POINTSHAVERS.COM 4/22/09 - Public bettors felt the sting of another LA Lakers fourth quarter meltdown. The Lakers (favored by 11.5) led the Utah Jazz comfortably by a margin of 15 points as late as the fourth quarter. The Lakers led 96-81 with a little over 9 minutes remaining; and, it looked like the game was on the virge of getting out of hand.
But almost as if "On Cue" Bryant and the LA Lakers wasted several possessions and played little to no defense on the other end giving Utah a chance to tie the game with under 2 minutes left. Are you kidding me?
Utah's fourth quarter run was fueled by (PG) Deron Williams who recorded a career playoff high with 35 points.
"It's Deron Williams being a bad boy" said Kobe Bryant after the game.
Well, it's easy to be a bad boy in the paint when LA Lakers enforcer (C) Andrew Bynum spends most of the fourth quarter on the bench. Yet another strange move by coach Phil Jackson who wanted the Lakers to win more decisively in Game 2 after coasting to a 113-100 victory in Game 1.
Jackson wants the Lakers to play "playoff basketball" for four quarters en route to their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance. But it's awfully hard to play a high level of basketball with your best defensive player on the bench. It would seem like Phil would want to put Bynum back in the game; but I guess he wants to keep an eye on that bum knee...you know...that same knee that was used to hoist Playmate Nicole Narain on Bynum's shoulders at the Playboy Mansion party a few weeks back. Yeah...bum knee...I get it.
But to add insult to injury...the Lakers had even more drama in store for those brave souls who laid the 11.5 in anticipation of a rare Laker double-digit cover.
Down 109-106, the Jazz missed a golden opportunity to tie the game with a little over 3 minutes left. The Lakers took possesion and responded with a game-changing layup that put the Lakers up 111-106.
And miraculously...after two missed free throws by Gasol, several missed shots by Kobe Bryant, three turnovers by Derek Fisher, and offensive basket interference....the Lakers found themselves up by nine with Kobe Bryant stepping to the free throw line with two shots and 30 seconds left in the game (that's a lot of time in the NBA).
But a wide camera shot on free throw 1 of 1 could not hide the obvious. Bryant hurled a projectile at the rim that hit the back iron so hard that it could be heard in every corner of the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
But all hope is not lost! Bryant hits the second which puts the Lakers up by ten. A Utah miss and two more Laker free throws seal the cover.
The Lakers defense all but escorts Jazz PG Deron Williams to the three point line; but Deron barely draws iron and the rebound caroms over to Laker F Lamar Odom.
After the Jazz refuse to foul, Odom passes upcourt to Fisher who dribbles uncontested to the hoop for an easy layup that would have guaranteed a Laker cover. But not only did Fisher dribble out the clock, he literally dribbled the air out of the building when he gave his former team the cover last night.
Lakers win...but don't cover....
The OVER 212 came in comfortably though....
But almost as if "On Cue" Bryant and the LA Lakers wasted several possessions and played little to no defense on the other end giving Utah a chance to tie the game with under 2 minutes left. Are you kidding me?
Utah's fourth quarter run was fueled by (PG) Deron Williams who recorded a career playoff high with 35 points.
"It's Deron Williams being a bad boy" said Kobe Bryant after the game.
Well, it's easy to be a bad boy in the paint when LA Lakers enforcer (C) Andrew Bynum spends most of the fourth quarter on the bench. Yet another strange move by coach Phil Jackson who wanted the Lakers to win more decisively in Game 2 after coasting to a 113-100 victory in Game 1.
Jackson wants the Lakers to play "playoff basketball" for four quarters en route to their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance. But it's awfully hard to play a high level of basketball with your best defensive player on the bench. It would seem like Phil would want to put Bynum back in the game; but I guess he wants to keep an eye on that bum knee...you know...that same knee that was used to hoist Playmate Nicole Narain on Bynum's shoulders at the Playboy Mansion party a few weeks back. Yeah...bum knee...I get it.
But to add insult to injury...the Lakers had even more drama in store for those brave souls who laid the 11.5 in anticipation of a rare Laker double-digit cover.
Down 109-106, the Jazz missed a golden opportunity to tie the game with a little over 3 minutes left. The Lakers took possesion and responded with a game-changing layup that put the Lakers up 111-106.
And miraculously...after two missed free throws by Gasol, several missed shots by Kobe Bryant, three turnovers by Derek Fisher, and offensive basket interference....the Lakers found themselves up by nine with Kobe Bryant stepping to the free throw line with two shots and 30 seconds left in the game (that's a lot of time in the NBA).
But a wide camera shot on free throw 1 of 1 could not hide the obvious. Bryant hurled a projectile at the rim that hit the back iron so hard that it could be heard in every corner of the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
But all hope is not lost! Bryant hits the second which puts the Lakers up by ten. A Utah miss and two more Laker free throws seal the cover.
The Lakers defense all but escorts Jazz PG Deron Williams to the three point line; but Deron barely draws iron and the rebound caroms over to Laker F Lamar Odom.
After the Jazz refuse to foul, Odom passes upcourt to Fisher who dribbles uncontested to the hoop for an easy layup that would have guaranteed a Laker cover. But not only did Fisher dribble out the clock, he literally dribbled the air out of the building when he gave his former team the cover last night.
Lakers win...but don't cover....
The OVER 212 came in comfortably though....