win MVP. Then there's the Wilt comparison. Wilt won his third MVP in '67. At the time, Wilt had no hardware. That season, Wilt led the Sixers past the Warriors for his first NBA championship. Wilt also knocked off the Celtics in the conference finals and ended their streak of eight consecutive championships. Maybe Wilt and LeBron aren't all that different. Both are absolute freaks of nature. Both are bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone else in their era. Both filled up the stat sheets. Both famously failed. Wilt couldn't defeat Russell. LeBron can't defeat himself. What peer is Wilt's-Russell to LeBron? No one. The only guy in the way is in his head. Maybe this will be the season that LeBron captures that first ring and shuts up many, many critics. I won't be one of them. Not until LeBron wins at least two rings. Three is more impressive and noteworthy, but two reminds us that the first one wasn't just a fluke.

With the MVP usually not capitalizing on greatness, will this be the season that the trend stops? Who knows? All I know is that LeBron is very talented, is on the best team in the East, and is a three time MVP. The rest is up to the Heat. History says the MVP won't win the championship.

Maybe the NBA MVP isn't really all that valuable of an award.

Kobe Can't Do It Alone, Drew & Pau Disappear (5.10.12)

The Los Angeles Lakers stepped onto the court and were ran out of the gym on Thursday night by the Denver Nuggets. On a night when Kobe Bryant was ailing with gastroenteritis, the Lakers desperately needed Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to step up and have big games. Well, that didn't happen. Pau went 1-10 for 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in 29 minutes of lethargic, pathetic play. Drew went 4-11 for 11 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. Don't let Bynum's rebounding and block numbers fool you, Bynum was a non factor. Drew consistently sagged off of the screen man, failed to hedge screens, and jogged back in transition. Bynum was responsible for numerous easy buckets in transition and off of the pick and roll. Bynum's work on the boards points toward a "fake hustle." He did very well on the glass, but Bynum was routinely exposed in defensive sets.

As a whole, it seemed like the entire Lakers team came down with an ailment of some sort. LA did not come prepared to close out the series. Only Kobe showed up. Kobe turned in a "flu game" performance equivalent to Michael Jordan by dropping 13-23 for 31 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers. However, one key ingredient was missing. Remember the classic scene where Scottie Pippen carried MJ off the court because MJ could barely walk and was so exhausted? Well Kobe had no one to carry him, no wing man, no help. Kobe turned in a solo performance as his teammates disappeared.

Riding the energy from game five's victory in LA, the Nuggets came out scorching hot in Denver. The Nuggets raced out to a ridiculous 13-0 lead in the first three minutes. The Nuggets killed the Lakers with transition 3's.

The Lakers ran a set to establish Bynum on the first play of the game. Pau caught the ball at the near mid block. Drew stood at the near top key, and Kobe came over and set a cross/back screen, allowing Bynum to roll to the rim. Pau lobbed the pass and Bynum went up and gathered it at the far block. Instead of finishing in the air, Bynum came down, went up, and had his shot blocked by Mozgov. Bynum regathered, went up, and was blocked by Ty Lawson. He regathered again at the near block, turned baseline for the righty hook, and missed. Denver gathered the miss and Gallinari pushed ahead. With Faried streaking the court, Sessions had to pack the paint to prevent the layup because Pau trailed the play and was the last one back. Gallo kicked the ball to the wide open Lawson at the far wing 3, and Lawson drilled it. Sessions could not close out in time because he had to wait for Pau to get in the paint and pick up Faried. Following an Ebanks miss, Arron Afflalo pushed up the court. Drew and Pau trailed everyone, so the guards had to match up with the bigs in the paint. By the time the bigs got into the lane, Afflalo kicked the ball out to Gallinari at the far side 3, and Gallinari swished the open 3. Then Kobe missed a jumper. Lawson grabbed the board and pushed up the far side. Running full speed, Lawson split Pau and Kobe and sped past the rest of the Lakers for an open layup in transition. Kobe missed another jumper, and Lawson pushed up the near side. Utilizing a five-on-three advantage, Lawson hit Gallo at the near side 3. Gallo held the ball for a second as Ebanks closed on him. With Pau and Drew, once again, trailing everyone, Kobe had to pick up both Mozgov and Faried at the rim. Gallo swung the ball back to Lawson at the near wing 3, and Lawson sank the open shot. Bynum finally got into the lane once Lawson caught the pass, leaving no time for Kobe to close out. Faried closed out the run following a pick and roll setup from Gallo to Mozgov to an open flashing Faried at the rim for a dunk, making the score 13-0 with 8:51 to go.

Kobe closed the gap, but the defensive mistakes continued for the rest of the quarter. Kobe hit an open jumper from the top of the key for the first LA bucket of the game. Bynum followed with a swat and Kobe created contact for a trip to the line and sank both. Following the free throws, Lawson brought the ball up the far side. Lawson hit Mozgov at the near top key, and Mozgov handed it off to Lawson. Sessions went under the screen, and Bynum didn't hedge the pick. Lawson hit the wide open 3 from the near wing for his third straight bucket. Denver followed this with the same set. This time Lawson hit Faried at the near elbow. Lawson ran over for the handoff, but Faried faked the handoff and attacked right and into the lane. Faried hit the running layup over Pau. Following an Ebanks made jumper, Bynum was burned down the court by Mozgov. Bynum started with a two step advantage, but Mozgov out ran him as Lawson brought the ball up the near side. Once he got to half court, Lawson hit Mozgov in the lane for the easy dunk ahead of everyone. Following that, Kobe missed a jumper, and Gallo brought the ball up the near side. With Pau trailing everyone, Kobe matched up with Gallo to stop the ball. Sessions matched up with Lawson at the far wing, but Pau signaled for Sessions to match up with the open Afflalo at the near side. Gallo noticed Sessions vacating Lawson, so he sent the skip pass to the far wing. Pau lost sight of the ball as he turned his head and Lawson drilled the open 3. Why Pau would signal Sessions to leave the hottest guy in the building is bewildering. Sessions should have said "F-you" and told Pau to hustle back. Never leave the hottest guy in the gym. Never.

Following some nice stops, Kobe followed with a floater and two jumpers to close the gap to 28-20. Kobe barely missed a two for one transition 3 to create some momentum to close the quarter. Denver came down, and the Lakers forced Al Harrington into a tough reverse layup. Harrington missed, and Jordan Hill grabbed the board. Excited to get down the court with 10 seconds to go, Hill sent an ugly outlet pass to Kobe that flew out of bounds like a bullet and effectively destroyed any momentum heading into the second. Gallinari punished LA with a drive into the lane and a nice dump off to Brewer for a layup to close the quarter, 30-20.

