Playoffs 2000:X factor: "Other" dynamic duo saves Indy

X factor: "Other" dynamic duo saves Indy
By Greg Collins
ESPN.com


	Jalen Rose bounced back strong from his subpar Game 4, scoring 32 in Game 5.

INDIANAPOLIS -- When you're backed into a corner and need to come out swinging, it's nice to have a good one-two combination.

Indiana had just that in Friday's 120-87 victory in Game 5 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Reggie Miller turned in his third consecutive stellar performance, but it was the resurgence of Jalen Rose that allowed the Pacers to stave off elimination and send the series back to L.A.

Rose, who was invisible with a 14-point Game 4 effort, surpassed that total with a seven-foot hook shot less than four minutes into the second quarter. He had 22 points by halftime on just 12 shots, a picture of efficiency. Rose sank 4 of 5 on 3-pointers and found room to drive to the basket, becoming the perfect complement to Miller in the Pacer offense.

Rose finished with a team-high 32 points on 12 for 18 shooting; Miller had 25 on 7 for 12 shooting.

"I liked the way (Jalen) was scoring early," Pacer coach Larry Bird said. "Jalen was spectacular."

With Rose and Miller connecting on 15 of 21 shots in the first half, the Pacers built a 19-point lead. Rose was making nearly every shot imaginable, which meant no one Laker small forward could hope to handle him. Put Glen Rice on him and Rose drove past him. The smaller Rick Fox gave Rice room to take the jumper and he made the Lakers pay. And when Kobe Bryant was on Rose, it surprisingly wasn't much of a contest. "(Jalen) is very good with the ball," Bird said. "He can take quick dribbles and pull up. He keeps the defense off balance. When he's hitting his shots, it's almost impossible to stop him."

Miller chipped in with his fourth-straight 20-plus scoring night of the series. His effort gave Indiana a two-pronged offense that in Game 4 had seemed like Miller's one-man band.

"They are the duo that has carried us most of the season," Travis Best said. "When those two are playing well, we are a tough team."

Laker coach Phil Jackson said he expected Rose to respond to his 5 for 16 performance in Game 4 -- just not that strongly.

From the beginning, you could see a connection between Rose and Miller. All three of Rose's first-quarter assists came on Miller buckets.

"When Jalen gets it going, they forget about Reggie sometimes and he'll pop it from the outside," Bird said. "Jalen's a playmaker. When they close up on him, he can drive it, find people. Together when they got it going like they did tonight, they?re fun to watch."

Miller started fast, scoring five of the Pacers' first seven points. Then Rose got into it with a 3-pointer of his own, something Miller welcomes because it takes pressure of the Pacer sharpshooter.

And when Rose tired, Miller was already into the flow and ready to step up.

"When Jalen sees Reggie getting off and into the game, he wants to do the same thing," Sam Perkins said. "He doesn't want to feel left out."

So where was the Lakers' magnificent one-two punch of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant during all this? Shaq showed up like he always does, netting 35 points and 11 rebounds. But Bryant, who 48 hours earlier had become a transcendant force in the Lakers' OT win, couldn't find the hoop with both hands and a step ladder.

Bryant finished 4 of 20 from the field for just eight points. In both games coming off his ankle injury, he has been unable to get to the free throw line.

"Anytime you're a young player, you're going to have your great moments and you're going to have moments when you struggle," Rose said of Bryant's subpar Game 5.

Rose did his job defensively, switching over to Bryant after Reggie Miller picked up his first foul. Shots that fell for Kobe in Game 4 -- especially his effortless pull-up jumpers -- were off by just enough in Game 5 to give Bryant a very ugly line in the box score.

"We wanted to be champions tonight," Bryant said. "Unfortunately, it didn't happen. So we're a little disappointed, but it's really no biggie when you think about it."

Jackson said that Bryant just didn't find his rhythm. If the Lakers want to avoid seeing this series go to Game 7, they'll not only need to get Bryant back into the flow of the offense, but devise a knockout punch to slow down the Pacers' one-two combo of Rose and Miller.