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March 30, 2004
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New Orleans 88 LA Lakers 107
GameFlow BoxScore
The Ultimate Role Player
In case anyone doubted it, Karl Malone is determined to win a championship. This season the 40-year-old power forward has had to relinquish his position as the primary option on his team and become a role player. This game showed how good he can be at it. In 28 minutes of play Karl had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block, and 3 steals.
The Lakers got off to a very slow start. But once they started moving the ball around things changed rapidly. The defense got better too. The Hornets scored only 35 in the second half after scoring 53 in the first. They had one good run early, but not another until the 4th quarter when it was too late.
The real good sign from this game for the Lakers is that they good good contributions from several players. They are going to need such production in the the playoffs.
1st Quarter: The Hornets start the game with a 14-2 run. The Lakers looked rusty and out of synch. But they woke up behind the passing of Kobe and Karl, and went on a 19-9 run. They trailed by 2 after one period.
2nd Quarter: This time the Hornets had no run, but the Lakers put up another good one. Kobe and GP lead the scoring with 10 points each. Slava came on and grabbed 5 boards. They went into halftime with a 7-point lead.
3rd Quarter: Again no run for New Orleans. The Lakers gradually built on their lead and lead by 20 at the end of the period. Kobe scored 8 points.
4th Quarter: Brian Cook played the whole period and scored 10 points, hitting 5 of 6 shots. Shaq and GP played 7 minutes each to make sure their was no comback by the Hornets. Their only run since the start of the game was quickly counetered by the Lakers.
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Cleveland 109 Dallas 126
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Golden State 71 Philadelphia 95
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Indiana 86 Milwaukee 95
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Seattle 119 Denver 124
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March 28, 2004
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Utah 84 LA Lakers 91
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Old Tricks
After making some big statements against two of the better teams in the west this week, the Lakers returned to their familiar pattern of struggling against a weaker opponent. Once again the built a good lead, but did not put them away. It took some late game heroics by #8 to get the win, when it should have been over much sooner.
Again the problem was on the defensive end. The Lakers need to play every game with the same intensity the did against Sacramento and Minnesota. It wasn't there tonight.
But it was a good game for Karl Malone. Finally facing his longtime team for the first team since leaving, he scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. And he survived another scare with his knee. Of course Kobe had another great game with 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
1st Quarter: The Lakers looked stiff and came out with just a 2-point edge. Karl, Kobe, and Shaq handled the scoring.
2nd Quarter: The Jazz made the first big move of the game with a 15-5 run. Mostly with their 2nd unit. After Karl re-entered the game, the Lakers went on an 11-0 run. Gary Payton scored 9 in the period and the Lakers lead by 5 at the half.
3rd Quarter: Two good runs for the Lakers and none for Utah. They finally played a good defensive period. Karl scored 9 and Kobe 8 as the Lakers went into the final period with a 14-point lead. I think everyone, except the Jazz, expected garbage time to ensue.
4th Quarter: This is when the went to sleep. Once again the Utah bench came up with a good run. They went 24-8 to start the period behind Raja Bells 16 points. At the 5:16 mark the Lakers were tied and put all five staters back in. They went on an 8-0 run and reclaimed the lead behind Kobe's 10 points in the last five minutes.
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Dallas 118 Orlando 88
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Houston 111 Milwaukee 107
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LA Clippers 77 Golden State 105
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Memphis 94 Toronto 88
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Miami 80 Indiana 87
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Philadelphia 65 Boston 89
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Washington 92 Sacramento 100
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March 27, 2004
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Chicago 88 Atlanta 97
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The Hawks held the lead at around 12 points for most of the 2nd half. An exchange of a few runs near the end made for an exciting finish, but the Bulls never took the lead away from them. Atlanta was lead by Stephen Jackson and Jason Terry. Chicago got 51 points from their bench, but only 37 from their staters.
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Denver 83 Utah 85
GameFlow BoxScore
A tight game. Then Nuggets held the biggest lead after a 12-4 start. But the Jazz fought back. Their 6-0 run in the 4th quarter also gave them an 8-point lead at the 5:41 mark. That was immediately followed by Denver 8-0 run to tie the game up with 1:24 to go. Utah won the game on Carlos Arroyo's jumper with 1 second left on the clock.
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Minnesota 98 LA Clippers 82
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A 15-2 run in the 1st quarter was all the TimberWolves needed to separate themselves from the Clippers. Kevin Garnett with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
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New Jersey 104 Cleveland 107
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They didn't have the lead very often in this game. But the Cavs had it when it meant the most as the finished with an 8-0 run to win by 3. All 8 of those points were scored by LeBron James. He finished with 41, 6 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals.
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New York 85 Detroit 100
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An early 13-1 run by the Pistons, and the Knicks were done. New York didn't have a good run until garbage time in the 4th quarter.
