| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant said he felt like he was in his backyard, counting down the seconds.
|  | | Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd show the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat after the decisive play. |
"Ten, nine, eight," he said with a smile. "Everything was
going in slow motion. It's a situation you dream about as a kid."
Some would say Bryant's still a kid at age 21, but he performed
like a veteran down the stretch Wednesday night, making a 15-foot
jumper over Jason Kidd with 2.6 seconds left to give the Los
Angeles Lakers a 97-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns and a 2-0 lead
in the Western Conference semifinals.
The basket, which Bryant called the biggest in his four-year career, at least so far, capped a performance he acknowledged was below-par.
"I never got in the flow of the game, foul trouble kept me from
getting me in synch with my teammates," said Bryant, who had 15
points, six assists and four rebounds along with five turnovers in
34 minutes. "They played harder tonight, they got to the loose
balls, but we won."
Bryant's big basket was the first field goal for the Lakers
since Shaquille O'Neal's three-point play with 4:31 left gave them
a 91-86 lead.
The Suns went ahead 96-94 on Penny Hardaway's follow shot off a
fast-break miss by Cliff Robinson with 46.8 seconds left, and
Bryant made 1-of-2 free throws three seconds later to cut the
Phoenix lead to one point.
O'Neal, who had 38 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots,
swatted a runner by Hardaway in the lane to set the stage for
Bryant, who took Jason Kidd one-on-one, and won.
"Kobe double-pumped and made a tough shot," Kidd said. "We
didn't want him to get to the basket. I thought I played pretty
good defense. You've got to give him credit."
Robinson led the Suns with a career playoff-high 30 points, and
Hardaway, who missed a desperation shot as time expired, had 27
points and eight assists.
"It's disappointing, especially after fighting so hard in the
fourth quarter to give us an opportunity to win the game,"
Robinson said. "We're feeling good about going home."
The best-of-seven series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday
night and Game 4 on Sunday.
Glen Rice added 13 for the Lakers and reserves Brian Shaw and Robert Horry had 12 each.
"I am a little disappointed in the players today," Lakers
coach Phil Jackson said. "They came out (in the fourth quarter)
with a lot of energy and put the game in jeopardy and we were lucky
to pull it out.
"We probably did not deserve that win other than the fact that
we were willing to play some defense."
Kidd, shrugging off a sore left ankle, played 43 minutes and had
13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Only seven teams in NBA history have rallied from a 2-0 deficit
to win a series, and considering the Lakers are 6-0 against Phoenix
this season and 18-3 in the last 21 games between the teams, the
Suns' chances wouldn't appear very good.
However, the Suns certainly gave the favored Lakers all they
could handle in Game 2.
"Nobody was really happy with the effort that we put forth
tonight," O'Neal said. "But Kobe hit a fabulous shot and we got
lucky."
Robinson's two free throws with 1:05 to play tied the game at
94, and Hardaway's follow shot gave the Suns their first lead since
early in the second quarter.
The Lakers led 74-65 entering the fourth period, but with
Robinson leading the way, the Suns went on a 14-7 run to draw
within two points.
O'Neal's basket and foul shot gave the Lakers a five-point lead,
but then came the drought in which Los Angeles was limited to four
free throws in being outscored by six points.
It was uncertain until gametime whether Kidd, playing just his
third game since breaking his left ankle March 22, would play
because of soreness he experienced during and after Sunday's game,
when he was mostly ineffective in 39 minutes.
He was much better Wednesday night.
"My ankle feels good, although tomorrow will be the key," he
said. "I never favored it."
The Suns, who used mostly single coverage on O'Neal in Game 1,
sagged in on him much more, but for the most part, it didn't seem
to matter what they did since he controlled the inside.
O'Neal made two straight baskets under heavy pressure early in
the third quarter to put the Lakers ahead 56-46. Los Angeles led by
as many as 13 before settling for their nine-point lead entering
the fourth quarter.
Game notes
NBA commissioner David Stern presented O'Neal with his MVP
trophy at midcourt before the game. O'Neal came within one vote of
becoming the first-ever unanimous winner of the award. ... A
beautiful arrangement of flowers from a Chicago admirer awaited
O'Neal at his locker before the game. ... The Lakers have won 22 of
their last 23 games at Staples Center. ... Suns forward Tom
Gugliotta, who underwent season-ending knee surgery March 17, said
he expects to be 100 percent healthy next season. "It's difficult,
all the stuff we went through this season, a lot of it caused by
myself," he said of having to watch from the sidelines. "The team
is starting to come together." Gugliotta was selected to the U.S
Olympic basketball team, but was replaced by Vince Carter following
his injury. ... The Lakers have won the opener of a seven-game
series 42 times, and emerged winners on 35 of those occasions,
including eight sweeps.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Suns do everything right ... except win
RECAPS
Indiana 97
Philadelphia 89
LA Lakers 97
Phoenix 96
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Coach Phil Jackson was not pleased with the Lakers' 4th quarter performance.
wav: 170 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Robert Horry is pleased the Lakers have home court advantage.
wav: 103 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
A disappointed Shaq felt the Lakers got lucky.
wav: 68 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
