NBA Finals: Game 4 Recap

Unfortunately for Orlando, J.J. Redick cancels out Gina Marie Incandela's magic, as the Magic are now 0-3 in the Finals when Redick plays. Beyond that, this game proved that the Lakers learned their lesson from last year. As a Lakers fan, this is exactly how you want them to play. Tough, gritty, savvy, the Lakers played like champions in one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history. This was a game in which nothing went right in the first half. Everyone was struggling to score the ball, and the Lakers' bigs were all in foul trouble. In fact at one point in the first half Los Angeles' front court consisted of Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga (I certainly never envisioned seeing that pair out there in the Finals). But the Lakers soldiered on. They came out in the second half with an air of toughness and resiliency they had consistently failed to show the past couple of seasons. A 12 point haltime deficit was erased midway through the 3rd quarter with lockdown defense and big shots from Trevor Ariza. Ariza made his presence felt in the second half, with clutch threes (his 3-pointer in the 4th quarter with the shot clock winding down to tie the game at 82 was HUGE), big steals, hustle (he got an offensive rebound late in overtime that led to the Derek Fisher dagger), and energy. Ariza's line for the game-- 16 points, 3-4 3pt, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, team high +15 on the court. Kobe Bryant didn't scowl as much, but he played like a bad man just the same. He ripped down crucial rebounds, fought Howard down low on switches, and made two incredibly heady plays that led to the Fisher game-tying three. With the Lakers down 5 and under 35 seconds left to play, Bryant streaked toward the basket looking for a quick deuce. With 3 Orlando defenders swooping in on him, Kobe spun through them and somehow had the vision to find a trailing Pau Gasol for the flush instead of forcing a tough layup. Then on the ensuing Magic posession, Bryant found himself switched onto Howard in the low post. After Orlando fed Howard the ball, Kobe did exactly what he should have done and dragged Howard to the floor before he could get the ball out of his hands. Forced to make two clutch free throws, Howard choked and bricked both, leaving the Lakers hope with 10.8 seconds left, down by three. Enter Derek Fisher...and the rest is history. At that point, D-Fish was 0-5 on threes in the game, but he stepped into his next one with just as much confidence as any other and drained it over Jameer Nelson to force overtime. In the final minute of the extra period, Fisher hit his second consecutive three to break a 91 all tie and effectively crush Orlando's hope. The veteran's experience paid off. And who says Pau Gasol is soft?? The Lakers big man was tough as nails Thursday night, grappling with Howard for position down low, and getting himself going in the second half. His hustle late in the game sealed the deal for the Lakers, as he ran down an errant Rashard Lewis tap back and rammed it home for the win. Then when he was nearly mutilated from behind by Mickael Pietrus (whoa...that sounded awkward), Pau dropped the nice guy act and appropriately went after him. The first two words Gasol had for Pietrus? "F*** You!!" It was 16 more points, 10 more rebounds, and 1 very clear message from Gasol that he is not to be taken lightly. What made this comeback even more improbable was the free throw disparity. While the Magic helped by missing a total of 15 free throws, the refs gave them plenty of opportunities to make up for them. From the start of the 4th quarter until the Pietrus flagrant with 3 seconds left in overtime, the Magic attempted 19 free throws to the Lakers' 0. That's right, in the most critical and physical stretch of the game Orlando was awarded 19 free throws and Los Angeles NONE. You have GOT to be kidding me!! But the ball don't lie, as Orlando missed several crucial free throws, including the pair Howard had to seal the game in regulation. This was a championship victory for the Lakers. Yeah, the blowouts are nice and cozy, but it is in a situation like this where champions show their true colors. When you are struggling and have everything going against you on the road against a great team, and you can find a way to come back and gut out a huge win, you know you're deserving of that trophy. Now all that's left for the Lakers to do is to close the deal.