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Lakers/Magic Game 3 Chat

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Celebrities At The Lakers Game
Here we go. I think we all have said this may be the toughest game for the Lakers to win. It will come down a lot to defense, and I like what Zephid said:

If I were the Lakers, I’d take a big chance in Game 3 and let Dwight Howard get his in favor of staying with their shooters. As long as we can hold the rest of Orlando’s players to 40-50 points, we have a good chance of winning even if Dwight goes for 40.

If the Lakers are close after the first quarter, after the initial energy of Orlando at home, I like our chances. Let’s Go Lakers!


Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Andreas G. says

    And from what we’ve seen so far; Dwight is not going to score 40 on Pau even if he’s not doubled. (Yes, I’m saying on Pau since the refs are picking on Drew.)

  4. Snoopy2006 says

    1 – I hope so, or I was probably unconscious the last few days.

    I like Zephid’s suggestion too. So far our defense has been based on unpredictability – confusing Dwight, varying the time and angles of the doubles. But not sending the doubles (or better yet, sending them, but less frequently) could keep Dwight out of his rhythm as well and prevent the Lewis 18-point quarter explosion.

  5. Coffee is For Closers says

    I actually think we need to continue to mix it up on Dwight. I think he’s clearly confused by what the Lakers are throwing at him, so some straight up and some doubles are in order. Won’t be a bad idea to give him some single coverage since lakers want to keep those role players from getting involved with easy open shots.

    Interested to see if Tiger is at the game, and if he’s sporting Laker colors. C’mon Eldrick.

  8. Lewis says

    Magic, Wilbon, and Barry predicted the Lakers will be blown out tonight I can’t wait until 10 PST to gloat! I can’t believe the critics saying the Lakers have no shot to win

  9. VoR says

    Can we take up a collection to get Birdman to the game? If his attendance means a win, maybe we can counteract Gina Marie’s national anthem streak.

    Of course the Lakers have been serious streak busters this year.

  10. Lewis says

    Its hilarious how the lakes are supposed to sweep every round of the playoffs and not lose a game I’ve never seen so much criticism heaped on a team thats 2 wins from a title

  11. Snoopy2006 says

    Is it really a good omen to bring Nick Anderson to announce the SL in a Magic Finals game?

  13. Coffee is For Closers says

    That’s funny, they’ve got Nick Anderson getting the crowd fired up.

    Should you really have a guy who’s most known for a collosal choke in the finals be so prominent in your introductions?

  16. Mimsy says

    Game 4…? I’m confused. Clearly I need more be… OMG! Craig Sager has competition! What the **** is that floor announcer wearing?

  19. Kurt says

    Fixed it, now game three. Still at the office and trying to multitask. I apparently am not very good at that.

  20. Joe says

    I to am picking the Lakers to lose…but blown out?? I am not so sure about that. It could happen though, if the Lakers do lose, lets hope they lose less than 10 points. That way the Lakers can still have some confidence going into game 4.

  21. Big O says

    Kenny Smith said its a blowout game too. But he said the winner, whichever team it will be, will win by more than 10 pts.

    Go Lakers

  22. Mimsy says

    Note to self: Never move to Florida. Humidity aside, the chic would kill what little remains of my sanity.

  24. Birdman says

    VoR, haha.

    My schedule of work tells me I will be able to attend Game 4 in Orlando and spend a week there with my family in Disneyland.

  30. Mimsy says

    Yes! Give it to Pau!

    I like the start of this game. Energy, focus, we’re not letting the home court or crowd intimidate us… if the Magic win I doubt this will be a blow-out.

  32. Mimsy says

    Psst, Emma…. post it for anyone else who wants a link? (Yeah, I have a TV, but I always feel bad for anyone not able to watch.)

  35. Emma says

    Haha, I figured I was the only one since no one responded. I went to channelsurfing.net — but the feeds are poor quality, as usual. Better than nothing!

  40. emh101 says

    The Lakers look calm and focused. They do not seem to be rushed or flustered. I like it.

  42. Zephid says

    I like this start. We’re getting the ball in the post, forcing them to hit shots. We’re still leaving them open, but that’s to be expected when the Magic are playing this fast and hasty.

  43. Coffee is For Closers says

    I think this is why some of us still like laker hater bill simmions, “Orlando firing up its Game 3 crowd w/ Nick Anderson was like livening up a wedding reception by hiring OJ Simpson as the DJ.”

  53. Zephid says

    Howard’s spin move seems out of control. It always looks like he spins too far and just lets up a semi-wild push shot. Once he actually gets a post move, or a bank shot like Duncan, he’ll be unguardable.

  54. Birdman says

    Question: I’ve never been to Amway Arena?

    How is their security there? Is it strict?

  55. Travis says

    where’s the DPOY when Kobe is posting up Pietrus?

    Scary that D12 was the DPOY based solely on his athletic abilities. Imagine if he learned good help defense.

  57. LJAY says

    I’m a bit lost here, how long is supposed to last a full time out in the finals???

  61. Darius says

    Orlando is doing a good job of involvng Pau in screens to free up Lewis. ‘Shard has gotten several open looks as either the screener or the man getting screened. We’ve also got to adjust on a hot Alston.

  62. Travis says

    we’re gonna need a good showing from the bench mob. Orlando has a lot of energy tonight.

  63. VoR says

    This game is not going the way I expected at all… and I am quite alright with that.

  69. Chad says

    the justin.tv link i was watching just got cut, anyone got a link somewhere else?

  70. Travis says

    I like that Phil brought Odom in for Gasol rather than Bynum per usual. Drew is playin well and this will keep Gasol fresh.

  78. Birdman says

    After tonight’s game, I’m straight to Orlando, need to get Laker sightings and a good Kobe one too.

  80. luubi says

    I think the Magic are playing better over all: their role players are playing better and their shots are falling, just as expected, and I don’t think Kobe can keep this up. 2 fouls on Pau doesn’t help.

    But, that they haven’t run us over is a Good Thing.

  81. Travis says

    1st quarter notes:

    1. Bill Simmons is right, Joe Crawford DOES officiate every playoff game where the home team needs a win.

    2. I like that we’ve been in the triangle all game. this will open a lot up with the Kobe Gasol PNR later on

    3. Orlando’s here to compete.

  82. 3ThreeIII says

    Bigs doing well? Check.

    Fisher and Ariza with good defense? Check.

    Kobe playing like the best in the world? Check.

    Great, great 1st Quarter.

    Very nice.

    Go Lakers!

  83. Kurt says

    What I can see, the Lakers are letting Alston shoot but taking away his passing. Even if he is hitting that I could live with.

  87. 3ThreeIII says

    Sasha being Sasha…

    Please stop shooting on the move… or rather, please stop throwing the ball towards the basket while on the move.

  90. Travis says

    I like this lineup minus sasha plus brown. we need someone who can HIT threes, not just shoot them.

  91. Joe says

    Orlando cant keep the shooting this hot…they have got to cool off at some point

  92. Big O says

    You know everytime Vujacic makes a bad shot, he is going to foul on the other end.

  93. Snoopy2006 says

    There it is. Like JVG, it’s the same pressure Ariza was allowed to get away with (actually less) but they’re calling it tonight. Home court whistles. Our defenders have to adjust.

  95. Zephid says

    Wow, absolutely beautiful play from Walton. Tried to pass, couldn’t do it, made a move and got an easy score.

  96. Joel says

    Hard to think of a player who gets more out of his talent and athleticism than Walton. I’ve never understood why so many people seem to have a problem with him.

  97. Joe says

    What is this just bad Laker defense or good Orlando offense? I guess a combination of both.

  100. Birdman says

    Orlando is shooting 76% compared to LA’s 58%. And yet they’re still down by two.

    I’ll take it any time.

  101. Andreas G. says

    Joel: I actually think he’s judged a little unfairly because of his contract. Had he been paid less, there would have been less complaining.

    I really like him as well. He sort of playing like the bizarro-Sasha right now, making all the right decisions.

  102. Coffee is For Closers says

    Yep, we’re in chase mode a bit too much, and as expected, they’re getting some contributions from some guys who can’t play on the road. But were up 2, can’t complain.

  104. Nick the Great says

    Prediction: Ff the Magic shoot 80% for the rest of the series, they will at least push it to seven.

    Prediction #2: The Magic will not continue to shoot 80% for the rest of the series.

  106. Will says

    Refs have missed some calls but I chalk that up to bad luck. As far as being in the tank for Orlando though, how about the ABC production crew? Have you ever heard a quarter and a half of absolutely non-stop focus on how good one team is doing when that team has been behind and continues to be behind that entire time?

