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May 01, 2006
Ross Siler: Nobody does the playoffs better . . .
. . . than the Lakers. You can officially set your watch to expect a finish that defies belief every two years. You've got the 15-point comeback against the Blazers in the 2000 conference finals, the Robert Horry 3-pointer in the 2002 conference finals and Derek Fisher's turnaround with 0.4 seconds left in the 2004 conference semifinals against San Antonio.
Then there was this afternoon's game and the first fantastic finish for a new era. Three of the moments have happened at Staples Center and one on the road. I'm curious how you would rank the four.
As great as Kobe's 81-point game was - - and I will always remember sitting on press row numb in the second half as the numbers kept getting bigger - - I'm sure the Lakers will remember today's game more. So many players had a hand in it, from Smush to Luke to Lamar to Devean.
I've leave you with a stat to remember: It's 16 for 18, the number of free throws Steve Nash has made in this series. If Smush Parker does anything but steal that ball, the Lakers would have lost the game. I likened it to one e-mailer as the equivalent of Gagne's 84-game save streak coming to an end in the ninth inning of the NLCS.
All the Suns had to do was get Nash to the line and they win the game. They had the game's best closer on the mound. Now the Lakers have three chances to close out the Suns starting Tuesday in Phoenix.
Posted by Ross Siler at May 1, 2006 12:06 AM
Comments
Yesterday's game was really special because it was much more than just a miraculous finish, of which we as Laker fans have had more than our fair share. It was the coming of age for this Laker team, much like the game 7 against Portland in 2000 was a coming of age for that team.
Moments like this are even rarer than the Horry three, or the Fisher 0.4. And that's because moments like this change the very nature of the team - the degree to which they believe in each other, the extent to which they can impose their will on their opponents, the capacity of their resilience, and all those other things that go into the makeup of a championship team.
The three-peat Lakers changed that fateful game 7 against Portland, coming from an improbable 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. That era saw its peak when the Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs to win the championship the following year. But, as it always does, competition caught up with them and they were fortunate to eek out one more ring from that core team.
I'm not predicting a ring for these Lakers this year, but I am hopeful for what they can become.
And, lest we forget, we have an 18-year old 7-footer developing under the tutelage of the same coaches that made this miracle possible. The future looks bright, indeed.
Posted by: Charles at May 1, 2006 10:15 AM
I watched John Stockton for years. He led his team to many play-offs. He was rewarded with the all time assist leader. John Stockton never won an MVP and he is not a bad defensive player. Dallas allowed a future MVP to move on and yet they are playing better than ever. Nash is now going to have to play defense against some guards that take it to the hole. He won't have Smush Parker to kick around. What more does Kobe have to do? Tim Duncan MVP has rings, KObe rings no MVP. Then I have to hear the analyst on ESPN say they shut Kobe down in the second half. Don't these guys watch their own telecasts. Jackson said that he told Kobe in order for them to get back into the game he has to spread the ball around. Idiots.
Posted by: michael franco at May 8, 2006 01:33 PM