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Phoenix 76 San Antonio 105
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After a 2-0 lead to start the game, the Suns fell into a bottomless pit. A few big runs by the Spurs resulted in a 38-point defeicit for Phoenix in the 3rd quarter.
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Seattle 108 Portland 115
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The Blazers lead by 10 in the 3rd quarter, then had to force a tie after the Sonics big 4th quarter run, then won by finishing the overtime 6-0. Portland got over 20 points from three players; Zach Randolph, Derek Anderson, and Damon Stoudamire.
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March 26, 2004
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Minnesota 73 LA Lakers 90
GameFlow BoxScore
Statement #2
Even though they didn't come out of the blocks as quick as they did against the Kings, this was an even more impressive win by the Lakers. I come to this conclusion based on the fact that they didn't allow any sort of comeback by the TimberWolves in the 3rd quarter. They didn't take any chances tonight. Once they had them down, they didn't let them up. It was very good to see.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal filled their roles to perfection again. Kobe again scoring from everywhere on the court and playing defense, and Shaq grabbing rebounds, scoring when needed, and cloggin the middle on D. The only thing is I would have liked more offense for the rest of the team. The Duo combined for 57 of the Lakers 90 points, and no one else made double figures.
Some Interesting Stats:
Lakers again over 50 in rebounds with 57, 18 of those offensive.
Sam Cassell and Troy Hudson, the TWolves PGs, shot a combined 4 of 17.
Minnesota shot 65% FTs.
1st Quarter: The teams traded a pair of runs each. But the Lakers set the tone for the rest of the game by finishing with a 11-2 run. Kobe with 11 points in the period.
2nd Quarter: Shaq scored 10 and the Lakers had two good runs. Before the new what hit them the TWolves were down by 13. They did finish the period going 5-0, hoping to take some momentum away from the Lakers.
3rd Quarter: Lakers with a very impressive 28-12 run that covered most of the quarter. Kobe scored 13 and had 5 rebounds. Shaq had 7 and 7.
4th Quarter: In most other situations a long 19-10 run would be a good thing. But when you are already down 24 in the 4th quarter, it isn't nearly enough. The Lakers were content to hold the lead in a mostly garbage time period.
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Cleveland 71 Philadelphia 86
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Dallas 118 Miami 119
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Denver 86 Seattle 102
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Houston 86 Memphis 109
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Indiana 107 Orlando 92
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Milwaukee 115 Chicago 105
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New Jersey 93 Boston 102
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Phoenix 99 New Orleans 94
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Toronto 101 New York 108
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Washington 78 Golden State 99
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March 25, 2004
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Detroit 75 San Antonio 84
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This was a tight game until the 4th quarter when the Spurs put it away with a 18-4 run. Manu Ginobili scored 10 of his 17 points in that final period.
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New Orleans 76 Atlanta 84
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The Hornets started the game on a high note with a 18-6 run. But it was all downhill after that as the Hawks very gradually took the lead away from them. Atlanta got 23 points and 15 rebounds from Bob Sura.
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Washington 103 LA Clippers 94
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Even though the Wizards held the lead for most of the game, the Clippers were never that far away. Their 8-2 run in the 4th quarter brought them to within 2 points of Washington. But the Wiz' 6-1 run was just enough to protect their lead to the end. Larry Hughes had a big game with 30 points and 12 rebounds.
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March 24, 2004
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Sacramento 91 LA Lakers 115
GameFlow BoxScore
Statement #1
Just what the Lakers needed. They completely dominated one of the better teams in the league. At both ends of the court.
The Duo delivered. Kobe was scoring at will, and harassing the Kings on defense. He was player of the game with 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Shaq also had a good game with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists.
But there were a lot of contributors for the Lakers tonight. Gary Payton scored 20, Slava had 15 and 8 rebounds, and Karl made some good plays when he wasn't out with foul trouble. Everyone for the Lakers was hustling to the ball and diving on the floor. The reward for this extra effort was a 53 to 33 rebounding edge. If you outrebound another team by 20, you are probably going to win.
1st Quarter: After a small early run by the Kings, the Lakers set the tone for the game with a big 25-1 run. It seemed like they grabbed every rebound, every lose ball, and hit every shot they took. Sacramento looked confused. They shot only 25% for the period and they never recovered. Kobe scored 10 and Slava had 8.
2nd Quarter: Another 10 points for Kobe in an even quarter. The Kings did much better offensive getting 8 points each from Webber and Peeler. The Lakers lead by 18 at the half.
3rd Quarter: Hoping not to see one of the Lakers regular second half collapses, I wasn't disappointed. A quick run by Sacramento was followed by a nice 17-1 run by the Lakers, and the lead was 30. Then, mostly coinciding with Shaq's 4th foul, the Kings went on a 14-0 run. The Lakers couldn't buy a basket and went 7½ minutes without a hoop. But they recovered at the end of the period and restored the lead to 22. Kobe and Peja Stojakovic matched each other with 13 points.
