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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- On the brink of one of the greatest collapses
in NBA playoff history, the Los Angeles Lakers found the heart so
many suspected they didn't have.
In just over 10 magnificent minutes, the team that almost blew
it all mounted the biggest fourth-quarter comeback ever in a Game
7.
"It took everything we had," Lakers forward Glen Rice said.
"We were down 15 and time was running out. The big thing was we
didn't panic."
|  | | Kobe Bryant, taking Scottie Pippen to the hoop hard in the second quarter, led the Lakers with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. |
Los Angeles, on the verge of losing three straight games for the
first time all season, went on a 15-0 run to erase that 15-point
Portland lead and went on to beat the Trail Blazers 89-84 Sunday
and win the Western Conference championship.
Before Sunday, the biggest comeback in a Game 7 was a mere six
points.
"This is what makes champions," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said.
"We watched Game 7s growing up all the time, and to finally play
in one is a real thrill."
Los Angeles advances to the NBA Finals for the first time since
1991 with Game 1 on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers in the
Staples Center. The Lakers will hard-pressed to top this one,
though.
The home-court advantage the Lakers earned with 67 regular-season
victories proved invaluable as Los Angeles mounted its memorable
rally.
"Game 7s are very interesting, but I've never seen any quite
like that one before," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who is
trying to bring a title to Los Angeles after winning six with
Chicago.
Shaquille O'Neal, rendered ineffective most of the game by
Portland's double- and triple-teaming defense, scored nine points
in the fourth quarter, punctuating the rally with a thundering dunk
on a lob pass from Bryant that put Los Angeles ahead 85-79 with 40
seconds to play.
The usually unemotional O'Neal waved his index fingers at the
crowd with an amazed expression on his face as he ran down the court.
"They were playing their best ball the whole game and we were
just scratching and clawing," O'Neal said. "The Blazers are a
fabulous team and this is probably a rivalry that's going to last
throughout my entire career."
O'Neal had 18 points and nine rebounds and was 8-of-12 from the
free-throws line, including two that tied the game at 77 with 2:44
to play.
"My father once told me that even if you shoot 99 percent and
don't make the ones you're supposed to make, nothing else
matters," O'Neal said.
Bryant, the other half of the superstar tandem that is supposed
to lead this franchise back to its historic greatness, had 25
points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots. He made
just six of 12 free throws, but he sank two from the line to put
the Lakers ahead for good, 81-79, with 1:34 remaining.
Brian Shaw made three crucial 3-pointers for the Lakers, one at
the end of the third quarter and two during the big fourth-quarter
rally. He and Rice each scored 11 points.
Rasheed Wallace scored 30 points on 13-for-26 shooting but had
six of the Blazers' 13 consecutive misses during the Lakers' run
that wiped out a 75-60 lead. Wallace also missed two free throws
with Portland trailing 81-79 with 1:25 to go.
Scottie Pippen, brought to Portland to provide the leadership
the team needed to win a championship, fouled out with 25 seconds
to go with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He was just 3-of-10 from the
field.
Steve Smith scored 18 points for Portland but was just 1-for-5
from the field in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers trailed 71-58 after three quarters but outscored
Portland 31-13 in the fourth. After shooting 50 percent through
three quarters, the Blazers shot 22 percent in the fourth
(5-for-23).
"We did a lot of things right most of the night," Portland
coach Mike Dunleavy said, "but in the fourth quarter we just
couldn't make shots."
After Ron Harper made one of two free throws to put the Lakers
ahead 86-82 with 32 seconds remaining, Smith drove the lane but the
ball was knocked away with no foul called despite a lot of contact.
Bryant missed two free throws with 25 seconds to go, but again
Portland couldn't capitalize. Robert Horry, who was 4-for-6 from
the line in the final minute and scored 12 points, made two free
throws with 17 seconds to go to boost the lead to 88-82, and the
Blazers were finished.
Pippen, who has six championship rings but none without Michael
Jordan as a teammate, scored nine points in the first quarter but
made one of seven shots after that.
"It's tough to swallow right now and I'm sure it will be all
summer," Pippen said.
But he said the fourth-quarter failure shouldn't obscure how the
Blazers fought back in this series.
"Nobody expected us to push them so hard. Nobody gave us a
chance when we were down 3-1," Pippen said. "There's more to feel
proud of than there is to be down about."
The Trail Blazers, who had beaten the Lakers twice in Los
Angeles in the playoffs, were trying to become the seventh team to
come back from being down 3-1 to win a series and the first to do
it in the conference finals.
Most of the evening, they looked as if they would.
As had been the case throughout the series, Portland took an
early lead.
Damon Stoudamire, Smith and Pippen hit consecutive 3-pointers in
a 13-0 run that put Portland ahead 19-9.
The Lakers cut it to three late in the second half, the last
time on Bryant's stuff shot that made it 42-39 just before the
halftime buzzer.
Los Angeles outscored Portland 10-4 to start the third quarter
to go ahead 49-48 on Rice's drive to the basket for a three-point
play with 6:22 left in the period.
Wallace's two free throws put Portland back ahead 50-49, then
Rice made a 19-footer to give Los Angeles a 51-50 lead.
Then, led by Smith, the Blazers took over.
Smith scored the first seven points, and 10 overall, in a 21-4
run that put the Blazers up 61-55 on Pippen's 3-pointer, his only
basket after the first quarter, with 20 seconds left in the third
quarter. Shaw's banked 3-pointer made it 71-58 after three.
The Lakers showed no signs of mounting that big finish early in
the fourth quarter. Bonzi Wells made two free throws with 10:28 to
play to give Portland a 75-60 lead.
But O'Neal's basket started the big run, then Shaw hit a 3 and
the biggest 10½ minutes of the Lakers' season had begun.
When it was over, Pippen went to Harper, his old Chicago
teammate, and said something.
"I just wished him good luck," Pippen said, "and said 'Go win
them a championship.' "
Game
notes
O'Neal took just nine shots and made five. ... The Lakers
and Indiana split two games in the regular season. ... The Lakers
won the season series with Portland 6-5. ... The Blazers were never
called for an illegal defense, despite Los Angeles coach Phil
Jackson's pre-game lobbying. ... Portland center Arvydas Sabonis
fouled out with 2:44 to go. ... The Lakers haven't won a title
since 1988.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Portland Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Ex-Blazer Shaw keys Laker comeback
Blazers' hopes disappear along with 15-point lead
Finals long time coming for all Pacers
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Kobe Bryant explains his ally-oop to Shaq.
wav: 70 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Shaquille O'Neal says the Lakers still have work to do.
wav: 95 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Dunleavy would like to have one more game against the Lakers.
wav: 103 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Scottie Pippen is disappointed with the Blazers' fourth quarter.
wav: 120 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brian Shaw explains his big 3-pointer and Shaq's role in Game 7.
wav: 451 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brian Shaw tells how the Lakers overcame the Blazers' lead Sunday.
wav: 451 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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