Kobe finished the quarter 4-8 for 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Bynum went 0-4 for 1 point, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. Pau had just 1 block, his only stat of the quarter. Ty Lawson went 5-6, 4-4 from deep, for 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. Bynum and Gasol's effort was definitely absent. They routinely trailed in transition and allowed the Nuggets to get off open 3's as the guards had to pack the paint and wait to pass off the bigs.

The second quarter featured more Kobe, and the Lakers actually got within four points. Kobe checked in early at the 8:55 mark and immediately hit a 3 from the far wing. Kobe then stripped Andre Miller, but Barnes blew the open look in transition. Kobe then forced a turnover as Faried set a moving pick on him while he hounded Lawson. Bynum followed with his first field goal of the game. He shook baseline at the far block and turned middle for the righty hook in the lane with 5:38 to go. After forcing a shot clock violation with great defense on Miller, Kobe took a handoff and hit a pull up jumper at the free throw line. Kobe followed with a dunk in transition to make the score 41-36. Kobe then caught Afflalo on the reach-in-swing-through-jumper for the foul. Kobe sank the free throws. Kobe followed by stealing the ball from Faried in transition. Sessions capitalized with a layup in transition. Pau followed with his only bucket of the quarter. Kobe pushed up the far side, got to the far wing, and hit Pau at the far block. Pau attacked baseline with two dribbles, spun back middle, and hit the turnaround righty hook in the lane to make the score the closest it would get, 47-43.

Following Kobe's push, the Lakers could not close out the half strong. Following a Pau brick, Afflalo pushed the ball up the far side and attacked the lane. Afflalo kicked out to the open Gallo at the top. With Bynum trailing the play, the guards packed the paint, and Gallo sank the open 3. The next play, Bynum actually stepped out on a pick and roll and contested Lawson's jumper from the near elbow. Lawson missed, but Pau and Faried battled for the rebound. Both players stuck their hands up through the rim, and Pau touched the ball as it bounced off the board and toward the cylinder. Pau was assessed a goaltend, and Denver closed the half, 54-45. Kobe finished 3-5 for 9 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Bynum went 1-1 for 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Pau went 1-5 for 2 points and 2 rebounds. Denver hit twenty 3's in the first five games, but they knocked down eight in the first half of this game.

The third quarter doomed the Lakers. Kobe took two IV's of fluid at the half, but nothing could stop Ty Lawson.

Denver opened the quarter with two offensive rebounds on hustle plays. Denver could not capitalize, but it was clear that they came out ready. Gallinari then caught Pau sleeping and he sent a perfect bounce pass to a flashing Faried in the lane. Faried caught the pass at the far block and finished a reverse on the near side as Pau softly fouled him. Bynum then had a putback swatted by Gallo, and Faried tracked down the ball to the far elbow. Faried gathered the ball and pushed up the court to attack the basket. Barnes hacked his arms, and Kobe hustled from behind to swat the ball. Faried fell hard to the ground and Kobe was assessed a flagrant foul. Kobe made a great play on the ball, but the fall determined the call. Spectating NBA players from the 90's and below must have laughed at such a weak call. There was definitely a foul, but Kobe made a nice play on the ball. If Faried had jumped off of two feet, he would have been fine. Instead, the rookie took off of one foot, got hit in the air, and flew to the floor. Faried sank both and the "Kobe sucks!" chants began to boom throughout the stadium.

Down by 14, the Lakers needed a big play. Kobe backed down at the far mid block, took the double, and hit Sessions for a wide open 3 at the top. Sessions passed up the shot, watched two guys fly by him, took a dribble in to his right, picked up his dribble and hesitated as no one closed out on him. Sessions passed up the open jumper and instead kicked it to Barnes at the near top key. Barnes bricked and Afflalo hit a far wing jumper to give the Nuggets a 14-2 run in the opening four minutes. Sessions' indecision and passiveness highlighted just how unprepared every Laker, besides Kobe, was for this game. Lawson followed with an uncontested 6ft floater in semi-transition. The Lakers actually got back on defense, but they never found their own man, allowing Lawson to capitalize on the confusion and attack the paint.

Then Kenneth Faried showed why he is "The Manimal." Lawson sent the outlet to Faried at the far side. Faried attacked baseline and kicked it to Gallo at the near side 3. Gallo missed, but he ran down the offensive rebound at the near mid wing. Gallo hit Faried at the near mid corner baseline. Faried immediately attacked the rim for a dunk, but Bynum swatted him. Faried corralled the ball in the lane and went up for the putback, but Barnes stripped him on his way up. As Barnes tried to take off with the ball, Faried got his hands in to recover it and finish the putback at the rim, making the score 71-51. Faried's activity and effort was outstanding on this play. This play should be looped in the Lakers' locker room to teach them what it means to play hard.

Ty Lawson closed the quarter and destroyed any hope of a comeback. Lawson ran a pick and roll from the far wing. Sessions was cleared out on the pick and Bynum didn't hedge. Lawson sank the open 17ft jumper from the far mid wing. Lawson then hit Afflalo on a cut to the basket for an easy layup. Lawson then hit Al Harrington on a roll to the rim that led to free throws. Lawson ran another pick and roll from the far top with Mozgov. Lawson faked the set up to attack right, but instead, he waited as Mozgov slid over and set the pick for him to attack left. Lawson went left, Bynum didn't hedge the pick, and Lawson sank the 17ft jumper with no one even near him. Three possessions later, Lawson ran the same exact play. Lawson ran a pick and roll with Harrington at the far top 3. Lawson faked right again, waited for Harrington to slide over to set the pick on the left, and attacked left to the far elbow. Once again, Bynum didn't hedge, and Lawson sank the open jumper. Lawson came right back down and ran the same set. He faked right, noticed Hill coming to hedge hard, and allowed Harrington to slide over and set the pick for him to attack left. Lawson went left, turned the corner, and finished the layup at the rim. Lawson then sank an open 3 to close out his great quarter.

The Nuggets finished the third up, 90-68. Lawson went 6-8 for 13 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists. Kobe went 5-8 for 10 points, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Bynum went 3-6 for 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Bynum's third quarter was very good offensively, but his atrocious pick and roll defense allowed Ty Lawson to burn the Lakers. Bynum consistently sat back and watched Lawson kill the Lakers. Pau finished 0-3 for 1 point, and 1 rebound. The Nuggets won the quarter 36-23.