4th Quarter: The 2nd unit held the lead and the two teams swapped runs. The Lakers won by 24!
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Dallas 99 Indiana 103
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LA Clippers 85 Portland 91
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Memphis 111 New York 97
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Miami 105 Orlando 90
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Milwaukee 89 Golden State 98
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Minnesota 92 Denver 101
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Phoenix 94 Philadelphia 99
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Toronto 89 Houston 90
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Utah 77 Seattle 84
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March 23, 2004
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Detroit 81 New Orleans 82
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A good 1st quarter for the Pistons, then a good for 2nd quarter for the Hornets, then the game tightened up. It took a jumper by Jamaal Magloire at the buzzer to give the Hornets the win.
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Milwaukee 112 Sacramento 101
GameFlow BoxScore
The Bucks had the lead for most of the game. After a 11-2 run in the 2nd quarter it was 13-points, but the Kings responded with an 11-0 run and they only trailed by 3 at the half. It was the Bucks' 13-1 run in the 4th quarter that put the game away. Keith Van Horn and Joe Smith combined for 15 points in the final period.
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New Jersey 84 Chicago 81
GameFlow BoxScore
Jamal Crawford's 12 points in the latter half of the 2nd quarter fueled a 17-5 Bulls run that brought them back from 10 down. They held they lead most of the time after that until the Nets reclaimed it for good with an 11-2 run in the 4th quarter. Playing without Jason Kidd, New Jersey was lead by Richard Jefferson and Lucious Harris.
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Phoenix 103 Cleveland 86
GameFlow BoxScore
The Suns lead this game wire-to-wire. They outshot the Cavs 57% to 31%. That's all you need to know. Among several good performances for Phoenix was Joe Johnson with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
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San Antonio 81 Minnesota 86
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These two alternated controlling periods. So in the 4th quarter, when it was the Spurs turn, they went on a long 19-9 run to grab the lead. But the TimberWolves broke the pattern and finished the game with a 7-0 run to get the win. Messrs. Garnett and Cassell lead Minnesota.
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Toronto 86 Memphis 95
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The Grizzlies took control of this game with two 2nd Quarter runs and never looked back. Pau Gasol scored 12 of his 29 ponts in that period. Memphis also got good production from Stromile Swift off the bench.
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Washington 77 Utah 85
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After the Jazz extended their lead to 18-points in the 2nd quarter, the Wizards tried the get back in it with a 22-5 run. But they never did get the lead and the Jazz survived to win by 8. Andrei Kirilenko was all over the place in the final period with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.
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March 22, 2004
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Atlanta 84 New York 96
GameFlow BoxScore
The Knicks took the lead with a big run in the 2nd quarter, and they put it away with another big one in the 4th. Nazr Mohammed had a very productive game with 18 points and 13 rebounds in just 24 minutes. DeMarr Johnson also had a good game. He scored 9 of his 14 in the final period.
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Chicago 77 Indiana 101
GameFlow BoxScore
A 15-2 run late in the 1st quarter gave the Pacers the lead, and they never looked back. Only two small runs for the Bulls the entire game. Al Harrington had a real good game off the bench for Indiana. Jermaine O'Neal only played 11 minutes.
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Dallas 98 Philadelphia 107
GameFlow BoxScore
After a close first half, an 8-0 Sixers run to start the 3rd quarter put some distance between them and the Mavs. Dallas never seriously challenged after that. Playing without Allen Iverson, Philly got good games from Kenny Thomas, and Willie Green off the bench.
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Houston 93 Portland 85
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The Rockets played like the Lakers did last night. They had a 17-point lead in the 3rd quarter, then fell asleep and had to scramble for a tie. But at least the Rockets didn't fool around in overtime. The whole extra period was a 10-2 run for Houston. Yao Ming and Steve Francis were the only Rockets in double figures.
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LA Clippers 80 Denver 102
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The Clippers got a surprisingly good game from Pedrag Drobnjak, but he didn't get much help. The Nuggets, on the other hand, got double figures from six players and kept the lead after a 22-6 1st quarter run.
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March 21, 2004
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Milwaukee 103 LA Lakers 104
GameFlow BoxScore
Broken Record
When is a win a bad win? When you are up by 15 over a team that you clearly outman, and have to go to overtime to win it by 1 point. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Lakers arent' going very far in the playoffs playing like this.
Shaq did have an amazing game; 31 points, 26 rebounds, 7 blocks. But a 20-20 game like this should have resulted in a 20-point win by the Lakers. Not another nail biter.
1st Quarter: The teams swapped runs and Lakers end up with a 1-pont lead. Both Shaq and Joe Smith were scoreless, but grabbed 9 and 8 rebounds respectively. GP scored 8.
