Thematically, I would say it’s about people being on fire.
2009-06-12
Well, first things first: I will never say anything bad about Derek Fisher ever again. He could start launching the ball at his own basket for the first 40 games of next season and keep his starting job. Honestly, if there’s one guy who I’m happy about making me look like an absolute and total idiot, it’s Fisher, who deserves sucess in this league just about as much as anyone else.
But man, what a tough game to watch, even if you don’t like the Magic. My stomach wrenches for Zach and Ben Q. Rock right now. As bad as our losses against the Magic were, especially game 1, nothing approaced this level of pain. God, 5 points in 35 seconds? That is as brutal as it gets.
I mean, I still haven’t fully wrapped my mind around the fact the Lakers won this game. They did absolutely nothing that should’ve meant victory. I mean, here are your stretch possessions:
With 2:35 left, Kobe makes a wild drive and throws the ball away-the ball gets deflected, the Lakers retain, and Trevor Ariza (WHO THE MAGIC GAVE AWAY FOR NOBODY LAST YEAR WHY DOES NOBODY MENTION THIS) bombs in a broken-play, contested, off-the-bounce 29-footer to tie the game.
Hedo Turkoglu makes up for some missed free throws with an ice-cold step-back three and a floater to put the Magic up 5.
Kobe misses a three (that looked 0n-line)
The Magic run the clock, get it to a wide-open Rashard Lewis, who pump-fakes up and gets a wide-open free throw jumper that he clanks, and the Magic can’t get back on defense because Dwight Howard is being held on the rebound.
Kobe makes an absolutely beautiful two-for-one fast-break play, throwing one of the prettiest dimes to Pau Gasol you’re going to see and allowing the Lakers to not have to foul.
Howard gets it directly under the basket and gets arm-dragged to the ground by Kobe, then misses two free throws, either of which would have essentially iced it. One of the most painful sports scenarios imaginable.
The Magic allow a three. Good God.
Pietrus fires up a terrible leaning jumper.
Overtime: Magic go cold, Kobe throws in two jumpers, gets away with an elbow on Jameer Nelson while making the pass, and Fisher hits the three. 2-8 from the field in the fourth quarter with 1 assist and one turnover, 2-5 in overtime with the one previously mentioned assist to Fisher.
So for those of you keeping score at home, Kobe is a Courtney Lee layup and a Dwight Howard free throw from losing three straight finals games with questionable crunch-time performances.
But they didn’t go in, and now Kobe’s about to win the most important ring of his career. You know what? Good for him. Sometimes the breaks are going to go your way, and when that happens you should just be grateful. And all of a sudden the Gasol feed, the Fisher pass, and the hard foul on Howard become the plays that needed to be made for the Lakers to pull it out. He didn’t do everything, he wasn’t perfect, and a lot of times he wasn’t even good, but somehow, some way, he did enough. And for a guy who, fairly or unfairly, has a reputation for having a tough time with the concept of “enough,” there’s at least some poetic justice in this being how Kobe, in all likelihood, is going to take a team that’s unequivocally his to the promised land.
In a sick way, a lot of what happened to the Magic tonight was  a dark mirror of everything they did to the Cavs down the stretch:
Dwight Howard missing the free throws after sticking them the whole series against the Cavs, particularly when he went 8-10 from the line in the fourth quarter of Game 3.
Pietrus fires up a terrible jumper on the Magic’s last possession of regulation, just like he did in Game 4, but in that game Howard chased down the rebound and Lewis made the turnaround three on the ensuing possession. Â (Sidebar: What is it that the Lakers do that makes them better at defending inbounds passes than any team in the history of ever?)
And Lewis misses a dagger jumper, after hitting two impossible threes to beat the Cavs in games 1 and 4.
I’ll do a full “The fact that there’s talk of Mike Brown being on the hot seat is the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my natural life” post tomorrow, but for now know that these breaks are the only reason his job is in any sort of crisis in the first place.
Its amazing how a CAVS BLOG WRITER just wrote an entire paragraph, the largest paragraph in the post, on how he is happy for Kobe and winning this is huge, and Laker fans STILL get annoyed by the other stuff they call “bashing.” Are you people retarded? He basically pointed out the obvious (you know, how when you have about 5 terrible possessions in a row down the stretch you don’t usually win), and that upsets you guys? John, don’t listen to the ignorant posters on here (not that you ever have), just keep doin what you’re doin. Good stuff.
well, you know, i hate people with double standards, i think people with double standards are clueless. if the spurs were the ones who gut it out against the magic, you’ll say the spurs is one tough team which can play well in crunch time because of their experience, a disciplined team who executes to perfection when the game is on the line if its kobe and the lakers, they don’t deserve it? Coz they were just lucky? coz magic just made themselves lose? well, you ought to know this, if you say that the lakers didnt derserve the game… Read more »
Wow… Shut up Cavs Dick Rider for saying they don’t deserve the win… Lebronze just didn’t have enough help, thats why he got eliminated. Quit being jealous. Anyways, the Lakers deserve the win, cause they fought hard and never gave up in the end. Another theory that caused bad luck Howard Bricking 2 FTs, next time Don’t let NIck Anderson make the presentation during Pregame.
I believe this is a definite must-read for Cleveland fans on the Chinese Investor situation.
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/JtbataHK
The Lakers inbounds defense is great as a whole because they have so many guys that can switch on picks, but my favorite thing about it is Ariza. It starts with him. In general, he denies the ball and plays the passing lanes off the ball better and with more discipline than anybody I’ve seen in a long time. He has great instincts, quick hands and really wants the ball. And then when he’s playing the passer on an inbounds play, his talents make him even more effective as a deffender. He is excellent at reading the passer and his… Read more »
El Pandejo is a goon, bottom line. As a Magic fan, I can’t even read their blogs right now. It hurts too much. This article pretty much summed it up from an objective standpoint, which is what I’m trying to use to save my sanity. I’ve never been angrier watching a sporting event. Ever. It was worse than giving up the 18 point lead and losing on that Iguodola shot. It was worse than losing to Big Baby’s shot and watching the chubby bastard celebrate on our home court. It was worse then blowing that 14 point lead in Boston.… Read more »
[…] Our man John Krolik gives Kobe some love. […]
Gee, well, I guess that “Peace” made it all OK. Read the entry again. He’s *good* with Kobe. Not every “Kobe isn’t perfect” article is a hater article, and I say that as a Lakers fan and as big a Kobe backer as there is. It’s a lot easier backing Kobe up when you admit there are times when he needs some help. And he got it last night. Ups to John Krolik for not just posting sour grapes. But I think Kobe got away with the elbow because he didn’t extend the elbows. It was not, as they would… Read more »
Well at least Kobe is in the finals, where is Lebronze Now that Kobe isn’t here to help him win a Gold medal? Yeah, at home with the Bronze.
You lose more credibility everytime you pander to your baser instincts. So the Cavs lost to the magic and therefore the Lakers should apologise for winning? What is with the stupid reserved indignation? Lebron could not hack it, not this year, next year or ever. He is a clear out iso player much like Allan Iverson, i see his career panning out like Iverson’s also. Peace.
I think the Lakers length really helps with inbounds plays. It’s just ball denial, which is easier with long arms. The truth is, their defense wasn’t that great on that final play when the ball finally got in (I do give them credit for forcing the extra timeout with great ball-denial D). Pietrus just tried to be Kobe and failed (as Kobe has mostly been doing this series, as you point out). He had passes he could have made to Hedo or Lewis. Howard was also open down low, but obviously he would have gotten hammered and would have had… Read more »
dude you’re writing more consistently now that the cavs season is over.
keep it up.