To start the fourth, Mike Trudell reported, "Before the fourth quarter, Kobe went over to Mike Brown and said, 'Hey, leave me in.' He's not ready to give up regardless of the fact that Denver seems to be scoring at will." Unfortunately, Corey Brewer would heat up and take away any chance for a Kobe miracle. Brewer hit back to back pull up jumpers from 20ft, and then he stole a pass and finished the layup on the break. Brewer's outburst put the score at 96-70 with 10:22 to go. Two minutes later, Brewer sank a 3 from the near top and dunked the ball in transition. Brewer put Denver up 101-73 with 7:52 remaining.

Kobe finally gave in and subbed out. Despite his illness, he played all but three minutes to this point. Kobe finished the quarter 1-2 for 2 points, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Bynum didn't play a minute. Pau went 0-2 for 0 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Brewer finished the fourth 5-8 for 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Brewer went 5-5 for 11 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in the first four minutes of the quarter. The benches cleared and the Nuggets won 113-96.

The effort of the Lakers was very disappointing. When asked about Metta World Peace's return, Kobe stated, "He's the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with a sense of urgency and play with no fear. So I'm looking forward to having him by my side again." With this statement, Kobe essentially blasted the entire Lakers' roster. Kobe needs his teammates to step up, especially the starters. After disappearing in the past two games, Kobe stated, "I talked with Pau a little bit after the game; I'll speak with Andrew too." The sad thing is, Metta is the least capable player out of the starting five, yet he is the only one Kobe can trust to come out and play hard. If one of the other guys had actually stepped up, Kobe Bryant would not be desperate for Metta World Peace to come and save the day. Bynum, Gasol, and Sessions all failed in game six, and in game five. Bynum shot 3-9 from inside five feet. Pau shot a horrid 10%. Ramon dropped an efficient 14 points on 4-9 shooting, with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 turnover, but his impact was not felt. With Drew and Pau not making contributions, Ramon needed to put up around 25 in order to become a threat and actually make Ty Lawson work on defense. Instead all three Lakers played passive and hoped for a Kobe miracle.

Ty Lawson negated Kobe's 31 with 32 of his own. Lawson went 13-18, 5-6 from deep, for 32 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. George Karl found great success by setting up the secondary pick and roll option. Lawson routinely burned the Lakers by running the high pick and roll. Lawson would dribble to his right, as if he was going to use the pick, and then he would either cross over or back out as the pick man would turn and set the pick on the other side. Lawson would explode while the big man defender stood out of position. George Karl must have noticed something on the game tape, because they ran this play to death against Bynum. Bynum would fail to edge on the initial setup, as well as the secondary pick. Bynum routinely played off, left the guard out to dry, and watched as Lawson sank open jumpers from the wings and elbows. The Lakers want Lawson to settle for jumpers, but not open jumpers on his home court, and especially not on a night when he is on fire.

The Lakers were destroyed all game. The Nuggets came out with an impressive jump early. They held even in the second, dominated the third, and closed the game as they ran off a big run to start the fourth.

Now the Lakers are forced into a game seven situation. Although the Lakers have the benefit of playing at home, we all saw them lose game five at home. Maybe the return of Metta can ignite the team, but it should have never even gotten to this point. Bynum's "easy" comment sure is looking like it came eons ago. Two disappearances later, Bynum better come out and ball on Saturday. With game seven on the line, the Lakers will be forced into the toughest battle of the season. What once looked like an easy closeout in game five will now be the toughest out of the year, and currently the only seven game series of round one (pending the Clippers and Grizzlies) in the NBA playoffs.

Even worse, the Lakers tainted game four's impressive road victory telecast on KCAL 9. Many thought that game would be the final Lakers game ever shown on the station. Now the final KCAL 9 telecast of a Lakers' game will be this ugly, disheartening blowout. Hopefully Fox Sports West will be redeemed with a home victory in game seven.

Lakers Can't Close, Lose Game Five (5.8.12)

Although Andrew Bynum thought it would be "easy" to close out the Nuggets in game five, no one besides Kobe actually stepped up to the challenge. Bynum provided the Nuggets some bulletin board material before the game, stating, "Close out games are kind of easy. Teams tend to fold if you come out and play hard in the beginning, so we want to come out and establish an early lead and protect it." Bynum's comment is actually pretty spot on, but the execution of the Lakers to start the game would make him eat crow. The Nuggets won the first three quarters, and they were able to keep the Lakers at an arm's length until the final minutes when Kobe took over with a flurry of 3's that almost led to a victory. The Nuggets eked out the victory after Kobe missed a contested 3 from the far wing and Sessions missed a second chance opportunity with a wide open 3 at the near wing as the buzzer went off. The Nuggets won 102-99 and have now forced a game six in Denver. With the score ending up so close, the Lakers will watch the film and be disappointed by the amount of miscues and unforced errors they committed.

Kobe came out of the gate very aggressive and looked to put Denver away early. However, Kobe could not connect on his jumper and he ended up finishing the first quarter 3-10 for 7 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Kobe forced two 3's and could not connect on his mid range jumper. However, Kobe did attack the basket hard on four different occasions, and he finished on three of them. Kobe also set up his teammates for open looks, but the shots weren't falling. Pau and Barnes missed multiple wide open looks off of drive and kicks from Kobe. With Bynum doubled off of the ball on almost every possession, the Lakers really struggled to establish an inside presence. Bynum actually had a very active quarter, especially on the glass, Drew went 2-4 for 6 points and 7 rebounds. Unfortunately, Drew would only gather 4 more rebounds for the rest of the game. Pau finished the quarter 1-4 for 3 points and 2 rebounds. The Lakers did gather 6 offensive rebounds to start, but those second chance opportunities only led to 5 points. The Nuggets finished the quarter up 26-23. It was evident from the beginning that the Nuggets were not going to be steamrolled.

In the second quarter, the Nuggets extended their lead, winning the quarter 23-20 and entering the half up by 6. The second quarter started very ugly as the second unit struggled to score. The second unit only scored 7 points in the opening five minutes of the quarter. The first possession yielded a shot clock violation as Ramon Sessions made an ill-advised decision to pass up an open jumper and instead dump the ball off to Jordan Hill as the shot clock expired. The next possession, Sessions pounded the ball the entire possession and ended up shooting an air ball contested jumper to beat the shot clock. Following a Barnes 3, Denver called timeout and Kobe and Bynum checked in at the 7:11 mark.