2nd Quarter: A very encouraging period. The Lakers started the period with a 19-11 run and build a 12-point lead at the half. Shaq grabbed another 5 rebounds, and scored 10 on 5 of 6 shooting. Kareem Rush added 7 off the bench.
3rd Quarter: Again, instead of keeping up the intensity the Lakers let the lead just hover around the 12-point mark. Not surprisingly, just like the Clippers, the Bucks took advantage of this complacency and went on a 13-2 run. The lead was just 6 going into the final period. Shaq scored another 11, but the Bucks got 15 from Keith Van Horn.
4th Quarter: The most disappointing part of the game. Not one run for the Lakers. Although Kobe scored 8, the team scored only 14 on 25% shooting.
1st Overtime: Typically, they got a 6-point lead and then trailed by 1 with 42 seconds left. The Lakers needed Kobe's jumper and a Van Horn miss to get the win.
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Dallas 101 New Jersey 98
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Denver 77 Minnesota 98
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Detroit 96 Cleveland 76
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Golden State 96 LA Clippers 85
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Houston 95 Sacramento 100
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Miami 101 Washington 81
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Orlando 67 Seattle 84
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Toronto 121 New Orleans 120
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March 19, 2004
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LA Clippers 100 LA Lakers 106
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Stuck In Idle
Still unable to get their engine into high gear, the Lakers again had a difficult time with the Clippers. And again got a narrow win. This time was different in that they got off to a slow start. Instead of frittering away a big lead, they had to fight to get and keep the lead. The Clippers would not go quietly into that good night.
Good games by Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neil. And the small forward position showed up with improved performances by Rick Fox and Devean George. But there was no sense of urgency. They Lakers just cruised through this one. They need to shift it up a few gears.
1st Quarter: The Clips got 11 points from Matt Barnes and 7 from Corey Maggette. Those two helped them outscore the Lakers 17-7 in the latter half of the period. Payton and Fox lead the Lakers, who got all zeros from the second unit.
2nd Quarter: The second unit gets going and starts a 17-6 run. The starters returned, but the period became flat and the Lakers only lead by 3 at the half. Another 11 points for Maggette.
3rd Quarter: No big run here. The Lakers got slightly the better of an exchange of runs and gradually built the lead to 8. Again they do just enough, and no more. Bryant and Karl Malone were best for the Lakers.
4th Quarter: A quick 2 points got the Lakers the biggest lead at 10. Then they watched the Clippers tie the game with a 17-8 run. Maggette lead them with another 11. It took 12 points from Bryant and a little 6-0 run to get the lead and the win. Again, they did it the hard way.
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Atlanta 84 Washington 94
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A 22-5 run in the 3rd quarter gave the Wizards the lead for good. Their starters played the whole period and all contributed. Another good game for Kwame Brown.
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Boston 104 Dallas 120
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A 23-7 start by the Mavs was all it took. The Celtics kept trying, but never recovered from that. Dirk Nowitzki and Antoine Walker were big in that 1st quarter.
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Chicago 96 Toronto 91
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The Bulls got good front court production from Antonio Davis and Eddy Curry, and Kik Hinrich took care of the backcourt. They edged the Raptors in a real back and forth game.
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Denver 75 Detroit 94
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The Nuggets stayed close until the 4th quarter. Then the Pistons went on a 24-3 run to put the game away. Mehmet Okur had 10 points off the bench in that final period.
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Minnesota 93 Phoenix 80
GameFlow BoxScore
This game was real close until the TimberWolves 17-7 run late in the 4th quarter. Kevin Garnett with big numbers once again. But it was Wally Szczerbiak who had a real good game off the bench. He scored 11 of his 24 in the final period.
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New Jersey 65 New York 79
GameFlow BoxScore
Only 65 points on 33% shooting for the Nets. You think they finally got it all together, and then they throw out a clunker like this one. The Knicks had a 17-pont lead in the 2nd quarter, and were only briefly threatened after that.
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Sacramento 94 Indiana 92
GameFlow BoxScore
The Kings had to come back from 17 points down to eke out the 2-point win. A real solid game from Chris Webber this time. He had 24 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 blocks.
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Seattle 91 New Orleans 80
GameFlow BoxScore
A 23-11 run for the Hornets in the 1st quarter, then they took the next two periods off. The Sonics had huge runs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and turned a 12-point deficit into a 11-point lead. The Hornets actually woke back up in the 4th with a 12-0 run and claimed a 1-point leadwith 5½ minutes to play. But the Sonics weren't to be denied. They responded with a 13-0 run and won by 11. Rashard Lewis had 31 and 7 rebounds for Seattle.