  114. harold says

    late to the show, can anyone give me a quick summary?

    why is Kobe being Kobe?

    rest of the team doesn’t seem to have gotten much touch, and Alston is on fire?

  115. Coffee is For Closers says

    Will, reminds me of the time brent musberger kept giving alabama’s wimp sanders credit for slowing down LMU the year they had their amazing ncaa run, even though they were losing. “wimp sanders is coaching a classic” my buddies and i still quote that line.

  116. 91601guy says

    orlando 13 assists on 19 field goals, lakers 7 assists on 20 field goals, lakers can’t keep this up the whole game, they need to rotate better than they are doing

  117. Andreas G. says

    harold: Magic makings all their shots, Kobe showing why he’s the best in the game. That pretty much sums it up.

  118. Will says

    The only think I hate about the bad calls is that in the 4th quarter if things revert to the mean and the bad calls start going in our favor, then we’ll have to hear non-stop about how the refs were trying to fix it for the Lakers, never mind all of the plays in the early quarters like that double dribble or the Howard goal tend early in game 2 that have just as much affect on the score as bad calls late in the game.

  119. Alan says

    @ will (106): The crew’s job is to keep up the excitement so people don’t switch channels. I don’t think they want another Laker blowout.

  127. james says

    i dont know long orlando can shoot like this but I know we can play better defense

  128. Big O says

    The good thing is that the game is close even with Orlando making majority of thier shots.

  129. luubi says

    hopefully, Magic have been playing on adrenaline and they’ll cool down during half time. The Lakers can help them cool down with tighter defense.

    Kobe is playing an amazing game. It’s just that he does this so much I don’t stop and think how amazing it is.

  131. harold says

    we’re in the bonus!!

    I can’t believe it!

    it’s a good sign, i hope and hope we keep this up.

  132. Don W says

    Interesting Kobe’s comment about being a lot better player than he was a year ago. He’s definitely a better game manager, and in that way sort of transcend level of basketball play.

  135. Don W says

    Mr. Hollinger, I will never make fun of you ever again for your fallacious interpretation of the law of averages.

  137. Will says

    This game is probably going to be all about who goes cold first in the 3rd quarter. Could be a very hard game for either team to come back from if the other team goes on a run and gets double-digits.

  141. harold says

    75%!

    What’s keeping us in the game? I mean a shooting percentage difference of over 20% without any other significant advantages across the board, and it’s still a two possession difference.

  142. Craig W. says

    I think it will really help us that Pau got some rest in the 1st half. If Lamar continues to leave Lewis alone, I hope Pau and Bynum play a little more together in the 2nd half. Also, if Rafer is still hot in the 2nd half I wonder if Phil will try Shanwow on him?

  143. harold says

    if the lakers pull this off despite orlando shooting 75%…

    they really have NO answer.

  144. inwit says

    The problem isn’t Alston hotting shots, Hedo and Rashard getting it going is a problem.

  145. VoR says

    Bynum only has one foul. I wonder what that means for him in terms of defensive aggressiveness in the second half?

  146. Anonymous says

    The officiating has been extremely one-sided. and the magic are shooting well. we are lucky this game is close

  147. Eric says

    Kobe has missed his last 4 shots (granted, at least two of them were at the end of the shot clock). Hopefully, they start going to Pau/Lamar more in the 2nd half and try to get Lewis into foul trouble.

  148. 3ThreeIII says

    Got to feel good about only being down 5, considering we just saw the best shooting half in Finals history.

    Still, a few observations:

    1) Guard Lewis. I think he has proved he can shoot when he is open.

    2) Keep feeding into the post.

    3) Trust in Kobe. He is finding open teammates, and should have 3 more assists. (Tangent: There needs to be a +Assist Statistic. One that reflects passes that create fouls, but not baskets. For that matter, there should be a Assist Opportunities Statistic for Passes that lead to Shots, make or miss.)

    Go Lakers!

  149. anonymous says

    I am pleased with our performance for the half. However, a little sad we let them pull ahead at the end. The good news is the 75% shooting hopefully won’t continue. I do think we make a mistake every time we don’t go inside and attack Howard. The magic are so much more beatable when he is on the bench (even when he is not scoring a lot). We must put pressure on him. Also, we keep leaving the 3 pointer wide open – we can’t do that in orlando . They obviously shoot them much better at home. We gotta stick to the defense in the second half – and attack howard in the paint, get to the free throw line – that is the key to this game. Hopefully some calls will go in our favor. IT would be HUGE if we take this game. Simply because I don’t doubt the Magic can win 3 in a row at home.

  151. Anonymous says

    146. In my opinion Kobe has not taken even one shot today he should not have taken. Most of his makes as well as misses came of broken plays where he had to make something out of nothing. seriously people look at the box score and see kobe shooting a lot and make assumptions. they should check how many times he shoots with less than 15 second on the shoot clock.

  152. VoR says

    If Orlando keeps shooting 75% this will eventually turn into a rout. I’m hoping they cool off and we can get a little more aggressive on D.

  154. Scot says

    Allowing 75 percent shooting is unacceptable. Please defend the pick n roll. We are a few missed Kobe jump shots from big trouble.

  155. kc says

    i like the likelihood of kobe staying hot better than the magic shooting 75%.

    that said, there will be some adjustments made by phil jackson. there better be.

  157. Darius says

    Orlando is playing the type of offense that would make most teams fold under their crushing weight of execution. They’re setting hard screens, using the dribble wisely, and making shots that are both easy and difficult. This created success and rhythm and flow and confidence. They. Can’t. Miss.

    But it’s time to try and take it all away. Give some fouls. Fight through screens. Not frustration stuff – tough, hard basketball. Slow the game down. Make it harder to get to the spots that they like. Start to pressure the ball. We’ve played okay defense and they’ve played off the charts offense. They won’t just cool off because “they can’t keep it up”. We’ve seen our team keep it up for entire games – they can too. We must *make* them stop. Time to knuckle up. Let’s Go!

  159. T Bone says

    Two things that won’t last: barking dogs chasing cars, and a team’s 80% shooting clip.

    Orlando has to feel like Clubber Lang in the rematch fight in Rocky III. He hit him with everything he had, and Rocky was still standing.

  160. Curt says

    One thing is for sure…..If we come back and win this game, it will take a mental toll on the Magic no matter how much they try to forget about it….lets just hope we can do that !!!

  161. j. d. hastings says

    Kobe missed 6-7 to end the half. He has to come back looking to get everybody else involved-

    THEN EVERYBODY HAS TO GUARD SOMEONE

  164. Ryan says

    I don’t like the way the Lakers are defending the PNR. In the first two games they were bumping players so that they were getting to their spots a little later. In this game they are not doing it. Part of it is that the Lakers were called for some touch fouls when they tried but they still need to do it make the refs call it.

  165. Mimsy says

    That’s kind of the problem with the Magic. They can keep it up. They can keep this going. We need to slow down their offense, and take control over the tempo, and contest every single shot. And then attack the paint. Again, again, again, again.

  166. Zephid says

    153, you have a choice, either Lewis shoots a semi-open three, or Dwight Howard gets a completely open dunk.

    Howard’s screens are much, much better this game. His angles are better, and he’s really staying on the screen with a wide base, completely hammering Fisher on a couple of them. If Fisher pulls his tricks, I think he can draw some moving screen calls on Howard. Orlando is getting into the lane just because Howard is setting great screens; nothing else to it.

  167. Reed says

    Pau has zero rebounds, assists, blocks, everything but points. Those two first quarter fouls really took away his aggressiveness. There’s no way we can hold off an energized Magic team if Gasol doesn’t assert his will on the game.

    I think we have this one. I smell it They’ll make a run to start the 3rd, we’ll weather it, claw back, and win a close one.

  170. LJAY says

    I need someone explaining me how is Lewis shooting uncontested almost every time…

  172. anonymous says

    FISHER”S defense is ABYSMAL!!!! that is several times a player ran by him right to the basket!

  174. Darius says

    If there’s one call that the ref’s are truly missing it’s the 3 second call on Howard. He’s getting one foot out of the lane but not both on every one of his dives and subsequent swing passes around the perimeter.

  182. chearn says

    Kobe is out of control! He is trying to do to much too many Lakers standing around. The defense is keyed in on him, now is the time for him to drive and dish be the assassin that he was in game one!

