NBA Finals: Game 3 Recap

This game was over before it even tipped off. The Magic countered the Lakers' Lamar Odom Corollary with their own Gina Marie Incandela Corollary. Orlando came into the game 6-0 when the 7 year old sang the national anthem, so they brought her back to deliver another win. And guess what, she did. But the players on the court had something to do with it too. You knew Orlando wouldn't throw up bricks forever and they came out with guns blazing, shooting a white-hot 75% from the field in the first half (95% on 2-pointers) and set an NBA Finals record with a 62.5% mark for the whole game. Rafer Alston did his usual once-in-a-series hot streak, going 8-12 from the floor for 20 points in 37 minutes of action. Dwight Howard had his best shooting night of the series, finishing up 5-6 from the field and 11-16 from the line for a series best 21 points. The Lakers defended him well for a thrid straight game, but Howard was able to get better position down low, hence the higher field goal percentage and free throw attempts. In fact Dwight Howard shot free throws better than Kobe Bryant on the night. (Go figure!!) Bryant was a disheartening 5-10 from the line, and after a sensational first quarter where he made 7 of his first 9 shots, he cooled off missing 12 of his next 15 shot attempts to go along with his free throw struggles. Yes, the fate of the Lakers in this game should be put squarely on the shoulders of Bryant. Despite struggling mightily from the field in the second half, Bryant kept forcing shots and tried to do it on his own. A crucial turnover in the last minute of the game blew the Lakers' chance to tie the game up (Bryant finished the game with 4 turnovers). He never gave his teammates a chance to help him out, particularly Pau Gasol. It is a crime that Gasol only took 11 shots. By comparison, Trevor Ariza took 13. Trevor Ariza should NEVER take more shots than Gasol, especially not on a night when Pau was shooting nearly 82% from the floor (23 pts, 9-11 fg for Gasol). It's on Kobe to recognize that and get him the ball instead of trying to win the game on his own. The first quarter was a perfect example of how the Lakers should run their offense. With the Magic jumping out to double Kobe again, Bryant willingly gave the ball up and got 3 quick assists. This forced Orlando to stay at home on their assignments and Bryant was able to take over against single coverage. As the game went on and Bryant continued to shoot, the Magic went back to doubling him, only Bryant stopped giving the ball up and forced things on his own. The Lakers' offense stagnated and points became hard to come by. The Magic on the other hand enjoyed their best offensive performance in quite some time. They adjusted to their shooting woes and the Lakers' hard closeouts by putting the ball on the deck and getting to the rim. The Magic attempted only 14 threes and guys like Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, and Courtney Lee pump faked the jumpers they normally take and drove the ball to the rim for easy baskets. This helped them on their way to a record shooting night. The Magic also improved to 1-0 in the Finals when J.J. Redick does not play (good coaching adjustment there by Stan Van Gundy). The Lakers followed the Lamar Odom Corollary, losing a game in which he did not play well. Sure, he was 4-6 from the field, but the points came in 2 quick bursts. He disappeared for long stretches, went 3-5 on free throws, could not stop anyone defensively, and only managed to come up with 2 rebounds in 32 minutes of play (Odom was a team worst -6 on the court). However, the Lakers and their fans should only feel better about this series after this loss. The Magic shot an NBA Finals record from the field (Think that's gonna happen again?), Dwight Howard shot better than Kobe Bryant from the free throw line (Think that's gonna happen again?), the best closer in the game absolutely faltered down the stretch (Think that's gonna happen again?), the Magic shot better from the FIELD than the the Lakers shot from the FREE THROW LINE (Think that's gonna happen again?), only one Laker grabbed at least 5 rebounds (Think that's gonna happen again?), there was a DJ Mbenga sighting in the first quarter (Think THAT'S gonna happen again???), and the Magic still barely won this game at HOME. The Lakers have to feel good about their chances to take 1 of the next 2 games in Orlando...unless Gina Marie Incandela is singing the national anthem. Then they're in for some battles.