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Utah 97 Cleveland 88
GameFlow BoxScore
The Cavs got 14 points from Zydrunas Ilgauskas during a 3rd quarter push that tied the game. But the Jazz, who had lead by 12, re-established the lead and put the game away with as 12-4 run late in the 4th. Good games by Raja Bell and Andrei Kirilenko for Utah. Carlos Boozer had 21 and 13 for Cleveland.
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March 18, 2004
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Detroit 89 New Jersey 71
GameFlow BoxScore
A 23-6 run in the 2nd quarter gave the Pistons the lead for good. The Nets kept in striking distance, but they couldn't get any closer than that. Chauncey Billups with a solid game.
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Minnesota 86 San Antonio 106
GameFlow BoxScore
Four solid runs in the second half separated the Spurs from the TimberWolves. Tim Duncan, comming off the bench, scored 18 of his 22 points in the last two periods. Another good game for Kevin Garnett, but he came up on the losing side in this one.
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Seattle 97 Memphis 94
GameFlow BoxScore
I guess the Lakers aren't the only team that relaxes after getting a big lead. The Sonics controlled the game early and had a 14-point lead mid-way through the 2nd quarter. But the Grizzlies took over and Seattle needed an 8-1 run near the end to get the lead back and the win. Ray Allen scored 9 in the 4th quarter in a subpar game. Vladimir Radmanovic had a good game off the bench. Pau Gasol was the best player out there, but it wasn't enough to give Memphis the win.
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March 17, 2004
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LA Lakers 105 LA Clippers 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Just Surviving
Well, they haven't quite got that killer instinct going yet. When you have a 17-point lead half way through the 3rd quarter, you kick it up a notch and put the game away. Instead, the Lakers relaxed and the Clippers said "Thank You", and the Lakers eke out another win the hard way. I know they had a big lead, but the chart shows the problem. After two big runs in the first half, the Lakers had zero runs in the second half. That means they couldn't string more than 4 points together during the 3rd and 4th quarters.
No lead is big enough. Particularly in the playoffs. They better realize that soon.
1st Quarter: The Lakers starters looked like they meant business as they went on a 23-12 run shotly after the start. All five scored at least 6 points. The Clippers had a small run and got 11 points from Quentin Richardson.
2nd Quarter: After another small run by the Clips, the Lakers make a 20-10 run. This happened mostly after the starters retuned to the game. Eight points each for Slava Medvedenko and Elton Brand.
3rd Quarter: The five starters for both teams played the whole period. The Lakers seemed content with their lead at around 15 points. The Clippers took advantage of this complacency and went on a 13-2 run. They got 8 points and 6 rebounds from Corey Maggette and 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks from Brand.
4th Quarter: The Clippers went on runs of 7-0 and 9-1, and still no response from the Lakers. Another 10 points for Maggette. Luckily for the Lakers, his 3-pointer with 17 seconds left was the last basket of the game.
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Atlanta 111 Dallas 110
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Denver 100 Boston 104
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Orlando 85 Golden State 110
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Philadelphia 80 New Orleans 104
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Portland 71 Indiana 80
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Sacramento 108 Washington 114
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Utah 81 Toronto 85
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March 16, 2004
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Chicago 87 Cleveland 111
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The Cavs steadily built up a lead that the Bulls hardly made a dent in after the first half. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Carlos Boozer, and LeBron James were the big three for Cleveland.
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LA Clippers 110 Phoenix 98
GameFlow BoxScore
A nice run for the Suns in the 1st period. Unfortunately for them their next one was in the 4th and the Clippers owned the middle quarters. Quentin Richardson, Corey Maggette, and Elton Brand all with good games.
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New Orleans 83 Miami 96
GameFlow BoxScore
Though Miami held the lead, the Hornets were never that far away. They exchanged runs for three periods. The 4th quarter belonged to the Heat and they won going away. Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade lead the way with real good support off the bench from Rafer Alston. Wade and Alston were key in the final period.
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Philadelphia 79 Memphis 82
GameFlow BoxScore
A 15-3 run in the 4th quarter gave the Grizz the lead after they trailed by 13 in the 3rd. But their work wasn't done. The Sixers quick 6-1 run grabbed the lead back. Three down with 1:31 to play, the Grizz scored the last 6 points of the game to take the win. Good all-around game by Pau Gasol.
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Portland 100 Milwaukee 99
GameFlow BoxScore
Up by 20 early in the 3rd quarter, the Blazers then watched the Bucks go on a 25-10 run, and complete chipping away at their lead in the 4th. Down by 1 with time running out, it took a Damon Stoudamire hit a 12 ft. jumper at the buzzer to give the Blazers the win. Six players in double figures for Portland.
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Sacramento 77 New Jersey 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Only 9 points on 17% shooting in 1st quarter, and the Kings never recovered. They actually had a 5-0 run that ended at the 8:29 mark, which means that for the final 8½ minutes of the period the Kings socred only 4 points! The Nets lead by over 20 for most of the game. Good game by Kerry Kittles, and also Rodney Rogers off the bench.