  183. Mimsy says

    Some day, and that day will never come, I will call upon you to blow the whistle when Orlando commits a foul. Until that day, accept these bail-outs as a gift, on our first Finals home game in over a decade.

  185. anonymous says

    THESE CALLS are killing me! geez i expect some home favoritism but we are getting clobbered, call on kobe was bogus and done to get him to lay off

    that is a “don’t mess with me” from the officials call on byrant despite hardly any contact

    the lakers need to play more smoothly on offense, attack howard, they are letting him get wide open under the basket

    gasol needs to go right at him on offense – he only has 2 fouls!

  186. Andreas G. says

    Still you have to feel good about this game. Their shooting lights out, and we’re down three with the ball.

    If the Lakers can find an answer for the p&r down the stretch, there’s a good chance we could steal this one.

  187. Darius says

    The entire team needs to take a breath right now. We’re like a runner in a 100M dash that’s so close to the finish line that we’re losing our form on our sprint. Calm down and understand that we’re in position to actually win.

  190. anonymous says

    We are giving them the game here but going nutzo on offense – terrible possessions!!!

    also fisher is officially killing us right now – alston keep getting layups on him!

  191. chearn says

    Oh, yeah, if Kobe just settles down this game is ours, he has taken his own team out of the offense.

    Now let’s go Lamar, you’re fired up now!!!

  192. yoo yoo says

    Im late want to say that Mark Jackson and Gundy are actually entertaining tonite. And we are seeing why Ariza has to be the keeper out of the Lamar or Trevor decision this off season he is just too damn consistent on defense and on the boards, plus a good three ball to let go, I hope we can keep both. I hope the Lakers win tonite, but to be honest a win tonite means the end of entertainment till football season, so I can live with a loss the Magic are playing there best game in the teams history.

  193. harold says

    I don’t care about facilitator Kobe, I just want FT making Kobe.

    He’s shooting 50% from the FT line.

  194. joe wright says

    I can t understand why Phil is staying with Fish….Alston is killing us¡

  195. Mimsy says

    Come one….! Keep playing defense, execute smartly on offense, and this is still a game.

  196. Adrian says

    I think i’ve seen this line displayed in yahoosports live page for more than five times..

    “R. Alston drives to the hoop for a layup”

  197. yoo yoo says

    Fisher is playing his best game of the season a lot of good basketball out there as I figured would be the case in a game three.

    By the way where do I sign up to ref I am pretty sure I can call goal tends when a hand goes through the basket and travel on four steps and two hands on the ball drive.

    NBA where amazingly bad officiating happens.

  198. harold says

    On the other hand…

    We’re staying close despite Orlando’s shooting, but also despite Lamar’s relative low production on the floor (can’t see how he’s doing, since i’m on gamecast).

    If Gasol can step it up and if Kobe lets him, we have a good shot.

  199. anonymous says

    First half they killed us with 3’s. Now they are killing us with ALston Layups! WTF. Also, free throws killing us – howard is making them and getting to the line more than our whole team combined.

  201. DB says

    The shots Alston is making are not ones that Farmar or ShanWOW would be likely to stop anyway. Rafer is a streaky guy. We just need to weather the storm here and stay within 4-5 points. Right now our lack of motion on offense is a bigger concern than our defense.

  202. 91601guy says

    Lakers not being patient enough, taking too many bad shots. Still, Magic are coming back to earth, this game is still theirs for the taking.

  203. Mimsy says

    I sweat I would have time to cook a second dinner during one of these commercial breaks. Can we go back to the game, please?

  205. yoo yoo says

    Damn I feel Fish is playing pretty good, a bigger question is why he hates playing Shannon, but as I said last chat I think its cuz he wants to get him resigned cheap and you know how one good finals performance gets you a ridiculous contract. exhibit A Deven George exhibit B Sasha Vucachuck exhibit C Luke Walton (dude is sweet but overpayed_

    The real problem is WHERE IS MBENGA

  207. yoo yoo says

    Man I want to get mad about these freethrows but honestly i would rather have one horrible game, and the last two wons due to the fact Gasol and Lamar nailed em. By the way Ariza and Farmar got six threes in em it aint over.

  208. Cavaquinho says

    1. Kobe has dominated the ball fairly a lot this game, but our shooters must reward him on those occasions when Kobe does pass the ball.

    2. Our FT shooting will be our demise.
    * Farmar just made 2FTs. Yay

  211. yoo yoo says

    I just love it when they force HEdo or Rashard to move inside the three point line. Farmar is ready to be a starter his defense is looking great.

  212. Mimsy says

    The foul calls are as irrational as they were last game, but at least less frequent. Again, this is not over yet. Not by far.

  214. anonymous says

    Howard not in foul trouble = bad news for us – that’s how we won the first game!

    PS – can someone tell me why gasol can’t get to the line – he is also 7 feet – why is he not attacking in the post – he has nice flip shots but needs to draw fouls

  216. Birdman says

    LA is getting out-shot (Orl. 32 FGs made compared to LA’s 29), getting outrebounded (23 to 19), getting out-assisted (20 to 12).

    And yet they are only down by six (should have been 2 had Kobe made those free throws)

    Cheers everyone.
    The best is yet to come.

  218. Cavaquinho says

    Judging by the last-second plays run by the Lakers for the 2nd and 3rd quarters, if this game does come down to a last-possession situation, I hope Kobe will be smart and draw the defense and then make the open pass.

    And for this 4th QTR, let’s try and make at least 75% of our FT’s.

  219. Ryan says

    Too much Kobe-centric offense. I think we need to run the offense through Gasol in the high post, then need to move the ball around and get better shots. Make the extra pass, or the first one in some cases.

  220. 3ThreeIII says

    This is certainly a chance to win here.

    Post play! We need some big time, down low, hard working post play.

  221. yoo yoo says

    Refs in the NBA are the worst professional officials ever, but whats up with the two horribly you cant even argue em calls both being missed against the lakers. I want to see Pau put his hand through the net and get a non call or Farmar lead a fast break and just stop dribbling at half court and take it to the rim. The rest has been evenly horrible but those two calls non calls were ridiculous considering all three refs in both cases had nothing else to be watching at the time.

    As for the Fisher D on Alston I am pretty sure, on the wide open looks those were by design I think Phil wanted him shooting, but yes obviously Farmar and Brown are both better options on defense I think Phil is trying to let Fisher make some memories. And he probably will, I think he has one more finals moment in him.

  228. 91601guy says

    Those are you kidding me shots by Pietrus and Battie are a bad sign. Like Jordan’s energy.

  230. Ali says

    I think that lakers need to start guarding and not do ridiculous points like Jordan Farmar wasted 6 points. But I think that lakers will end the series 4-1 ( lost today )

  231. steve says

    Let ’em play – if “’em” are lee, howard and hedo. Call it tight – on trevor, luke and farmar.

    Just be consistent either way, ugh.

  232. 3ThreeIII says

    Walton did NOT commit a foul there.

    Or rather, if that is a foul, there is a foul on every drive to the hoop and every put back.

    NBA Officiating. It’s FANtastic!

  233. Travis says

    THAT’s the kind of call that creates ref conspiracies. Terrible. and of course it was Crawford

  235. Ben says

    hmmm, there was no venom when Battie got some help “missing” that open dunk. By complaining about so many calls, doesn’t that lend credence to the many who talk about the Lakers getting all the calls (i.e. Simmons’ 10-1 atrocious call counter in crunch time of game 2)?

  236. PurpleNGold says

    hey give it up to orlando. Their pretty damn hot tonight. 66% shooting. Doubt thatll happen in game 4. Give it up to the lakers too for making it close and competing.

  237. Travis says

    its one thing to miss a call or to call a shot on a foul that wasn’t there. it’s quite another to call a phantom OFFENSIVE foul

  239. Joe says

    I hate Phil Jackson….He leaving out Kobe for so long…This isnt the regular season

  241. Cavaquinho says

    Stop complaining about the refs.

    Lakers just got a huge break from Crawford when the ball hit off Lamar not Dwight.

  243. anonymous says

    WE must make free throws to stay in this!!! WHY DID PHIL wait so long to put kOBE in – even van gundy gets it.

  244. Mimsy says

    I’m complaining because the refs are inconsistent. They can call whatever imaginary BS they want, but I want them to be consistent on both ends, and more importantly, consistent for four quarters in a row.

  246. Ryan says

    Don’t know what Stand Van Gundy was talking about but that was a goal tend.

    And have to hit the FTs.

