Lakers Back to the Finals!

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004. They beat the Spurs 100-92 to win the series in 5 games. It was a pretty entertaining game with the Lakers coming back from a 17 point deficit in the 2nd quarter and pulling away from the Spurs late in the fourth quarter. Kobe was the hero of the game with 39 points including 17 in the 4th. He now has a chance to win a title as the unquestioned best player on the Lakers and to give the Lakers their 15th title in 29 finals appearances.

Their opponent has yet TBD as the Celtics lead the Pistons 3-2. I would much rather face the Celtics because of the history between the franchises but more importantly the matchup. The Celtics don't have anyone to slow down Kobe and don't have enough offensive weapons to keep up with the LakeShow. IMO the Pistons would pose more problems but the Lakers would still win.

Right now the opponent doesn't matter, it's a time for celebration for all fellow my laker fans.

Cardiac Arrest...

That's what the Lakers almost gave Laker fans all over the country tonight. After racing out to a 22-8 lead early the Lakers managed to hold off the Spurs for a 93-91 victory to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

In case you missed the ending and haven't seen highlights here's what happened in the final minute.

- Lakers are up 93-86 and Pau Gasol grabs a rebound and gets fouled. Game seems basically over
- Gasol misses BOTH free throws
- Manu hits a 3 and cuts the lead to 93-89
- Kobe loses his mind momentarily and takes a rushed shot when the Lakers just needed to milk the clock and wait to be fouled and misses
- Spurs rebound and Parker gets out on the break and LO goaltends his lay-up attempt. 93-91
- With about a 5 second differential between the shot clock and the game clock the Spurs decide not to foul and Fisher and Kobe miss jumpers and the Spurs get the rebound with 2 secs left
- They inbound the ball to BRENT BARRY?! and he goes one-on-one against Fisher beyond the 3 point line. He pump fakes, gets Fisher to jump in the air and come down on him but dribbles to the side and takes a deep 3 that misses badly. Game Over

There's some controversy because Fisher looked like he fouled Barry. But Barry didn't sell the foul at all which is especially important at the end of games where refs swallow their whistles. Anyway Fisher's shot with 5 seconds left looked like it grazed the rim which would have reset the shot clock and led to the Spurs having to foul the Lakers and Kobe making free throws to ice the game. And when it comes down to it when you run the most important play of the season so far for Brent Barry you deserve to lose

Western Conference Finals

Los Angeles Lakers (4-2 over Jazz) vs San Antonio Spurs (4-3 over Hornets)

A Rivalry Renewed....

These two franchises have locked horns more than a few times in the playoffs over the past 10 years. The Spurs swept the Lakers before the Lakers went on their three-peat run where they beat the Spurs in their last two championship runs. The Spurs then ended the Lakers three-peat and then Lakers returned the favor and prevented the Spurs from repeating the following year. Although many of the faces have changed the teams still know each other very well and it should be a great great series. I get chills thinking about all the memorable moments between these teams

The Lakers have yet to be seriously challenged in the playoffs. They swept a Denver team who didn't really show up and then took Utah's best shot without being seriously challenged. I think the physicality and offensive precision of Utah will have the Lakers ready for the tough veteran Spurs.

The Spurs dispatched the Suns rather easily in the 1st round and then were dragged to the limit by the pesky young Hornets. The Spurs have showed they can win high-scoring or low-scoring games which the Lakers have not shown yet. The Hornets' quickness and athleticism will prepare them for the Lakers.

Key Questions
- will Kobe continue to trust his teammates after they go through some struggles against a good defensive team? Bowen and Udoka are solid individual defenders and Duncan is still a great help defender. Kobe has to play very smart this series. He has had a great playoff run so far but he can't get stubborn especially if his back flares up

- will the Lakers be able to rebound better? The Jazz pushed around the Lakers a little bit but they were able to overcome that because of great offense and solid defense. They shouldn't count on the same happening against the Spurs if they don't rebound better

- will the Spurs be able to score enough points? The Spurs are not a great offensive team especially if you can run them off the 3 point line. The Lakers are not a great defensive team but they are quick and long which can cause the Spurs problems. Vlad, Odom, and Gasol is a very long frontline. Also if the Spurs let the Lakers speed it up at all then this will be a quick series

Prediction
This should be a wonderful and entertaining series. With what has happened the first two rounds I think everyone would agree these are the two best teams in the West. The Spurs may have the pedigree and experience but I think the Lakers will ultimately take this series because they are more versatile offensively, they have the MVP and most talented player in the league, and a better bench. Kobe is so determined to show he can win without Shaq and now that he has legit weapons around him he is nearly unstoppable. Lakers in 7