LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant, using his shooting hand as a defibrillator, resuscitated the NBA Finals.
Instead of a lifeless 3-0 series, the Finals are now a lively 2-1, thanks to Bryant’s two clutch shots in the final 1:06 of Tuesday night’s Game 3.
The Lakers’ 87-81 win against the Celtics brought plenty of sighs of relief, notably from the NBA, banking on this dream series to be a series, and from, really, all of Los Angeles, worried that its MVP was MIA.
But there he was in the fourth quarter, with that look.
Bryant hit 12-of-20 shots and finished with 36 points. He played smothering defense, notably on Paul Pierce down the stretch. Bryant wouldn’t let his team lose.
Asked the difference between his team’s two losses and one win, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, “Undoubtedly, it’s the leadership of Kobe Bryant.”
After Game 2, sports fans and commentators sounded like Big Brown’s trainer, essentially calling a Game 3 Lakers win “a foregone conclusion.”
How could the Lakers let it go to 3-0?
But for much of the night, Boston played right with the home team, muting the home crowd so much that you could hear Jack Nicholson moan from the cheap seats. After three quarters, the Celtics led by two points and the Lakers’ four starters not named Bryant combined for 13 points.
But in the fourth quarter, Sasha Vujacic, whom Bryant called “a machine,” made two clutch 3-pointers. The second came in front of the Boston bench, which gave the Lakers a five-point lead with 1:53 left.
“He’s a bit of a rockhead,” Jackson said. “He believes in himself very sincerely that he’s going to make the next one, and you have to be that way if you’re going to have the guts to go out there and do it. Sasha is always going to make the next shot.”
Enter Bryant. When he hit a tough, top-of-the-key jumper with 1:06 left, the lead was seven. His dagger then came with 38 seconds left, a leaner in the lane for a six-point lead, scoring the game’s final basket.
“We’re playing a great defensive team; they’re going to take something away,” Bryant said. “The important thing for us is to figure out how to win despite that, and that’s the key if you want to win a championship.”
Pierce, the L.A.-bred star with a flare for the dramatic, had a performance worthy of being straight-to-video. He was awful. Pierce scored just six points in 31 1/2 minutes (seldom-used Eddie House scored six points, too). Pierce made two field-goal attempts, missing 12, and he also turned the ball over three times, including once down the stretch in the fourth. Pierce wasn’t the only lackluster star Tuesday — the Lakers’ Lamar Odom scored just four points and Pau Gasol had only nine — but Pierce’s importance to the Celtics was even more apparent in defeat.
“Putting Kobe on Pierce was the difference in tonight’s game,” Jackson said. “It was more difficult for him to work to get free.”
Said Bryant: “I just tried to stay with him. He’s a tough cover. He’s a bad boy. He’s extremely versatile, goes left, goes right, shoots it. I just tried to make it as tough as I can for him.”
After Game 2, in which the Lakers had 10 total free throws and Celtics reserve James Posey had 13, Jackson was outspoken about the disparity. Sure enough, in Game 3, the Lakers went to the line 34 times while Boston went just 22.
“I’m just surprised he didn’t whine about the fouls tonight,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said of Jackson. “But I told our guys: Listen, you had a chance to win, but don’t be delusional. That team attacked you, they were the aggressor. They went to the line and they deserved it. . . . They played harder.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
HERO
Kobe Bryant.
Of course. The MVP was scintillating, scoring 36 points. But reserve Sasha Vujacic scored 20 points in 27 1/2 minutes, including a late 3-point dagger. He was the X-factor, shooting 7-for-10 from the field.
ZERO
Lamar Odom.
The Lakers forward again failed to be a factor offensively. Odom scored only four points, hitting just 2-of-9 shots. After playing so many memorable games in earlier playoff rounds, Odom has yet to break out against the sturdy Boston frontcourt.
X’S AND O’S
Pierce shut down.
Stingy defense from the Lakers helped keep Paul Pierce from exploding as he did in the Celtics’ two victories in Boston. Pierce scored only six points in Game 3 and missed 12 of the 14 shots he took.
WINNING TIME
Big basket.
With 38 seconds left, Bryant hit a leaner in the middle of the paint to give the Lakers an 87-81 lead.
THE SCENE
Star attractions.
Naturally, the Staples Center was sparkling with celebrities, notably David Beckham, Sly Stallone, Steven Spielberg, David Cook of “American Idol,” Hilary Duff, Jack Nicholson (of course) and Dustin Hoffman.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
