WATERCOOLER CHAT: LAKERS UP 3-1

In the sports world, the big event of the night was the much anticipated Game 4 of the NBA Finals.  Could the Magic come down from 2-0 and tie the series, or would the Lakers take a commanding 3-1 lead.

The game started off in the Magic’s favor.  They controlled the pace, and the Lakers never took the lead.  Dwight Howard had a cold first half shooting wise, but he was a monster on the boards, and held both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in check.  Even former Duke phenom, J.J. Reddick, had a decent first half with 3 very pretty assists.  He mentioned before the game that it’s odd for him to transition from being ‘the guy’ at Duke into a bench transition role player for.  But, he followed up by saying, “I’m getting used to it.”  The Magic went into the half up by 12.

However, in the 3rd quarter, Kobe and the Lakers came surging back.  Kobe Bryant and Trevor Ariza went on a tear to erase the Magic’s 12 point lead, and even put the Lakers up by 4 going into the 4th quarter.  And what a 4th quarter it was.  The Magic trailed for a while, but then made a beautiful comeback, even taking a 5 point lead with under 1:30 to play.  The Lakers hit a quick shot to cut the lead to 4, and with around 10 seconds to play, the Lakers fouled Dwight Howard.  All Howard had to do was sink one free throw and the game would essentially be over.

And… he misses the first.

And… brick, he misses the second.  Lakers ball with around 9 seconds left on the clock.

They inbounded to Derek Fisher, he dribbled past half court, and then, in a gutsy move, pulled up for a 3-point shot.  Now, keep in mind, that Derek Fisher has been cold from 3-point land during these playoffs, but he has a fantastic history of hitting clutch shots.  Well, this was yet another, as his perfectly arced shot swished through the net to tie the game at 87.  Unbelievable.

Overtime started off slow, but the game was tied at 91 with around 30 seconds left.  They Lakers got the ball to Kobe Bryant, he tried to pivot fake, and even accidentally elbowed Magic point-guard Jameer Nelson in the face.  This should have been a foul, but on this large a stage, that’s not something the refs are going to call if it’s not intentional.  Because Nelson was on the ground this left a Laker wide open from 3-point range.  Yep, you guessed it, Derek Fisher.  Kobe passed to Fisher, and he hit another amazing 3-pointer.  You could argue that this was the best, most memorable game of Fisher’s career (and that also includes the ‘Fisher Flick’ against San Antonio a few years ago.)

And that’s really all the Lakers would need, as the Magic basically fell apart under pressure from that point forward.  A few rushed (and bricked) three pointers, and that was all she wrote.  The Lakers now take a 3-1 lead in the series, and the Magic will have a chance to narrow that gap on Thursday.  However, there’s a chance they might be too demoralized, and that’s no weak position to be in when the Lakers are trying to close out the series.  Either way, they had a 5 point lead tonight with under 30 seconds to play, and a few foul shots kept them from icing a game they should have won.  Oh well. LA Lakers 99, Orlando 91.

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