  248. Darius says

    Kobe sat because he was not playing that well. Give him his rest and let him close with energy. Kobe was upset with Lee, with the Refs, with his teammates, he was just pissed. He needed to calm down. I’m glad Phil sat him. The lead didn’t grow out of hand and now Kobe can come back focused and ready. If we don’t win this game it will have nothing to do with an extra minute or two of rest for Kobe – it will have everything to do with an amazing offensive performance by the Magic (hitting more “oh my, how did that go in” shots than I can even count off the top of my head).

  250. yoo yoo says

    as long phil aint putting sasha in im good. Farmar and Ariza are providing enough energy to win this game.

  251. Ben says

    I did like Simmons’ theory on that, pointing to the fact that different refs are at different spots on the floor on each side. Makes it nearly impossible. His comments on Crawford were pretty analytical and decent as well.

  252. DB says

    So, um, how was that not a goal-tend by Howard on Lamar’s shot? The ball was clearly on its way down (unless the ruling was that it had no chance to go in). Phil sitting Kobe 5 minutes into the 4th was an odd decision…

  253. Shaky says

    I gotta say on both ends, but especially for the magic, the clutch shotmaking in this second half has been completely unreal.

  254. emh101 says

    I think it was smart to hold Kobe out as long as he did. He needed rest and the Lakers needed to run the offense and not just play “Kobeball.”

  256. Mimsy says

    Fair point, sitting Kobe was smart. Looking at the flow of the Laker offense now, it makes a lot more sense.

    Pau! 😀

  257. Shaky says

    Did Van Gundy really just say that screen by Howard was a good screen and Ariza sold it?

    Seriously? Come on Jeff.

  259. Ryan says

    Van Gundy must need some glasses or he is watching a different Game. That was the most obvious moving screen I have ever seen.

  261. Mimsy says

    @Shaky,
    His brother coaches the Magic. Let’s not be naive enough to expect anything but very biased commentary from Jeff Van Gundy this series.

  267. anonymous says

    this is unbearable free throws are killing us – we are forced to make tough shots – they get easy dunks or free throws it’s a miracle we are close

  269. yoo yoo says

    the refs have sucked, but all in all four minutes to go down four you have to take that. A good enough chance.

  270. Cavaquinho says

    Let’s forget about the officiating, the commentators, and whatelse. .

    This is a great game.

  278. Ryan says

    Now Gasol just has to hit the FTs. Have to hand it to the Lakers, they are hanging in there despite the nothing less than spectacular offensive performance by Orlando. The Lakers have played some good D that last few positions. Need to keep it up.

  280. yoo yoo says

    win or lose I got no complaints tonite. Three games in noone can call out a laker for not showing up. very impressive.

  281. yoo yoo says

    279 there have been some missed freethrows but then again kobe probably played the best first quarter in the history of the NBA finals.

  284. Shaky says

    Seriously the shooting in this game… I may post this 3 more times. Absolutely crazy.

    Also I think Kobe may have been hit by 2 people on that breakaway layup miss. But Pau complaining about that out ball sort of makes me feel kharmically it balances out. This is my zen moment.

    Make these frees, Pau.

  287. anonymous says

    that offensive rebound just crushed us!

    than kobe tried to go for all the marbles

  288. Mr. Ali says

    Kobe needs to do his crossovers get in, then leave Ariza open pass and score a 3. If Lakers win today then they are probably going to loose tomorrow. Kobe needs to start taking control. Again, I still thing Lakers are going to win the championships.

  294. anonymous says

    free throws were the diffrence in this game – overall we played prety well but regardless of all the bad calls made – we missed a ton of our free throws early on

  296. Cavaquinho says

    Game of millimeter’s. With Lewis’ foot on the line, Lakers are not in as big of a hole as they could or should be in.

  297. Mr. Ali says

    Ya I think lakers lost it today . But I think Orlando will loose tomorrow. I actually want Lakers to loose today so that they can get their rings in L.A. 🙂

  302. Mimsy says

    Um, yeah, let’s not celebrate yet. That’s why all the other fans hate us arrogant Laker-lovers.

  303. harold says

    If it takes all of Orlando’s players shooting 50%+ for them to have a 4 pt lead, I’d take it.

    60+% from the field 40+% from the 3, 70+% from the FT line, outrebound us by 6, out assist us by 7 and only lead by 4?

    wow.

  306. anonymous says

    I guess KOBE is always sooo perfect we are surprised we he misses FTS like that – because he never does
    i guess no one is perfect

    but worst time to start missing is NOW

  308. Ben says

    all the talk of anti-LA bad calls, then a questionable one goes for them. Almost as if it hits both sides

  309. JB says

    After seeing Kobe drawing up plays on the sideline with Pau, I think that was a drive-and-dish, on the replay Pau is rolling to the basket wide open. Watch for it again next time down.

  310. Ryan says

    If Orlando wins this game it will be in part due to their amazing FT defense against Kobe.

  311. harold says

    Kobe has 8 assists again. In game 2 he had 7 TOs to go with that, now he has 5 missed FTs to go with it.

  312. passerby says

    kobe’s only 5-10 from the line. wow if he were immaculate today, we’d be looking at a tied game or advantage lakers.

    anyhow, i feel good even with this loss if this guarantees we compete from hereon to the end. orlando got hot. we had our share but i see at least a victory in this 3-game stretch. i still want la to end it here and now though.

    all we need is a stop! before stop, kobe time!

  313. LJAY says

    I know that probably all of you are not going to agree with me, but as great as he is ( he’s going to be one of the greatest ) today Kobe has shown that he is no Jordan.

  315. harold says

    Freeze! It’s Ariza time!

    I hope. “stole” that line to give us some mojo.

  320. anonymous says

    we had it in our hands

    and for the first time – kobe pretty much lost it for us single-handedly

  323. steve says

    Careless plays and missed free throws, can’t win that way. This one is on kobe.

  324. james says

    jesus kobe you always turn it over when u split the double team, why wont u learn

  327. anonymous says

    that was a bad play by kobe more than a good play by pietrus

    pau tried but should have called time

  328. DB says

    Apparently Kobe learned nothing from game 2 of the Denver series, when he tried pretty much the exact same move, with the exact same result. Argh.

  332. Zephid says

    321, selective memory there james. Kobe won us the game in OT of Game 2 when he split the double and passed to Gasol for the And1.

  333. passerby says

    pietrus taking a number on kobe. that should piss him off more because he lost the ball than anything else!

    when plays like this happen, the opponent usually wins. i have yet to see kobe jack up enough 3s in a row since that old kings-lakers blowout when he started hitting 3s to help the lakers catch-up. and that wasn’t end game.

    anyway, wait and see

  335. la_resistance28 says

    4 TOs, and 5-10 from the line… before the game, would you have thought this would be Howard’s or Kobe’s line?

  337. yoo yoo says

    oh my god did you guys just SEE FNG PIETRUS asking for a double dribble. God these guys.

  338. behzad says

    lets all hate on Kobe now right?
    can we remember who carries on his back to get us to game 3 of the finals?

    You people are relentless…

  341. chearn says

    Basketball 101 in a close game if the ball is on the floor and you drop on it, you call timeout!!!

    That’s game!!

  343. anonymous says

    man i am going to be really scared for game 4

    if we let them tie it up in game 4, they have a chance to go ahead in game 5

    this was very sad- we played well and then blew it at the end , gold opportunity busted

    i hope we can play this well for 2 more on the road

  344. Mimsy says

    #338, bahzad,
    Hey now, don’t judge all of us just on one or two single posters… Kobe is human. Big surprise. Who care if “he’s no Jordan” or not?

    He’s one of the greatest to ever play this game. Enjoy the show. And watch him retaliate in the next game…

  347. emh101 says

    I am not hating on Kobe. But he has certainly made some critical errors in this game.

  348. 3ThreeIII says

    That confetti has just doomed Orlando. Not tonight maybe (rare bad finish from Kobe, including bad free throws.)

    But dropping that confetti will really piss off the Lakers.

    You shot the best you have all playoffs and beat us by 2 or 4, and toss out the confetti?

    Uh huh.

  349. passerby says

    that’s a wrap. anyhow, not hating on kobe. he’s our man. go lakers go! i feel a game 4 win if we keep our head up high after this. not a debacle after all. orlando was bound to have this night but still this doesn’t prove much more to them than to us.

    and you know kobe’s gonna drop a number on pietrus big time after this. he knows it’s on him. he doesn’t stink twice in a row…hope not.