Although Bynum completely disappeared in the quarter, Kobe kept the Lakers within striking distance. Following an open jumper brick from Barnes, the Lakers looked to establish Bynum. Kobe dribbled at the near top and he fed Bynum the ball at the near block. Bynum took one dribble to back down, but as he backed down, Al Harrington pulled off the classic veteran move of pulling the chair. Bynum immediately fell over and landed on his butt as he lost the ball for a turnover. The Lakers went right back into Bynum. He caught it at the far block, held the ball, was tripled, and kicked it to an open Barnes at the near wing. Barnes swung to Blake at the far wing, and Blake drove middle and hit Barnes at the near wing. Barnes swung to Kobe at the near side 3, and Kobe used a pick from Hill to attack middle. As Kobe went middle, Barnes dove from the top of the 3 into the lane. Kobe hit him on the dive and Barnes finished. Although Barnes struggled mightily with his jumper on the night, his activity was great. A little later, the Lakers went back into Bynum. Bynum was in an iso at the far mid block. The defense sagged on him, so he kicked it out to an open Kobe at the far top 3. Kobe attacked to his right and went to the rim hard with both hands on the ball. Kobe took the foul and sank the free throws. Kobe later attacked in transition and was fouled on his layup. He sank the free throws. The next possession, he took another foul in transition and sank both his free throws. Kobe followed this with a nice baseline drive from the far side. Kobe went up strong for a two handed dunk. JaVale McGee swatted the dunk, but only because he stuck his hand through the rim for a goaltend violation.

Kobe capitalized on numerous aggressive plays that led to trips to the line. Kobe finished the quarter 2-3 with 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers. Bynum, by Denver's design, finished 0-1 for 1 point, and 1 turnover. Bynum had limited opportunities because Denver doubled and tripled him on and off the ball. Denver's defense routinely sagged in like a shell around the lane. Although negated offensively, Bynum could have made it up on the glass. He did this well in the first quarter, but in the second quarter he had zero rebounds. Bynum had plenty of misses to gather as the Lakers finished the half shooting just 33%, and 0-6 from deep. Pau also struggled offensively, 0-3 for 0 points and 1 turnover, but he made an impact with his 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

The third quarter consisted of more Kobe, plenty of defensive breakdowns, and jumpers from Matt Barnes, missed 3's to be precise.

Kobe started the quarter with a long 2 by curling to the far wing and sinking a 22ft jumper. Kobe missed his next three jumpers. On one of them, he caught the ball at the far top 3 with 4 on the shot clock. Kobe attacked left, kept dribbling to the far mid corner, and fired off a running-jump-off-one-foot floating jumper as he headed toward the baseline. It turned into an air ball, and Ty Lawson capitalized with a floater in the lane. The fans in Staples Center began to boo the home team with the score standing at 59-47. Mike Brown took a timeout, and Matt Barnes made his only jumper of the quarter. Pau spun off the near block toward the baseline. As he spun, Pau lost his balance and fell to his knees. Pau then rifled a pass to Barnes at the far wing. Barnes sank the open 3. Two minutes later, Kobe and Pau ran a high pick and roll. Pau slipped the pick and Kobe hit him at the free throw line. Pau caught it and kicked to the wide open Barnes at the near wing 3. Barnes bricked it. Barnes followed that with an air ball finger-roll layup in the lane on the fast break.

JaVale McGee and Andrew Bynum followed Barnes with a nice mini dunk contest. McGee pulled off a nice reverse dunk past Bynum. Bynum followed with an alley oop slam. Sessions and Bynum ran the pick and roll from the near top 3. Sessions got to the near elbow, stopped, and lobbed the ball to the rim. Bynum went up, caught it with two hands, and cocked it back for a nice one handed throw down.

Then Kobe pulled off a Jordanesque layup. Kobe brought the ball up the far side, got to the far top 3, and used a pick from Pau. Coming off the pick, Kobe went middle, crossed from right to left at the top of the key, and shook Faried. Kobe attacked to the rim, jumped from the dotted line, and held the ball with both hands above his head. Kobe then decided to hang around a while, as he ball faked to Bynum at the top of his jump. Then Kobe had to adjust his shot as JaVale McGee rotated to swat it away. On his way down, Kobe brought the ball to his hip and released a lefty scoop shot high off the glass and out of JaVale's reach. Bynum followed Kobe's amazing play with a technical, but Afflalo missed the free throw. Kobe responded to an Andre Miller 3 with a floater and a 3 of his own, both coming in transition.

Then came the defensive breakdowns. Following Kobe's 3, the Nuggets led 66-63. Denver came out and used Miller in an iso at the far mid wing. Kobe stuck with him and would have forced a tough shot in the lane, but Jordan Hill rotated and bailed out Miller. Hill allowed Miller to do what he does best by dumping the ball off to JaVale McGee for a nice dunk on the near side. Kobe yelled at Hill, "No! I don't need that help!" Following another brick from Barnes, Miller schooled Barnes in an iso at the near wing. Miller took a dribble in, crossed left to right between his legs, and then spun baseline to finish an uncontested layup at the rim. No help side, no on ball defense.

Barnes finished his contributions in the quarter by flaming out with an air ball on a wide open 3. Blake brought the ball up to the top and hit Barnes at the far wing 3. Andre Miller sagged off Barnes and stuck to Bynum. Wide open, and with no close out in sight, Barnes fired up an air ball. Barnes finished the quarter 1-5, 1-4 from deep, for 3 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. The Nuggets won the quarter 27-22 and went into the fourth up 76-65. At this point, the bench of the Nuggets had 29 points, compared to LA's 13. Kobe finished the quarter 4-7 for 11 points, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. Bynum went 1-1 for 4 points and 2 rebounds. Pau went 1-1 for 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 block.

The fourth quarter contained "A Tale of Two Kobe's," more mental lapses, and a a huge hill to climb.

Kobe started the fourth aggressive. Kobe took a pass at the far corner and attacked middle into the lane. Kobe shot up a floater, missed, and got his offensive rebound in the lane. Kobe pumped, took a dribble left, and hit the fading 12ft jumper. Kobe would miss his next three shots.

Following Kobe's make, Ramon Sessions fumbled away a sure two points. Following a turnover from Miller, Sessions pushed up the court, avoided Miller with a behind the back dribble, and lengthened his dribble to get some more speed. As Sessions approached the rim, he lost his handle and ruined a two-on-one transition opportunity with Kobe as the ball bounced out of bounds. Not to be outdone, Pau decided to give away two points by not getting back on defense. Pau got stripped as he turned middle from the far mid block. Instead of getting back on defense, Pau argued with the sideline referee. JaVale McGee got a step on Jordan Hill and began sprinting. Andre Miller sent the alley oop lob from half court and JaVale slammed it home. If Pau had hustled back, he would have been at the rim waiting instead of allowing JaVale to speed past everyone and finish with his athletic talents. Andre Miller then capitalized on a sleeping Bynum. Miller brought the ball up and noticed Bynum staring at him and not putting his body on JaVale. Miller lobbed the ball to the rim and JaVale sprung from the near block and threw it down. Two minutes later, McGee gave Denver their biggest lead of the game. Following a missed floater by Brewer, McGee ran down the ball to the far mid wing. McGee gathered it, attacked baseline, and threw down a thunderous one handed slam as Pau softly fouled him on the waist. McGee didn't make the free throw but the score swelled to 90-75 with 6:35 remaining.