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Seattle 118 Atlanta 110
GameFlow BoxScore
After a big 22-5 run by the Hawks in the 1st quarter, the Sonics turned the tables on them in them in the 2nd with a 27-5 run of their own. Brent Barry and Ray Allen paced Seattle in the period with 17 and 11 points respectively. A 39-pont effort by Stephen Jackson went to waste.
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Washington 110 New York 114
GameFlow BoxScore
This one was a seesaw battle all game long. The Knicks finished the game with an 8-3 run to force overtime. And they came up with an 8-1 run in the extra period. Tim Thomas scored 10 of his 32 points in the overtime.
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March 15, 2004
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Orlando 110 LA Lakers 113
GameFlow BoxScore
The Just In Time Hero
What took them so long? Why wait until you're 19-points down to start playing defense? Are these guys addicted to drama or what?
Whatever the reason, Kobe Bryant had a 4th quarter you don't see very often. In that period he socred 24 of the Lakers 29 points, hit 8 of 11 shots including 2 of 3 from behind the arc, and made 6 of 7 free throws. And Shaq was very helpful in the 4th too, grabbing 8 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. He had the quietest 20-20 game I've ever seen, finishing with 29 points and 22 rebounds. That is also something you don't see very often.
1st Quarter: Not much defensive by either team. Combined, they shot over 60%. But the Magic had the only run and lead by 7 at the end of the period. Tracy McGrady had 11 points and Juwan Howard 9. Shaq scored 10 for the Lakers.
2nd Quarter: Two small runs for the Magic and nothing from the Lakers. The Lakers looked out of synch, particularly on defense. McGrady with another 10 points and Orlando lead by 11 at the half.
3rd Quarter: The Lakers showed some energy early, but it fizzled out and the Magic went on an 18-6 run. Their lead was 19, the biggest of the game, when the Lakers finally showed some defense. They doubled McGrady and pressed the ball more. The resulting 5-0 run was just the start of the Lakers comeback. After scoring 1 point in the 1st half, Kobe matched McGrady with 11 in this period.
4th Quarter: If you combine the Lakers 11-1 run to start the period with their 3rd quarter run, it becomes a 16-2 run. The Orlando lead was only 5. The good D continued as they shot only 29%. Kobe returned after a brief rest to hit miraculous shot after miraculous shot. The Lakers were most effective tonight with the lineup of Shaq, Karl, GP, Kobe, and Fish. That means the Kobe was playing the 3. Something they might want to do more often. That lineup went on a 10-0 run near the end of regulation to gain a tie. McGrady scored only 5 this time.
1st Overtime: That same lineup kept going and everyone scored for the Lakers. McGrady, however, went scorless. GP's three was the game winner.
Very exciting game. Amazing performances by Shaq and Kobe. But are heroics like that really necessary against the Orlando Magic? This teams needs to work on its killer instinct and play the whole game like they did in the 4th quarter tonight.
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Phoenix 99 Houston 97
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San Antonio 80 Golden State 97
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March 13, 2004
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LA Lakers 88 Chicago 81
GameFlow BoxScore
The Mailman And The Sleeve
Not a memorable game. Too much trouble with the team with the worst record. But a win is a win. And what was really encouraging was the resugence of two guys who weren't able to play for a while.
Karl Malone played the 4th quarter tonight. It was a good thing, or they might have lost this one too. The Lakers are much better defensively when he's in there. And he was very productive tonight as well; 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists.
I can't help looking at that lump on Kobe's shoulder under that purple sleeve. You can see it's still bothering him, but it looks like he's getting used to it. After some bad shooting performances the last few games, Kobe hit 12 of 25 shots tonight. He scored 23 of his 35 points in the second half. Oh, and he hit 10 of 11 free throws.
1st Quarter: No runs by either team, but the Duo got off to a good start. Shaq scored 7 while Kobe had 6, 3 rebounds, a block, and a steal. Even so, the Lakers ended up down by 2.
2nd Quarter: A nice 17-8 run by the Lakers. Again Kobe and Shaq lead the way. And not a bad stint by Kareem Rush with the 2nd unit. But the Bulls stayed close and trailed by just 1 at the half.
3rd Quarter: After swapping the lead a few times, the Lakers' 9-1 run gave them the lead for good. Although the Bulls were never that far behind. Kobe scored 11 and the lead was 4 going into the final period.
4th Quarter: The Lakers stretched their lead to 8, the biggest of the game. The Bulls responded by going 6-0. Then it was the Lakers turn to respond. Soon after GP, Karl, and Kobe re-entered the game, the Lakers went on an 8-2 run to regain the 8-point lead. But the Bulls had one more run in them. After making a bad pass that lead to a Bulls fast break basket, Kobe calmly hit a 19-foot jumper behind a Shaq screen to put the lead back to 5 with just 35 seconds left. Another 12 points for Kobe.