  350. Mimsy says

    Three, after seeing that expression on Pau’s face, I’m going to have to agree with you.

  351. Zephid says

    Our guys played with a lot of heart tonight. We played through what could quite possibly be the hottest hot-streak ever, and we were in this game all the way till the end. Honestly, we played about the best game we could play tonight. The Magic just had one of the all-time best shooting games, and we still had a chance to win.

  352. DB says

    Look, Orlando played as well as they can play and just squeaked out a win. Give them credit, but I like the way we competed tonight. We’re gonna take game 4.

  353. glove32 says

    Orlando palyed well and 62.5% from the field will win most games.

    Kobe will be ready for game 4

  354. Big J says

    @ 346. The Lakers need motivation from confetti?? This is the NBA Finals for goodness sakes.

  355. Birdman says

    Again, no one picked the Lakers to win tonight.

    They had a chance to win the game, but the gods didn’t want them to sweep ’em.

    Never fear, LA fans, I’m going to Orlando and my “undefeated” record will help you.

  356. LJAY says

    It’s not hating, as it’s been pointed out we live by Kobe but also we die by Kobe.

    What it’s really frustrating to me it’s that he could be as great or better than MJ, but his “hero mode” restrains him from achieving so.

    What really pisses me off, it’s having to read the Simmons and Abbots, telling everybody that he’s selfish, that a trully goat would have never missed 5 ft in a finals game…

  358. Joe says

    Kobe played horrible down the stretch, very unlike him. There is no way in gods green earth the magic will play that well on thursday.

  362. Mr. Ali says

    Alright I think Lakers will win tommorow Let’s GO LAKERS.

    ” And lakers win the series 4-1and our Finals MVP is Kobe Bryant “

  363. harold says

    Remember guys, it was Kobe that kept us in this game and kept this from being a total blowout.

    I mean, I don’t care, but if you let the other team shoot 60% without one, ONE player shooting below 50%, you have issues that go beyond one player.

    True enough, had Kobe been Kobe and missed just 2~3 instead of 5, this could have been ours, but we fared really well considering Lamar didn’t get himself on the box score too much.

  364. Mimsy says

    #355,
    That’s why I don’t read their columns after a game like this. I read lakers.com.

    It’s a painful, heartbreaking loss, yes, but at the same time… it’s the NBA FInals. It’s supposed to be a challenge. And to their credit, the Lakers played well, played hard, and put of up a great fight. If I was a Magic fan, I would be worried about the next two games, because this one was supposed to be the easiest one to win.

  365. chearn says

    We love Kobe, but let’s face it, it was too much Kobe in this game. If he shoots every possession of course he has to carry the team. We never established Lamar until the 4th quarter and Lamar delivered.

    I do not want to be a conspiracy theorist, but why exactly did Kobe miss 5 freethrows, in a championship game?

    Rewind, let’s look at the extended play of Farmar, all of a sudden he gets quality minutes when he has been unable to get off the bench no more than 5 a game. Farmar, too committed a similar turnover to Pau in the 4th quarter on a tough offensive rebound he throws the ball to the Magic, when he could have easily dribbled the ball out for a reset.

    Just looks questionable to me.

  366. Ben says

    3ThreeIII

    That happens at every arena when the buzzer goes off and the home team has a lead. It’s really annoying (esp. since they do it for most if not all games) but it’s not like there was intentional.

  367. Cavaquinho says

    Great game tonight.
    Excellent play on both sides.
    Came down to the wire and featured players stepping up in the big moments.

    Hope the Lakers can come out in Game 4 with the same energy and effort. I can’t ask for anything less from this group. Keep your head high tonight, gentlemen. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Tip your hat to the Magic; it was their do-or-die game and they played a magnificent game.

  368. Scot says

    I do not agree that we played about the best game we possibly could. Our defense was responsible for the Magic’s hot shooting – it didn’t just happen by luck.

  369. Big J says

    Sorry I think the Lakers showed tonight that they are very focused on this championship. So focused that they could care less about confetti or any other trivial things. They didn’t disappear tonight like they have at times in these playoffs and I really like that. They really want this ring.

  371. Mason says

    Ben-
    3ThreeIII is talking about how they jumped the gun with the confetti. The game was only over because the home town clock operator didn’t stop it when the whistle blew. That’s the “slap”.

    In review:
    Confetti after a victory: Whatever.
    Confetti with time remaining: Slap.

  372. Tremble says

    Why erase my comment? Kobe WAS the reason we lost this game down the stretch.

  373. Birdman says

    See ya in Game 4 guys.

    A loss is a loss.
    Although the Magic shot waaaaaayyyy better than LA, had more rebounds, more free throws, and more assists, LA still had a chance to win the game, and an uncharacteristic clutch performance by Kobe bailed Dwight and co.

    Take it as a stepping stone to learn from. But take this word: Orlando will lose Game 4 and 5.

  374. LJAY says

    Kurt I do really need you here, the refering has been as awful as I think ( especially letting Howard get away with everything when pursuing the off. reb); or I’m just being a bias fan?

  376. yoo yoo says

    373 look at howards fouls per game prior to this series, look at his playing style and his fould per game this series, he hasnt changed his game. The reffing has changed he has gone from a guy that was leading the nba in fouls per gam and per minute to two fouls a game in twice the time on court.

  377. pw says

    Quit blaming Kobe guys. He single handedly kept us in the game in the first half by scoring on so many broken plays. If not for his exceptional play in the first half this would have been a blow-out. And I do not think he took many bad shots down the stretch as well. Sometimes those shots go in and sometimes they don’t. It happens. And he has kept the Lakers in games by shooting all his free throws how many times in the last 10 years? Think about that before you start criticizing his FT shooting…

  378. luubi says

    it’s going to be a long 2 days when the kobe haters rise from their crypt and roam the earth.

  380. Nick the Great says

    I don’t think too many of us thought that the Lakers were going to sweep this series coming in, and this was always going to be a pretty tough game to win. When any team shoots 62% for the game they’re going to be tough to beat. Some of those were open looks, some of those were tough shots that just went down. I wouldn’t worry too much about the loss, but there are clearly some adjustments that can be made defensively.

  381. yoo yoo says

    lets just hope howard, gundy and the rest keep talking noise. All I know is its a lose lose situation here for Orlando, keep in mind the Magic just set the record for shooting percntage in a finals game ane really won by two…, if you win this game get cocky pipe off you piss off the only player in this league that plays better pissed off. Its a series now, i cant wait for thursday.

  382. Joe says

    Btw, I have never heard more bias announcing from an announcer (JVG) in my life. Ok, I understand why Van wants Orlando to win, but, hes gota be a little less bias. Even Magic doesnt show too much favortism to the Lakers

  383. Franky says

    The thing is, I thought we played pretty good defense, especialy in the 2nd half. Orlando was hitting some crazy shots. It seemed like we were forcing them into off balanced floaters and fade-aways all night, they were just making them. No way they hit those with the same effeciency again in these finals.
    We played pretty good tonight. Kobe, excuse me was great tonight as well. Anyone who thinks other wise just wasn’t watching. He was getting people involved, going to the basket, and played very tough defense. I just saw him kind of lose his swagger after he missed a couple of free-throws in the fourth.
    I think we should feel pretty comfortable going into next game, knowing that we will play better and the Migic can’t hit all those tough shots they made tonight.

  385. dave in hillsboro says

    Tough loss, though not altogether unexpected. We had a chance to win. Missed free throws definitely cost us. It’s remarkable we were even in it with the Magic shooting over 75% at the half and over 60% for the game.

    By the same token, you don’t lose many games where you shoot over 51%, but missed free throws will do that to you. Nothing to get down about.

    It’s been a long time coming for Orlando fans–they deserved to see a Finals win at home after putting away the Cavs and Celts. Still plenty of games to play.

    My pre-series prediction of Lakers in six is alive and well.

  386. yoo yoo says

    383 I know thats the weird thing the defense was good yet they gave up 63 percent shooting, what that says to me is you just saw the best a tean could possibly play. Now, I do think that Farmar and Brown could of contained him, but Fisher gave enough tonite to justify him being out there, but if you want to shut down a point guard that guy that got zero minutes tonite is the answer, any casual idiot fan could see that.

  388. jim smith says

    Look on the bright side. The Magic played a great game, Kobe was so-so and the Magic still barely won. Although I hate to admit it, the Lakers are still in the proverbial driver’s seat.

  389. yoo yoo says

    There is no way Kobe is going to let this team turn into the Buffalo bills it will be fine.