Then the Lakers got going. Kobe hit Pau for an assist. Then Kobe forced Arron Afflalo into a tough contested turnaround jumper. Bynum followed with a nice putback after a Sessions miss. Kobe then sank his first of four straight 3's. Kobe passed out of a double at the far wing to Pau at the far top 3. Pau swung it to Sessions at the near top 3. Kobe circled from the far wing to the top 3 as Pau set a pick for him. Sessions hit Kobe at the top and he sank the catch and shoot 3, making the score 92-82. McGee followed with a putback finish. Bynum came back and attacked McGee for a trip to the line. Bynum made one of two. Following a Gallinari miss, Kobe pushed up the near side in transition, got to the near block, and threw an over the shoulder no look pass into the lane. Pau caught it at the dotted lines and hit the easy shot in the lane. Bynum followed with momentum shifting plays. He swatted McGee's lefty scoop in the lane, and he hustled down the court for a nice putback layin following a Sessions' miss in transition. That put the score at 94-87.

Then the game got real interesting. Following an Afflalo miss, Kobe curled to the far top 3 and took the pass from Sessions. Kobe caught it and shot it in rhythm for a 27ft bomb. This put the score at 94-90 and the crowd went crazy. Andre Miller quickly responded with an isolation move from the near top and a finish at the rim over Blake. JaVale McGee followed with a huge block. Kobe curled and caught the ball at the top 3. Since Kobe had just hit the 3, two Nuggets stayed with Kobe and left the screen man, Pau. Pau rolled to the far block, and Kobe hit him in stride. Pau went up for the two handed dunk, but JaVale McGee swatted the dunk away. Bynum followed with his own good defense, forcing Lawson into a contested jumper from the top of the key. Sessions gathered the miss and pushed up the near side. With a numbers advantage, Kobe began desperately waiving his arms calling for the ball. Sessions hit the wide open Kobe at the far wing and Kobe caught the pass and drilled the 26ft 3 in transition. The crowd erupted, but Andre Miller quickly silenced everyone as he came down and hit a leaner from the far mid wing off the glass.

Then, Kobe went "unconscious!" Sessions dribbled the ball at the near wing. Kobe used a back pick to circle from the near top 3 to the near corner. Sessions hit Kobe in the corner. Kobe jabbed right, swung the ball back and forth, and went up for the impossible 3 over Gallinari. Kobe sank the shot with Gallo in his grill. The building shook. Kobe had just hit his third 3 in 90 seconds.

However, sanity would return. The Lakers forced Miller to miss a tough far mid wing pull up jumper. Kobe brought the ball up and probably felt immortal. He got to the top of the key, danced a bit, crossed from right to left, and exploded to the rim. Kobe made contact with Gallo in the lane and used the space to get off a clean 4ft jumper. The ball went too high off the glass and just missed. Kobe then just missed a catch and shoot 3 from the near wing. The shot looked good, but it went off the front rim and bounced off the board.

The Nuggets left the door open by missing free throws. Utilizing an inbounds play from the sideline, Ramon Sessions hit a wide open 3 with 19 seconds left to play. This put the score at 100-99. Andre Miller then made one of two, to give the Lakers one last chance at a 3. Blake inbounded from the far sideline. He hit Pau at the far top 3. Pau sent it back to Blake at the far wing. Blake then hit Kobe at the far wing and cut to the near top 3. Kobe held the ball to kill the time. Then he swung through from right to left, pulled up for the 3 with Miller in his face, and hit back iron. Blake crashed and caught the ball at the near elbow. While in the air, Blake sent the pass out to Sessions at the near wing. Sessions fired the wide open 3 and hit front iron, missing short.

The Nuggets escaped LA, 102-99, and stole a game on the road. Kobe started the fourth 1-5 for 2 points and 3 rebounds in his first six minutes of the quarter. He finished 4-7, with four straight 3's, for 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Bynum went 2-2 for 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Pau went 2-3 for 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. The struggles of the team to start the fourth quarter doomed the comeback attempt. Kobe came so close to pushing the Lakers over the hump, but he could not remain perfect to the end. After making those four 3's in a row, he missed his next three shots, all decent looks.

Once again, the Lakers struggled to shoot as a whole. LA shot 38.9%, while Denver shot 45.9%. Kobe went 14-32, 5-11 from deep, for 43 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. Kobe tried his best to will the team to victory, and he came damn close, but in the end he just didn't have enough help. Kobe actually played into the hands of Denver's strategy. They packed the paint and forced jumpers. Kobe did go 10-11 from the line, but he also shot a lot of jumpers. Bynum went 5-8 for 16 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Pau went 4-11 for 9 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, and 2 turnovers. Kobe's attempts may have limited Bynum and Pau production wise, but he also kept the Lakers in the game. Denver played great defense on the inside and made it tough for Bynum or Pau to do much from the inside. Double and triple teams were prevalent. Sessions and Barnes struggled mightily to hurt Denver from the outside, shooting a combined 8-26 for 20 points.

Overall, the Lakers could not punish Denver on the inside. Denver outscored LA 58-44 in the paint. JaVale McGee once again outplayed Bynum, dropping 9-12 for 21 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. Most of McGee's points came off of dunks and offensive putbacks. His activity put Bynum to shame. Andre Miller was also huge off the bench going 8-11 for 24 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. Miller made 5 of his 8 buckets in the paint.

The Lakers gave away an extra day of rest and will now have to fly to Denver for game 6 on Thursday. The only positive to gain from the loss is that Metta World Peace will be available for game one against the Thunder once the Lakers advance. The Lakers need to come out focused and ready to play from the start. Let's see if this team has it in them to close on the road. 

Lakers Great Team Effort, Win Game Four (5.6.12)

In the end, it wasn't Bryant, it wasn't Bynum, and it wasn't Gasol. The two biggest plays of the game came from Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake in the final minute of the game. The Lakers scored 28 points off of second chance opportunities, as the Lakers grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, with Jordan Hill pulling down 7 and Pau Gasol gobbling up 5. Bill Macdonald, play-by-play voice of the Lakers, said it best, "You know Stu, it's a cliche that's used a lot in sports, but really, it pertains to tonight. It was a team win. A lot of guys did a lot of wonderful things tonight for the Lakers to secure this victory." In what may be the final broadcast ever on KCAL 9, the Lakers sent the station out with a team victory. What a way to end 35 years of great coverage.