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Boston 111 Washington 102
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Dallas 113 Phoenix 90
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Golden State 84 New Orleans 102
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Memphis 80 Houston 88
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Seattle 115 Orlando 101
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March 12, 2004
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LA Lakers 86 Minnesota 96
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Karl Almost Helped
With the return of Karl Malone, I had hoped the Lakers defense would turn up a notch. And they didn't do too bad for most of the game. But after playing 21 minutes, I guess they figured Karl had enough. Unfortunately that's when things went south for the Lakers.
Boxing out is really an important part of defense. If you limit the other team's opportunities to score, you are helping your defense. And that's where they had trouble tonight. The Lakers were tied with 2:50 left in the 3rd quarter. The chart shows all too clearly that that's when the wheels came off. From then until 10:14 of the 4th the T@olves went on a 21-9 run. And from that point until the end of the game they allowed 10 points on second and third chance opportunities.
1st Quarter: The Lakers went out to a brief lead. The TWolves 8-3 run edged them in front by two, and that's the way the period ended.
2nd Quarter: Two quick runs were it for this period. The Lakers only shot 27%, but managed to trail by only 4 at the half.
3rd Quarter: The Lakers slowly forged a tie, immediately followed by a 14-6 run by the TWolves. It took a last second 3-ponter by Kareem rush to make the score respectable. Hudson had 10 points in the latter half of the period.
4th Quarter: Minnesota continued it's onslaught with a 7-0 run at the start. The Lakers made little dent in their lead after that. Not only could they not string any stops together, they couldn't keep the TWolves off the offensive glass.
Kobe and Shaq had games that were just a little below par for them. And they didn't get anyone to help them out much. Another great game by Garnett, and he got nice help off the bench from Troy Hudson.
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Chicago 76 New Jersey 88
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The Nets squandered the lead they built with a big 1st quarter run. So they just did it again in the 4th. Richard Jefferson had a good game, and Jason Kidd had a triple-double.
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Denver 117 Milwaukee 111
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An 11-3 end of the game run by the Bucks was not enough to get them out of the 15-point hole they were in. Carmelo Anthony had 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists to lead the Nuggets.
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Golden State 74 San Antonio 99
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Three small runs, all in the 3rd Quarter, was the only resistance the Warriors gave the Spurs tonight.
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Indiana 99 Boston 81
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A close game for 1½ periods, the Pacers took off after that and rested their starters in the 4th quarter.
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LA Clippers 89 Memphis 98
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The Clippers put two good runs together and gained a tie in the 4th quarter after trailing by 15. All of that only to watch the Grizz go on a 21-9 run to win the game. Huge game by Pau Gasol with 24 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists.
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New York 94 Philadelphia 99
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The Sixers came back from 15 down in the 4th quarter to gain a tie, then won it in the 2nd overtime.
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Sacramento 81 Portland 83
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The Kings fought back from a 14-point deficit and were down 2 with 1:36 to go in regulation. But they missed their final 3 attempts; a dunk by Webber, a blocked layup by Bibby, and a 3-pointer by Christie.
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Seattle 74 Miami 82
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A big run in the 1st quarter wasn't enough for Miami. After blowing their 16-point lead, they needed a 12-2 run late in the 4th to get the lead back and win the game.
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Utah 99 Phoenix 90
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While the Suns wouldn't go away, the Jazz managed to keep a 10-point lead for most of the game. A big 33 points from Gordan Giricek, although he did have 7 turnovers.
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Washington 124 Atlanta 138
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Not much defense played in this one. It looked like a runaway in the making for the Wizards, who had two big runs early. But, just before the half, the Hawks started their recovery. Stephen Jackson scored 31 of his 42 points in the second half, and he was one of 5 Hawks to score 20 or more. Both teams shot 55% from the field, and well over 50% from 3-point range.
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March 11, 2004
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Dallas 102 Sacramento 120
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The Mavs lived up to reputation for bad defense. The Kings shot 56% from the field, 45% from 3-point range, and they just ran away with this one.
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New Orleans 86 Houston 97
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The Rockets dominated the middle two quarters, and that was enough to survive a fourth quarter rally by the Hornets.
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March 10, 2004
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LA Lakers 117 Boston 109
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A Boston Surprise
He didn't look completely comfortable wearing his padded t-shirt, but a partial Kobe is better than no Kobe at all. Shooting only 4 of 16 from the field, Kobe's return helped the team in a lot of other ways; 10 of 14 from the line, 10 assists, and 3 steals. Just having the added depth was nice as Kareem Rush showed how valuable he can be comming off the bench.