  390. VoR says

    I feel pretty good about the game. Lakers had a bad second quarter giving up 32 points. I honestly don’t think Orlando can play any better. Kobe didn’t have a great second half. No way he goes five for ten on free throws again. So, Orlando has to feel good abouot playing well and winning a game, but I am not sure that was the confidence booster they were hoping for.

    We need to keep getting the ball to Gasol more.

    My only beef with the officiating was that I feel like the refs are protecting Howard – not calling fouls on the defensive end and making some quesitonable calls for him on the offensive end. I’m sure most non-Laker fans probably feel this is the case with Kobe as well so maybe it evens out.

    Would have loved to get this game, but feel like the Lakers can take some positives away from tonight.

  391. j. d. hastings says

    Magic set a finals record FG% and we lose by 4. I haven’t read the reactions here yet, but I’m not upset. Kobe can hit +5 FTs, Magic probably don’t shoot 63% again.

  392. harold says

    The Magic shot better on the floor than we did on the FT line.

    In normal situations, I think that basically means it’s a blowout, but somehow we made it close.

    I think it was our players not adjusting to the time zone differences and Orlando, still that was a good showing, and we had every chance to win (if I didn’t jinx that steal by Pietrus…).

    If anything I think this game sorta let me think that we could close this series in Orlando.

  393. yoo yoo says

    Phil just clowned a fool asking about rebounds, how you gonna get rebounds when a team is shooting seventy percent.

  394. dave in hillsboro says

    Phil: “We’re all frail as humans. Sometimes not as much as others.”

  395. yoo yoo says

    as much as i hate phil not ever playing brown, the intelligence disparity between him and van gundy is ridiculous.

  396. LJAY says

    Well it’s 6:22 in the morning for me, so I’m calling this night off, but tomorrow I’ll be back to see if Kurt or other of the really knowledgeable guys around here have a good analysis of the game, cause I’m not able to explain myself about the 23 3’s we took, or Tevor and Fish shooting more than Pau and Lamar…

  397. wiseolgoat says

    i thought the officiating was alright, other than that one pau drive late that looked like there was a ton of contact that he converted anyways. that could have tied the game given we were down 3 at the time.

    but it evened out at the end, really. missed calls on both sides.

  398. Snoopy2006 says

    Meh. It’s a bit encouraging that we could hang in there even while taking the full force of their offense (although admittedly this took a 1st half of Kobe on fire as well). But if Kobe hits his normal FTs, this is a different game.

    I do feel that Kobe is passing a bit less than normal, definitely less than Denver Game 6. Of course when he’s hitting it’s beautiful, but I thought before he was picking up the other guys when they couldn’t get it going, and in the 2nd half he started pressing a bit more. Hindsight is 20-20, though.

    Maybe Nick Anderson is their good luck charm.

  399. yoo yoo says

    damn they are really making kobe out to be the goat do they want him to score eighty next game?

  400. Ben says

    Mason

    There were .2 seconds left on the clock. Do you have reaction time that fast? Because I’m pretty sure no one does. Not a slap, just an annoying technical glitch. Not something to react to, or pay attention to. Prolly would have happened in LA or any other arena.

  401. yoo yoo says

    397 we aint panicking, damn these punks are putting kobe down like hes a bum, dude only failed if you compare him to him. He made two bad plays and missed a couple more freethrows then he should have. Every prognasticator predicted the magic to win this game, so lets see game four before we jump off the bandwagon.

  402. TracerBullet says

    @392 – Agreed. You can’t be upset when the Magic made a huge percentage of tough shots the whole night.

    I’m encouraged coming out of this game because, outside of Kobe, the Lakers made shots that they’ll make again on Thursday; you can’t say the same about the Magic.

  403. Ben says

    melo55

    And three rings. Don’t for get how he selfishly lead them to three titles. NEXT

  404. pw says

    By the way, does Rashard Lewis ever miss an open jumper. I mean that guy is ridiculous. Any time he gets an open jumper he makes it. If the Lakers could shoot even half of their open 3s they would have won this game in a blowout. Apart from Kobe, everyone else on the team (Fisher, Ariza, Farmar) shot 3s when they were open. Yet they only shot 25% overall.

  405. yoo yoo says

    wow if your gonna call kobe shameful please dont claim to be a laker fan. He aint my favorite laker, his faults may be his ego but that guy does things noone else can do or has ever done. Dont get it twisted getting to the finals, is impressive enough, some of the greatest players in the NBA got there once or twice. Remember this is the finals, your suppossed to lose a game or two, they lost by two. And kobe missed a play or two and a freethrow or two, lebron misses twice that turns the ball over more times in a game then kobe does in a series and then blames his teamates. Dont get it twisted. Tell me this Laker team didnt come prepared when a team shot lights out to set a record and lose by two on the road. The better team will win this series and this will be a game that will make the future of the Lakers, Farmar, Lamar and Pau or learning so much on the fly,. Keep in mind Pau made a huge mistake not calling a timeout, but mistakes happen. Kobe is a winner, and a killer, and nothing shameful in being up two to one in the finals.

  406. pollyserial says

    message to folks blaming kobe for global warming: get a grip.

    honestly, that was a great game, well played by both squads, and orlando rode an amped up crowd, a little home cooking by the zebras, and incredibly hot shooting to the w. nothing to be ashamed or worried about there. we’ll get em in game 4, and take the series in 6.

  407. yoo yoo says

    Wow you guys are too much all you saw happen was percentages even out they shot horribly for two games and then shot lights out for one. Hence, the you cant win a SERIES by the jump shot. You can win a game or two, the Magic if they are good enough to win this series should of won this game by thirty.

  408. Joe says

    Kobe played bad down the stretch…I guess every player chokes at some point, but we really cant blame it on him. Our defense wasnt good enough tonight. And yes, Lewis does not miss open jump shots….never.

  409. yoo yoo says

    Blame him all you want, but I say compare his prior poor games this playoffs with his next game, just stick to it. I was dissapointed he missed five freethrows, I get bummed when he shoots us out of it, but in a series I have learned especially when were up a game, give him a chance. He did just play the best first quarter in finals history. Take away that first quarter were down by fifteen at half.

  410. Darius says

    Many claim that Kobe is the G.O.A.T. but tonight many would rather claim he is the goat. But I’m not here to argue semantics. The Lakers lost as a team, just as they win as one. Kobe kept us in the game early when Orlando was literally on fire. And when he regressed to the mean and didn’t play as well down the stretch, both teams still had their chances and Orlando took advantage of theirs. Could Kobe have played better? Of course, and he’d be the first to say so. That look he had on his face after Pietrus made that floater after the steal said it all. He knew that he made a mistake. To kill him over that or some missed FT’s (especially when he’s shooting almost 90% for the playoffs) is more than short sighted. Yes every game is extremely important, but we’re still in control and we get another chance in a day and a half. Does anyone think we won’t be ready?

    Go back and watch the tape and you’ll see missed and botched rotations (Pietrus’ follow dunk was the direct result of two players closing on the shooter and Pietrus crashing the glass with a free path). You’ll see the Magic role players convert shots that they haven’t made all series and some shots that they haven’t made on their best of nights. When SVG said at the 3rd quarter break that he couldn’t explain tonight’s performance beyond “we’re making shots”, he was completely correct. Tonight, Orlando made shots. Easy ones. Hard ones. Close ones. Far ones. Dr. Seuss himself couldn’t have written a simpler explanation of Orlando’s effectiveness. It was built on strong screens and aggressive drives. It was also built on indecision by Lakers defenders. Tonight our defense was not as sharp and the Magic offense was as sharp as Hitori Hanzo steel.

    And despite it all, we were right there. That’s what makes this game maddeningly disappointing and encouraging all at the same time. If Kobe makes some extra foul shots. If Gasol calls a timeout when he recovers that loose ball. If Orlando misses some of those looks that would win a horse match against even the best shooters. If, if, if. The fact is, tonight, Orlando played the better game. The Lakers were in it until the end because they’re a damned good team. We fought the hard fight and came up short. Good on them and us. Thursday we fight another round and we’ll see who can grab this series by the throat and claim it as their own.

    And please, let’s not talk refs. There were missed and made calls both ways. This one fell on the shoulders of the players. Orlando’s guys played with the desperation of a team on the verge of losing the Finals before they even really got going. The Lakers brought boatloads of intensity, but that boat was leaking when it came to execution. And as it’s been said by many before me, we were still one stop away from winning.