The Lakers began the game with a putback for their first bucket of the night. Kobe missed a layup, and missed the tip in, but he continued battling on the boards, and the ball bounced right to Pau at the near block. Pau went up and finished the putback. This activity on the glass would foreshadow the effort of the Lakers for the rest of the game. It seemed that the Lakers might be tentative on the glass due to the numerous leakouts the Nuggets capitalized on during the previous games. After Pau missed an isolation fade from the near elbow, no one crashed the glass, causing Stu Lantz to state, "Because the Lakers are so concerned about getting back, nobody is even close to getting an offensive rebound." Mike Brown must have addressed this situation. Following that, the Lakers had very few possessions where they failed to have at least one guy in the paint going for an offensive rebound. 

Andrew Bynum also lived up to his promise to come out ready for game four. Although he turned it over on his first possession, Bynum showed an aggressive side that was clearly lacking in game three. Bynum caught the ball at the near mid block in an isolation set. Gallinari came from the far side to double Bynum. Bynum kept his elbows up and was strong with the ball. Bynum attacked baseline and spun back to the middle. Although he stepped out of bounds for a turnover, Bynum's aggressiveness against the double and on his step through was great to see. Following that, Bynum switched onto Ty Lawson and contested his 3 from the far wing. Bynum leaked out and Kobe hit him with a half court alley oop lob for the layup on the break. Following that, Sessions ran a pick and roll with Pau from the top. Sessions attacked, hit Pau at the near elbow, and Pau attacked the rim. As he drew the defender, Pau sent a perfect bounce pass to Bynum for the open dunk. 

Then Kobe got involved. He hit Sessions on a drive and kick for an open long 2. Then he went inside-out with Pau to sink an open 3. Following that, he pulled off his signature spin fadeaway. Following a Bynum offensive rebound, Kobe caught the ball at the far mid wing. As he jabbed right, Kobe continued his jab with one dribble to the middle, then he reverse pivoted to spin back and shoot the fading 17ft jumper over Gallinari, swish.

Following Kobe's fade, Andre Miller took over. Miller abused Ramon Sessions with numerous back downs and finishes at the rim. First, Miller posted Sessions at the far mid block. He attacked the middle and finished with his left on the near side. Bynum followed with a nice seal on McGee and open dunk at the rim. Miller came right back. He used a pick at the far wing to get to the far elbow and hit the jumper. Miller followed that with another post on Sessions. Miller caught it at the far mid wing. He backed down Sessions to the far mid block, turned middle, and hit the jumper in the lane over Sessions. 

The Lakers responded with great effort on the glass. Kobe missed a catch and shoot jumper at the far wing, but he gathered his miss at the far mid wing and attacked the basket. Kobe went strong to the rim, made contact with McGee in the air, and missed the layup. Hill followed Kobe's miss, but missed the tip. Hill got his offensive rebound and missed the putback. Hill gathered the fourth offensive rebound of the possession, went up for the putback, and McGee spiked the ball away for a goaltend violation. Miller followed by schooling Steve Blake. Miller used a pick from McGee to get to the far mid wing. He picked up his dribble, pumped, looked to hit the rolling McGee in the lane, then looked to hit Lawson at the far wing. Blake finally recovered, but Miller sent him flying with another pump fake. As Blake flew by, Miller hit the shot off the glass. Then Miller followed a transition layup miss from Lawson for the putback. 

Bynum finished the quarter strong. Utilizing an iso at the far block, Bynum took one dribble, turned baseline, went through McGee, and hit the lefty bank. Bynum made sure to prove in the opening quarter that he could destroy McGee. To end the quarter, McGee was called for his second goaltend violation. Bynum finished the quarter, 4-4 for 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Kobe finished 3-9 for 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Although Kobe had a lot of misses, 4 of them came right at the rim when he was either attacking the basket hard or going for a putback. Miller went a perfect 5-5 for 10 points and 2 rebounds in 4:30 of play. Just like game three, the Nuggets had someone catch fire in a limited stretch (Lawson in game three) to start the game. The Nuggets finished up 26-28. 

The Lakers opened the second quarter with some more great effort. On the first play, Jordan Hill gathered an offensive rebound at the near mid block after battling both Al Harrington and JaVale McGee. Hill attacked middle, and then drop stepped baseline for the righty turnaround hook. Two possessions later, Steve Blake showed his inner Derek Fisher by coming up with a scrappy, feisty play. Blake passed up an open 3 from the far wing to attack middle and get into the lane. Brewer caught up to Blake and swatted his shot from behind in the lane. As the ball bounced up in the air, Brewer got his hands on it first, however, Blake ripped the ball out with a forceful swipe at the near mid wing. Blake immediately hit Pau in the lane with a bounce pass for an open layup. Blake then set up a wide open jumper for Matt Barnes at the near top 3. Barnes missed, but Pau gave some great effort to tap the ball out. Barnes tracked the ball down to the near side. Barnes dribbled in to the near top 3, no one closed on him, so he decided to attack the middle. Barnes went straight to the rim and threw down the nice two handed slam in traffic. Andrew Bynum also made a great effort play and showed off some high basketball IQ. Kobe used a pick at the near wing to go right and come back left. As he came back to the near wing, Kobe hit the flashing Barnes in the lane. Barnes' shot was blocked in the lane. Bynum ran it down and recovered it at the near mid block. As he chased it down, Bynum made sure to look at the far shot clock. Bynum snuck a peak, noticed there was 2 on the clock, gathered the ball, and shot the fading jumper in the lane. He hit the 9ft jumper to beat the buzzer.

Kobe followed with some great plays. In an iso on the far block, Kobe was doubled. He spun baseline, pumped, watched Afflalo fly by, and stepped through to split the double. With McGee rotating to swat the shot, Kobe shot the ball high off the glass to get it just over McGee and sink it. Then Kobe was involved in the comedic high point of the game. Kobe caught the ball at the far mid wing in an isolation set as Andre Miller was forced to switch onto him. With 7 on the shot clock, Andre Miller decided to take the foul instead of allowing Kobe to get off a good look against him. Miller began slapping Kobe's waist with both hands. The move could have been a nice boxing combo if his fists were closed. Kobe followed this by taking a handoff after inbounding the ball and hitting a 27ft 3 from the near top. 

