LOS ANGELES — Leather-laden fate whirred in the air over the defenders, into the hands of an Orlando Magic guard. Game 2 of the NBA Finals was up in the air too. Orlando’s Courtney Lee pushed the ball toward the backboard, with a chance to steal a victory at the Staples Center. But as clock’s final tick clicked, the ball clanked off the rim. Fate was deflated.
In overtime Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers ascended like the giants they are, defeating the Magic 101-96. The Lakers, who routed the Magic 100-75 in Game 1, have a 2-0 series lead heading to Orlando for Game 3 on Tuesday. Only three teams have ever come back to win the NBA Finals after trailing the series 2-0.
Asked about execution, Lakers star Kobe Bryant said, “That’s what great teams do. You’ve got to have other guys step up and make big plays.”
The Lakers are Kobe. He is the thumping heart, kept alive by his cold blood. But this isn’t a solo act. This is a team — and as Nuggets fans know so well, when the “other” Lakers are clicking, they’re pretty much overwhelming.
After Sunday’s game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson admitted: “I didn’t think Kobe had a good game at all as far as his standards go.”
Battling double-teams and sneaky traps, Bryant finished with 29 points and hit 10-of-22 shots (not too bad), but with seven of the Lakers’ 12 turnovers (bad). But on a night when center Andrew Bynum had as many points (five) as fouls, fellow Lakers post players Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom were spectacular.
Gasol finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. But more important in a tight game, he was 10-for-11 at the free-throw line, including 5-for-5 in overtime. He also scored the game’s biggest basket. After setting a pick on Bryant at the top of the key, he beelined toward the basket, where Bryant fed him a pass for a layup. Gasol was fouled on the play, and his free throw gave the Lakers a 97-91 lead with 1:14 left in overtime. Bryant was the first to congratulate the big man upon being fouled.
There have been murmurs in recent years, notably during last season’s NBA Finals, about Gasol being soft, which in the basketball world truly is a four-letter word. Gasol said he has worked harder in the weight room (“I feel stronger”) and has been able to physically keep up with Orlando star Dwight Howard.
“He’s incredible,” Odom said of Gasol, a 7-footer. “His hand-eye coordination is remarkable for someone that size. He never drops the ball. He’s great at catching and delivering really quick, keeping the basketball high. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with.”
Odom had some Pau moments himself, plowing toward the hoop en route to 19 points and eight rebounds.
But ask Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy why his team lost, and it wasn’t No. 24, 16 or 7. It was 20, the number of Magic turnovers in Game 2, which led to 28 points. In the coming games, Van Gundy said his team must play “inside-out. When we did, when we got in the paint either on drives or post-ups, and we took the second defender and threw the ball out, we were able to create pretty good shots.”
Yet the Magic shot just 41.8 percent from the field — 3-for-8 (37.5 percent) in OT.
But there is optimism in Orlando because Rashard Lewis was back to being Rashard Lewis. His trademark awkward stroke was stroking again, after he hit just two shots in the first game. Lewis was successful because he moved smartly without the ball and was aggressive once he received it. He scored a game-high 34 points and made six 3-pointers, and teammate Hedo Turkoglu contributed three 3s himself. Turkoglu finished with 22 points and did a pretty good job defending Bryant, once teammate Mickael Pietrus fouled out with 3:04 left in the fourth quarter.
With the score tied 88-88 and 9.1 seconds left, there was Turkoglu on Bryant. The Lakers star dribbled past him and into the lane, while the entire Staples Center crowd gasped, anticipating heroics from the hero. But Turkoglu, pulling the needle on the record, blocked Bryant’s shot attempt from behind, and Orlando had possession with 0.6 seconds left, setting up the desperation inbounds pass, Turkoglu to Lee.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
NBA Finals schedule
Lakers lead series 2-0
June 4: L.A. Lakers 100, Orlando 75
Sunday: L.A. Lakers 101, Orlando 96, OT
Tuesday: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Thursday: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Sunday: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 6 p.m.*
Tuesday, June 16: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.*
Thursday, June 18: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.*
(* if necessary)