    Hold your heads high. Despite a tremendous effort from the opposition, we can still point to things that we didn’t do that could have secured victory. We’ll watch the film, we’ll make adjustments, Kobe will sustain stronger play for the entire game. These are the things that we can control. We’re going to be fine.

  411. dave in hillsboro says

    People need to chill. We’re up 2-1 in the Finals. This was the game the Magic were most likely to win. Relax and enjoy the show.

  412. yoo yoo says

    Only problem was that he didnt do what he did against denver when he was doubled and tripled, but he tends to do that when he has to. He had to against Denver I dont think Kobe feared the MAgic till this game ended, now that he has pressure on him for next game I think he will pass out of it more. Bottom line is you guys are right but you dont sound like fans. And there is no way in hell the Lakers will lose four in a row, so best case scenario for Magic is game seven at staples, I like my chances in a game seven at staples. Remember the Lake show took game three last year and they talk like the Lakers never even showed up. Your suppossed to lose game three if your up two zero in the finals all the magic proved is they arent worst team in finals history like I thought they were.

  414. kwame a. says

    That was a hell of a finals game. Tough to come out on the wrong side, but I feel like Phil, smile, congratulate the Magic, make a few adjustements on the Magic P&R and move on to Game 4.

  415. P. Ami says

    I would appreciate if my comments can be understood in the context of one game, not in the context of the season or a whole career. The offense seemed to stagnate for a while there and I put that on Kobe trying to do too much. I thought it was interesting that Phil kept Kobe on the bench a little longer then usual to start the 4th but it made sense seeing that this was when LO began to make things happen and there was much better ball movement. Kobe came in and the team O kept the pace while the D started to zone in and really make things tough for the Magic. I expected the cto bring the game home for our boys but the Magic just made some very difficult shots at the end, and that Pietrus put-back jam was huge for them.

    Others have said it but it bears repeating. Kobe makes half of the FTs he missed and it is a different game. Thems the breaks. At least Bill Simmons will feel vindicated for a day.

  416. yoo yoo says

    412 good post, I think it was the fact we get spoiled on his clutch freethrows, he has a game like this at the line once or twice a regular season. I really liked how the lakers play tonite, honestly I thought they played better then last game. Missed freethrows are a heartbreaker, but that was the difference but its not likeKobe went up there and tried to brick em. Look give me Kobe, Ariza, Lamar, Pau, Farmar and one game lead you take Lewis, Alston and Howard I like my chances.

  417. yoo yoo says

    come on guys finals recored in shooting percentage and lose by two, you cant be that upset. Your not suppossed to lose if you set the record for percentage in shooting, you are suppossed to win by thirty.

  418. chris h says

    yeah, I’m not too upset at this loss.
    we knew it was a MUST WIN for the Magic, knew it, period.
    we also knew that we could worst case, still be happy winning just 1 of 3, so really how motivated could/should we have been?
    frankly, I was surprised, very surprised, that we were as close as we were all game.
    and the fact that we actually could have won the game if, (as Darius says) if, if this/that, if, a few things went our way, we’re up 3 – 0.
    so, considering that they were in a must win, and we weren’t, and that we almost pulled it off.
    well, I’ll tell you this, if it was the other way around, I’d be nervous about the outcome of the series
    fo’ sure.

  419. Big Ralf says

    One thing positive I will take from this game is Odom’s play. That was the most assertive most offensively and defensively dominant I have ever seen him play in a Laker uni. Phil held Kobe out for an additional 5 min because of it that’s how good he was.

  420. Great Wall says

    I haven’t posted much in this series, but have been reading the posts daily. You still have this series in control. There are a few things from this game that I would feel good about if I were a Laker fan.

    1. The Lakers showed up for this game, which they didn’t always do in earlier rounds when they were in the driver’s seat.

    2. Orlando played a very good game, and got contributions not normally received (I know Alston well and that won’t happen again in this series).

    3. Kobe had a bad 2nd half, and that is an anomoly that more than likely won’t happen again in this series. I expect that he will make up for that next game.

    4. Gasol has been better than Howard in this series. He is a much better offensive player and is playing passionately.

    You were not going to sweep this series, so relax and enjoy the remainder of it. The Lakers are playing like the team that I expected in the ealier series. It seems like they have learned the lessons from earlier in the playoffs, and will win this thing as they should.

  421. Snoopy2006 says

    Does the NBA have a rule on using harmless foreign objects? The clock doesn’t start until a player touches the ball, right?

    So hypothetically speaking – what if Kobe used, say, a piece of string (let’s say he plucks his drawstring from his shorts, so it’s not really a ‘foreign’ object) to catch the ball off the rim with 0.2 seconds left? Could he and Fisher (with his own drawstring) volleyball the ball up the court using the strings, without ever touching the ball, and so the clock wouldn’t be able to start? I mean if there’s no rule against it…

    Kobe’s lack of creativity is shameful. Think outside the box, man.

  422. yoo yoo says

    oh my fng god Howard just said kobe has trouble going to the rim. Wow dude you should learn to shut your mouth kobe is so gonna destroy you next game. Wow cant be that stupid.

  423. sT says

    This is a series again, great for us fans, right? more games to enjoy on the path to…

  424. harold says

    The thing I worry about, is that Orlando not only took the victory, but also saw that Kobe does miss FTs in the 4th quarter when the game is on the line.

    (that and I worry what this loss does to Kobe and his approach to the game. He may go overboard and try to redeem himself in the next game, which isn’t something we want happening, intention-wise. Result wise, yes)

    That was the one thing outside of the win that they probably took; everywhere else, this was a moral victory – if there is such a thing – for the lakers.

  426. chearn says

    148) 3Three!!! I have long been a proponent of a good pass that should be an assist make or miss. In past years when Kobe was maligned for not passing the ball more, he passed the ball its just that the Lakers could not hit a barn door with a beachball.

  428. Mason says

    Ben-

    Wait a second… Doesn’t the NBA use whistle stop devices on the ref’s whistles?

  429. Darius says

    X’s and O’s wise, here are a couple of things that I saw that either really worked for them or didn’t work for us as well:

    *Orlando really varied their P&R game. Not only were the screens well set, they were set in different ways. For example, Orlando ran stagger screens for Alston with Lewis and Howard. This gave Alston more space to get into the lane, it gave Howard that extra step he needed to bull his way into the lane, and it gave Lewis more freedom to roam around the three point line as multiple Lakers defenders helped. Howard was also more effective in picking off Ariza and freeing Hedo to get to his spots easier. Earlier I mentioned that the Magic hit many difficult shots, but Hedo is a guy that does make those shots on a more consistent basis. His height and reach allow him to shoot over the top of defenders – even ones with the size of Ariza. All Hedo needs is that extra space and tonight he got it.

    *The Magic also involved Lewis more in P&R’s as the screener. This put Pau in awkward help situations and gave Lewis wide open looks. Looks that he’ll make. Orlando also screened for Lewis more off the ball. Pau is a very underrated defender, but one thing he’s going to struggle with is fighting through screens and closing on the perimeter against a player as skilled as Lewis. As a team we have to defend this better and not leave Pau on an island against a player who moves as well as Lewis.

    *With our offense, Kobe wasn’t able to establish the post for the second straight game. Lee did a great job of fronting Kobe, pushing him away from the hoop, and discouraging the entry pass. If we really want to take advantage of Kobe on the block (which I think we do), we need to find ways to get him position on the post easier. I suggest bringing him from strong to weak or setting screens for him so he can catch the ball while moving coming across the lane. I also think we need to involve Gasol earlier in the offense and then screen and move better off the ball to create looks for our other guys while also giving Pau more chances to play one on one without the full focus of the defense. He’s proven he can score on any Magic defender that guards him and his decision making will only improve the efficiency of our offense.

    *In the fourth quarter, when we went to our P&R we were effective when we spread the floor and Kobe read the defense and passed to the open man. Several times, he either hit Pau with a quick pass to the FT line area or he skipped the ball to the opposite guard. We got good looks out of this set (Pau’s drive that could have been an and-one, LO’s seal on the block and finish over Lewis, Fisher’s three pointer) and I’d like to see more of it next game. The key is the spacing and making the Magic choose between Kobe and others. They’ve shown in the first three games that they’re going to choose Kobe – make them pay more often for this choice.

  430. hieroyo says

    Should have ran the offense through Pau down the stretch. Whether it was fatigue or simply a bad game Kobe was struggling.