With Kobe getting into a nice flow, Bynum robbed him from getting hot. Kobe stood at the near wing in an iso. He attacked baseline, and once he got to the near block, he spun back to the middle. The double came, so Kobe hit Bynum at the near high post. Kobe immediately reposted just outside the parabola in the lane to establish good position. Kobe demanded the ball, but Bynum didn't send it. Instead Bynum attacked left to get into the middle. Bynum threw up an ugly contested running jumper that came nowhere close. It was pretty funny to see the role reversal. Usually, Bynum is the one with good position and Kobe goes away from him. This time, Kobe got to feel how frustrating it is to have great position and not be rewarded. Bynum followed this up with consecutive mistakes. As Sessions pushed the floor in transition, he got under the rim and dumped the ball off to the trailing Bynum. With JaVale McGee loading up for the jump at the rim, Bynum shuffled his feet as he caught the ball in the lane. Bynum pumped, and JaVale flew over him and landed with his whole body parallel to the ground, face first. Bynum was whistled for traveling. Then in an iso on the far block, Bynum turned baseline to spin away from the double. McGee was able to get his hands in on the ball and was awarded the jump. Bynum lost the jump and Lawson hit a jumper on the way down the court to give the Lakers their biggest deficit of the game, down 42-49. 

Then crazy happened. Kobe pushed up the near side and hit Ramon at the near wing. Ramon attacked the basket and finished with a layup. As Lawson dribbled up the near side on his way back down the court, a woman stepped onto the court on the near side. It has been reported that she used to stalk Kenyon Martin. Supposedly the woman was yelling to the Nuggets bench, "Where is Kenyon?" just before she stepped onto the court. The woman walked on the court for a good 6 seconds before she was escorted off. Although quite crazy, it's pretty funny that a stalker didn't even know that Kenyon Martin now plays for the Clippers. Hopefully the woman has her wits about her. She will surely face some sort of punishment, including an arrest. 

Following the delay, the Nuggets finished the half ahead 45-51. In the second, Kobe went 2-4, 1-3 from deep, for 5 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist. After an aggressive first quarter, Kobe settled for jumpers in the second. Bynum went 1-2 for 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. The Lakers committed 8 turnovers in the half, and the Nuggets capitalized by scoring 15 points off of those turnovers.

To start the third, Kobe provided a glimpse to later in the game. Kobe caught a drive and kick at the far top 3. Kobe attacked left to get into the middle. Kobe could have pulled up, but he hit an open Sessions at the near wing 3. Sessions missed. Kobe then showed off his impressive fundamentals. Kobe curled to the near elbow and caught the entry while sealing Afflalo on his back. Kobe never took a dribble. Instead he hesitated, anchored his left foot and swung his right foot through to step in and hit the leaning jumper in the lane. Two possessions later, Kobe executed a perfect jump stop. Kobe attacked from the near wing into the middle of the lane. Kobe jump stopped as his man flew by, and he spun back to hit the turnaround 8ft jumper. 

Bynum followed with another aware play, his second of the game. After Sessions avoided his pick, and essentially denied Bynum the opportunity for the ball, Drew looked pretty disappointed as he threw his arms down at the far elbow. Sessions instead ran a high pick and roll with Pau. Sessions attacked to his left and hit Pau at the far top of the key. Pau drove left into the lane, but he was stripped. Bynum then hustled to battle Kenneth Faried for the loose ball. As Bynum gathered the ball at the top 3, Bynum looked at the far shot clock, noticed 3 on the clock, and turned and went up to shoot a 3. Faried swatted the shot from behind, but Bynum stuck with it. With 2.1 on the shot clock, Bynum regathered the ball, took a dribble in to his left and made contact with Mozgov at the near elbow. As he bumped Mozgov, Bynum instinctively shot the ball and drew the foul. Bynum sank the free throws.

Kobe followed this with a mirror image of his previous leaner. Pau came from the free throw line to set a down screen for Kobe at the near mid wing. Kobe curled to the far elbow, caught the entry, and pumped. Afflalo bit, Kobe took a dribble to his left and stepped back. Kobe pumped again, causing Afflalo to fly by again. With his right foot as his anchor, Kobe swung his left leg through to square up and hit the lean in 14ft jumper from the near elbow. 

To end the third quarter, Kobe showed some more trust in his teammates. Kobe stood at the near wing, used a Bynum pick, and attacked to the top of the key. Kobe elevated to take the good look, but instead Kobe sent a pass to a wide open Blake in the near corner. Blake missed. On the next possession, Kobe stood at the far wing. Once again, Kobe used a Bynum pick, attacked middle and got to the top of the key. He elevated with an opportunity for another good look. The defense got caught staring, and Kobe rifled a pass to a wide open Barnes in the near corner. Barnes' shot went in and out. Jordan Hill followed it up with a great offensive rebound and was fouled on the putback. He sank both free throws. Kobe's trust in the role players in the third quarter failed him on three different occasions. First to start the quarter, two times at the end. However, Kobe would keep looking for them in the fourth. The Lakers won the third, 25-20, and entered the fourth down by one, 70-71. Kobe went 4-7 for 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Bynum went 2-5 for 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block. 

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers came up with numerous clutch plays. To start the quarter, Sessions used a pick from Pau, and with 7 on the shot clock, he got to the far block. Sessions' floater missed the rim. Pau got the offensive rebound, went up, and had his shot blocked. Pau recovered the ball, kicked it out to Blake at the near wing, and Blake swished the 3. The shot left Blake's fingertips with .2 left on the shot clock. The Lakers capitalized on another huge break just under the six minute mark. Kobe backed down from the near mid wing, drew the double, and kicked to Sessions at the top 3. Sessions attacked straight down the lane. Sessions elevated in the lane and tried to dump the ball off to Jordan Hill at the far block. The ball had too much speed and flew right off of Hill's hands. Luckily the ball took a crazy bounce and went straight to Blake in the far corner. Blake swished the long 2. After contesting a Kobe shot clock beater from the far wing 3, Gallinari leaked out as Kobe held his form. Lawson pushed up the near side and hit Gallo under the rim. Gallo pumped, getting Kobe to fly by. However, as Kobe flew by, it bought just enough time for Blake to recover. Gallo went up for the layup, and Blake came from behind to swat the shot out of bounds. The Nuggets came up dry on the possession.

Following a Gallinari jumper that was just millimeters away from being a corner 3, Gallo's long 2 made the score 86-86 with 1:06 remaining in the game. Kobe brought the ball up to the near wing. Pau came to set a pick on Kobe's man (Gallinari). As Pau set the pick, Gallo dropped to the floor and writhed. Kobe slowly dribbled to the far wing in order to assess the situation and capitalize on the 5-on-4 situation. The Nuggets should have fouled, but maybe they didn't even notice Gallo was down. Kobe got to the far wing and hit Pau at the dotted line on the far side of the lane. Pau caught the pass and noticed Ty Lawson coming over to help on him. Lawson left Sessions at the far corner, so Pau immediately kicked it to Sessions. Sessions hit the wide open 3 to make the score 89-86, Lakers lead. The screen was completely legal, but it looked like Gallo took incidental contact to his throat, causing his windpipe to get hit. 

