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Monday, April 29 Updated: June 10, 12:49 AM ET Bryant shoots down Nets in fourth quarter By Joe Lago ESPN.com EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Kobe Bryant flexed his right bicep and pointed at it after muscling through a double team to sink the jump shot that denied the New Jersey Nets the defensive stop they so desperately needed.
"I was like No. 34 out there," Bryant joked. Bryant dominated Game 3 of the NBA Finals like Shaquille O'Neal had done in the Los Angeles Lakers' two previous victories. O'Neal powered his way to 35 points and 11 rebounds Sunday, but in the decisive moments of L.A.'s 106-103 victory at Continental Airlines Arena, Bryant made the biggest impact. Twice in the final 2:17, Bryant sank back-breaking shots to give the Lakers the breathing room of a four-point lead. But we're not talking easy, shoot-behind-a-screen jumpers. No, we're talking:
Bryant called the latter shot "one of the toughest" he has ever had to make, considering the first-team, all-defensive status of Kidd. "It was just a matter of wanting it," Bryant said. "If I would have lost possession of the basketball, we would have been in overtime. Who knows what might have happened?" "Kerry almost came up with a big steal when Kobe turned right into him," Kidd said. "It's just one bounce, you know. If Kerry steals the ball at that point, Kobe doesn't make that shot over me."
The Lakers turned to Bryant after O'Neal found himself trapped in the middle of the Nets' zone defense. Bryant, patiently waiting to take center stage after scoring 22 and 24 points in a supporting role, performed right on cue. He scored 12 of his game-high 36 points in the final quarter, taking nine of the Lakers' 15 shots from the field. Bryant made five of them, while O'Neal made his one and only attempt. Bryant's big-game ability reminds Nets coach Byron Scott of another Lakers guard with the same knack for the dramatic. "Magic (Johnson) is one of the greatest of all time. Kobe's on his way," said Scott in comparing the two. "They both had that competitiveness and that drive to be the best. They both want the ball when the game is on the line." "Kobe is 24 years old," Scott added. "He's got a lot more years left in this league and he's going to get better. That's the scary part." Joe Lago is the NBA editor for ESPN.com. |
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