    We saw it a bit last year but Kobe doesn’t finish in traffic as well as he used to and has more of a comfort zone on the perimeter and on the post as opposed to driving into the paint.

  431. yoo yoo says

    The hilarious thing about magic all of a sudden from the brink to being a contender is Kobe, Pau. Fisher Lamar may blow a game or two but sorry they aint losing four out of five. Talk all your noise Simers, I expected this to be a tough game Orlando could never play this good again and won by a couple freethrows. Good luck to you, in fact I would lay money on the Lakers to win if they were down three two in this series.

  432. Mason says

    Cavaquinho-
    The mods can do whatever they like. It’s their sandbox and they are kind enough to let us play in it.

  433. nomuskles says

    I could definitely feel that it just wasnt’ the Lakers’ night tonight. The whole game the Lakers were making good shots and getting fairly good looks. The magic were putting the Lakers into some scramble mode but the defense was very solid. There were just a few low percentage shots by the Magic that dropped in.

    Two topics to revisit… the ineptitude of SVG and the importance of Game 3. Let me put that last one another way. How confident do you feel after having lost this one vs if we would have won? And SVG, still pretty good IMHO.

  434. yoo yoo says

    The great thing about being a
    Laker fan is ten years from now we will have been to the finals four or five more times and get to hear about the times we dont win. Losers dont make the finals fifty percent of the time.

  436. magic says

    Cavaquinho, what you posted are not correct facts as you state. If I remember correctly, last years finals was between the Lakers vs Celtics and this finals is between the Lakers vs Magic and not Kobe vs Celtics or Kobe vs Magic. Kobe was not responsible for those losses or tonights even though his play down the stretch was a little disappointing. Stop blaming Kobe.

    In any case, everyone expected Magic to win this one. It was a must win for them. They shot a record fg percentage and barely won by 4 pts. On top of that besides Kobe and Pau, the other players had an alright game. We didn’t have that 3rd/4th threat that usually results in W’s for us. Ariza was closest and the all round contribution from our role players is encouraging being that its an away game. Anyways, considering everything I think the Lakers did great in not getting blown out and almost stealing it down to the final minute.

    The positive to take away is that I think that this will motivate the Lakers to bring it even harder next game not wanting to be 2-2 and win knowing that they can. Also Magic will not shoot as well next time.

    I still say Lakers in 6, though I would be even happier if it’s in 5.

  437. Snoopy2006 says

    For the stats guys – are there websites where you can get boxscores with advanced metrics for each individual game?

  438. Anonymous says

    Mason

    Good point, but then how would the clock operator have an effect? Did the guy hit a button to start the clock again .1 seconds after the whistle? Isn’t it more likely that the whistle came .2 seconds or more after the foul? It just seems like much ado about nothing.

  439. Anonymous says

    i’ll be interested to see how the mood of this forum will be if/when the series is tied. Will it be time to panic then?

  440. kwame a. says

    I am very pleased with the way Fish has shot the ball this series. Next game he is going to have to find a way to slow Alston down. I think for the Magic to win any more games they will need Alston to get 15-18 pts and Fish (and Farmar-who played great tonight) need to keep him out of the paint better.

    On the Turkoglu/Howard P&R the Lakers may want to start to switch that play. Hedging has forced LO into a help position on that play and even though LO is rushing out to close, Lewis only needs an inch. If we switch that play Ariza will be stuck on Howard. Ariza will have to front and Bynum/Gasol would be vulnerable on Turkoglu, but it would allow us to track Lewis and when the ball goes to Howard, we can double off someone else.

    Also-we could try to aggressivley trap Turkoglu (and Alston) and try to get some turnovers.

  441. Joe says

    If the Lakers lose this series…Kobe is really gonna be criticized. I will feel sorry for him…

  442. PeanutButterSpread says

    Had a good chance to win Game 3, but didn’t come through. Knew we weren’t going to win coming into the game, but still liked that even though our offense was U-G-L-Y and Kobe was red-hot in the 1st half (not so much in the 2nd half) and Orlando shot 62% we still only lost by 2

    We had a great chance in stealing this game.

    Still, didn’t like our offense at all. Had Kobe bail us out on some really crazy shots. But even still, it was really stagnant.

    What happened to limiting our threes and driving to the hoop to get better looks for Pau and LO or jumpers for Kobe?

    Or passing the ball around instead of iso plays? There were some good moments between Pau and Kobe but then it was just too stagnant again. It was not Laker ball. credit goes to Orlando for defense but fault goes to the LA players for not moving around. The spacing was horrendous as well.

    Trevor was kinda horrendous. Didn’t like his first shot (which was a 3-pointer) and how he was doing too much iso on his own, resulted in turnovers.

    Refs were whistle happy against the Lakers. It’s been like this 2 games in a row.

    Game 4, the Lakers better start playing smarter (ie, reading the defense, doing what got them the Game 1 win, sharing the ball, better spacing, player movement, no one-on-one isos, and just defend better).

    Even though Game 4 isn’t a “must-win” for the Lakers on paper, I think it’s a HUGE must win. Have to, have to, have to. Keep putting the pressure on the Magic. Not the other way around.

    To win, the Lakers need to PASS THE FREAKING BALL TO PAU OR LO and MAKE THEIR FREAKING FREETHROWS. The end.

  443. Anonymous says

    Lakers really needed to dump the ball to Gasol and Lamar down low during the final minutes of the game.

  444. Burgundy says

    No one’s really talked about this…but Ariza has quietly been horrendous for the entire series.

    The Ariza we’ve been cheering for the first three rounds was:

    1) Shooting 50% from 3pt Range
    2) Playing aggressive, ball-swiping defense
    3) Making smart cuts to the basket and finishing

    The Ariza we’ve seen in the Finals:

    1) Can no longer knock down his open three pointers

    2) Is picking up a ton of fouls, but not a ton of steals

    3) Is over-handling the ball, and all of sudden, can’t finish his layups.

    This is not good.

  446. PeanutButterSpread says

    Random, but this game feels like Game 3 against UTAH in the first round.

    Had the chance to win, but couldn’t execute down the stretch.

    UTAH needed to win, played their brains out and still barely scraped out a win, same with ORLANDO.

    Looking forward to see a pissed off Pau and LO DEMAND for the ball in Game 4, because seriously, TA and Fish getting more touches is just redonkulous.

    I want to see less Kobe bail-out shots because while he was on fire in the 1st half, I think it wore him out in the 2nd half.

    Ball movement. Ball movement. Ball movement.

    Patience on offense.

    No more Sasha. I am done with the Sasha Machine experiment. He’s not getting repaired this series. Just stop playing him.

    And what happened to ShanWOW? We could use some of his threes and dunks. Phil needs to play him. I think he’d guard Nelson pretty well.

    I basically want to see a GAME 4 WIN for the Lakers. IMO, it’s a must-win for the Lakers.

  447. yoo yoo says

    dopnt matter how many games you lose bottom line lakers need to win two and they have four chances a lot better then last year. Honestly I dont root for the magic but sweeps suck, I was in hell during the Houston and Denver series, but when the Lakers stepped up and took those down it reminded me of the Laker v Houston and Lakers v Pistons of the eighties, and the Spurs Lakers battles a few years back, this is how it is suppossed to be, and even if the magic were to play three more games like tonite, the Lakers will steal one of em and the Lakers will blow them out one of the two at home so relax enjoy the ride.

  449. Brian says

    Props to the Magic for taking a game. I thought they would probably win tonight, but I actually feel better about the Lakers’ chances after the game than I did before.

    If the Magic have to rely on 70% shooting, numerous KB misses at the line, and some very charitable calls (and non-calls) to squeak out a must-win game, then they are in more trouble than I thought.

  450. Lewis says

    Rashard Lewis was very complementary of the Lakers tonight despite the Loss he said in his post game presser that the Lakers were a tough team that fought and scrapped for wins. its nice to hear an opponent give the Lakers props when the media (even local) Is so critical of the team and Its performances even win they win. Lakers In 5

  451. Tsk says

    looks exactly like last year finals. except we are like boston. we played awesome in third game and still won only by 6 or 7 pts. and then came the backbreaking 4th game which we were up by 20 and lost. and that was it.
    i will call next came very critical. no more 30 pt quarters for Orlando. step up the D and we will be ok.

  452. kobelovesjuan says

    anybody hates adande for his dime artcile about kobe not picking up pau after the crucial steal?

    how could kobe pick up pau if pau is on his belly…or he really just want to make a big deal out of it, the usual magnification of the small things kobe does…