The Nuggets took a timeout to give Gallo a breather and advance the ball. Al Harrington caught a drive and kick from Lawson at the far wing 3. Ramon Sessions closed out hard at the three point line, forcing Al to put the ball on the floor. Al attacked the basket, and the Lakers seemed intent on giving up the basket instead of fouling for an and one opportunity. Al went up for a layup, and just about made it. However, the ball rested on the lip of the rim, and Andre Miller couldn't resist the temptation to tap it in. Miller tapped it and was called for offensive interference. He knew he messed up and he did not argue the call.

Miller's offensive interference set up the most important play of the game, and highlighted Kobe's unwavering trust in his teammates. Up by three and a basket away from sealing the game, Kobe brought the ball up with 40 seconds to go. Kobe got to the near side, waved off a pick from Pau, and instead called for a pick from Bynum. Kobe used Bynum's pick with 10 on the shot clock. Nothing materialized as Kobe came off of it, so he dribbled out to the far top 3. As Kobe went to the far top, Blake slid up from the near corner to the near wing. With 7 on the clock, Kobe crossed right to left, hesitated with the ball in his left hand for just a moment, and then attacked to the middle. As Kobe got to the middle, Blake slid back down to the far corner. Blake's IQ here was impeccable. Kobe got to the near elbow, and Blake's man, Lawson, got caught staring. Lawson stood right at the elbow and helped on the drive. Kobe jumped in the air to get a better angle and he kicked it to Blake in the near corner. Blake caught the ball with 4 on the shot clock and he went up with confidence. Blake swished the wide open 3 as Ty Lawson furiously attempted to close out on him. As the Nuggets called timeout, Blake jogged back down the court and Kobe embraced him with a man hug. Pau followed with a hug from behind. Blake stated after the game, "It's always good when you get a hug from Kobe. It means you did something right." Blake's 3 affirmed Kobe's trust and sealed the game, putting the Lakers up 92-86 with 18 seconds left in the game. The Lakers gave up a gimme layup to Lawson and won the game 92-88.

Kobe shed some light on his key pass during his on-court post game interview. Mike Trudell asked Kobe, "You kicked it out to Steve Blake, what were you thinking when the shot went up?" Kobe replied, "Well defensively, they just wanted to see if I was going to trust them. They had missed some shots earlier in the game, and they wanted to see if I was still going to believe in them, and they stepped up and knocked it down." When Blake hit shots against OKC to close out that great comeback at the end of the season, I wrote, "It was nice to see Kobe trust someone who hasn't been by his side for 13 seasons." My sentiment refers to Derek Fisher. Well, Kobe did it again, and once again, his teammates rewarded him. Blake knocked down a shot that the likes of Derek Fisher and Robert Horry used to hit. We've all seen Kobe drive and kick to Fish and Big Shot Rob for a huge playoff shot. We've never seen him do it in the playoffs with any of the current guards on the roster, until now.

Kobe needed every ounce of help from his teammates in the fourth quarter. Kobe went 1-5, 0-2 from deep, for 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers (his final one coming off of an obvious foul during the final seconds of the game that the refs decided not to call). Bynum went 1-1 for 2 points. Pau went 1-3 for 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 turnover. Jordan Hill had a nice fourth quarter, going 1-1 for 3 points, with 4 rebounds (2 offensive), and 1 steal. Steve Blake went 3-4, 2-3 from deep, for 8 points, with 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 block. Ramon Sessions went 2-5 for 5 points, with 1 rebound, and 1 steal. Those five players scored every point of the quarter.

Overall, Kobe struggled with his jumper. When he attacked the basket, Kobe was very efficient, but when he settled, Kobe struggled. Kobe went 10-25, 2-7 from deep, for 22 points, with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 5 turnovers. Kobe's consecutive games with shooting struggles and turnovers is troubling. Kobe will need to be on his A-game in order to deal with OKC. However, Kobe wisely chose to be the set up man on the two biggest plays of the game. Kobe needs to step inside that three point line and continue attacking the basket. Kobe did attack the rim to begin the game, but once he noticed he wasn't going to be getting the calls, Kobe shied away and settled. The refs allowed the game to be physical, and Kobe didn't seem intent on getting hammered for a trip to the charity stripe.

The Lakers as a whole shot 45.3% and were very solid. Bynum went 8-12 for 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 3 turnovers. Pau went 6-12 for 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Sessions went 5-11, 1-3 from deep, for 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. Blake and Hill were great off the bench. Blake went 4-9, 2-5 from deep, for 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block. Hill went 4-9 for 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 steal.

The victory was truly a team effort. Contributions came from all around at different points throughout the game. Going up 3-1 with a trip back to LA, the Lakers should close out the series in five and move on to the Thunder.

If the Lakers close out the series in LA in game five, this game will serve as the final KCAL 9 broadcast of a Lakers game. I have watched almost every KCAL 9 road game since I was six years old. The voices of Chick Hearn and Stu Lantz will forever be a part of my Lakers' consciousness. Memorable moments such as the battles with the Sonics and Gary Payton in the late 90's, young Kobe battling MJ in Chicago, the playoff games against Stockton and Malone, Kobe always getting booed in Philly, the foursome of Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal running teams out of the gym, Shaq's 61 on his birthday against the Clippers, the trips to Sacramento in the early 2000's, Horry's playoff game winner in Portland in '02, Kobe's two buzzer beating 3's against Portland in '04, the 0.4 DFish shot in San Antonio, Kobe's 61 against the Knicks, and the recent trips to Boston, they all happened on KCAL 9. Don't forget James Worthy in the studio with "The Worthy Spin," and Lawrence Tanter with his post game stool in the studio and his booming voice before the commercial break. For those older than myself, I'm sure images of Magic, Kareem, and the "Showtime" Lakers jump to the forefront. Throughout it all, KCAL 9 has been there on the road to bring the Lakers into our homes.

With all the wins, and all the losses, thank you KCAL 9 for all of the memories. It just won't be the same seeing the purple uniforms on a different station. Who wants to watch a Lakers broadcast where live news updates don't pop up on the screen? Or when the power ball numbers don't roll across the screen? KCAL 9 will forever be appreciated in my heart, and in the heart of Lakers' fans everywhere. KCAL 9 closed the broadcast with a wonderful video to celebrate their 35 years of broadcasting the Lakers. Click the link and enjoy the nostalgia.