1st Quarter: The teams traded runs and the period ended with a 4-point lead by the Lakers. GP lead the scoring with 10 points, while the Celtics got 7 and 6 rebounds from Mark Blount.
2nd Quarter: Rush shot 6 of 7 from the field, including 2 of 3 3-pointers, for 14 points in the period. And he was part of the Lakers 22-9 run that gave the Lakers the lead for good. Although they didn't know it at the time, the game would end with the same 8-point lead they held at halftime.
3rd Quarter: Slava, GP, Kobe, and Shaq all contributed heavily to the Lakers 16-8 run near the start of the period. After which they held the biggest lead of the game at 14. The Celtics 9-3 run made sure the period ended with 21 points for each team. Paul Pierce scored 9.
4th Quarter: Shaq was a monster. He scored 15 and grabbed 6 rebounds. The Lakers truned the tables on the Celtics with a 9-3 run of their own. But Boston didn't give up and put up a couple more small runs. Again, the period was even and the Lakers hung on for the 8-point win.
Sixty points is too many to allow the Celtics to score in the first half, but the Lakers picked up the defense in the second. There was no problem on the offensive end. The return of Kobe helped a lot in all departments. And with Karl back soon, things are looking up.
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Atlanta 80 Milwaukee 94
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Chicago 65 Detroit 98
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Cleveland 106 Toronto 92
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Denver 97 New Jersey 98
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Golden State 77 Utah 91
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LA Clippers 90 San Antonio 108
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Miami 84 New Orleans 95
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Minnesota 79 Portland 92
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Washington 99 Orlando 108
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March 8, 2004
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LA Lakers 83 Utah 88
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Raw Deal
I'm not one for conspiracies by the referees and the League. But I do sometimes think that they get too caught up in the moment and act out on personal grudges they may have against some players and teams. One can only guess what the ref who ejected Shaq was thinking. I've never before seen a player called for a foul because gravity pulled him back to the ground with someone standing under his elbow, let alone get a technical for it. And I still don't know what Shaq did to get his first technical. The league is losing credibility because of calls like this, and something needs to be done about it.
1st Quarter: While the Jazz scored only 14 on 29% shooting, the Lakers went on and 18-4 run and held the biggest lead of the game at 10. Kareem Rush started out on fire and scored 10 on 4 of 5 shooting; that included 2 of 2 3-pointers.
2nd Quarter: The tables are turned and the Lakers couldn't hit anything. Even worse, they couldn't hold onto the ball and commit 9 turnovers. That created a lot of easy scores for the Jazz, and they went on a 20-9 run to take the lead. But the Lakers 6-1 run near the end of the period keeps them close. Raul Lopez cored 10 for Utah.
3rd Quarter: The two teams traded runs and the game remained close. The Lakers got 10 from GP, but as a team still made too many turnovers at 6.
4th Quarter: A 2-point Jazz lead at the start was erased by the Lakers 13-5 run in the middle of the period. The end of this run coincided with Shaq's ejection, which also coincided with the start of Utah's 11-0 run. Derek Fisher did his best with 12 points in the period, but once Shaq left that was the ball game.
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Cleveland 108 Atlanta 102
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Milwaukee 92 Philadelphia 97
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Phoenix 90 Dallas 103
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March 7, 2004
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New Jersey 88 LA Lakers 94
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They Finally Broke Loose
This game was so close in the first half it was like both teams were chained together. Neither could shake loose of the other. There were 14 lead changes, 13 ties, and the biggest lead was just 3. It doesn't get any closer than that.
Both teams were down a player; the Nets Kidd, the Lakers Kobe. New Jersey had no one that could handle Shaq, but they used their quickness to get easy scores off of the Lakers 7 first half turnovers. They had the fast start in the second half, but the Lakers responded and took over the game. It was a good win at home.
1st Quarter: Not one single run. Shaq and GP did most of the damage for the Lakers, while Jefferson, Martin, and Williams did so for the Nets.
2nd Quarter: They trade one run each. Shaq, George, and Luke lead the Lakers. The Nets get contributions from several. Another good period for Jefferson.
3rd Quarter: A 7-0 to start for the Nets. After a trade of runs it looked like New Jersey might be gaining control of the game. That's when the Lakers finally broke loose. They went on a 16-4 run and took a 4-point lead. After a little run by the Nets and a layup by Shaq at 0:03, the Lakers lead by 1 going into the final period. Shaq and GP were again the leaders, with good help off the bench from Fish.
4th Quarter: The Lakers continued to take control with a 19-7 that dominated the period. They were more active on defense, caused some turnovers, and contributed to the Nets worst shooting period of the game. They shot only 25%. Also impressive was that contributions came form several players for the Lakers.
Kobe was interviewed during the game and said he now does not think his injury is that serious and wants to come back sooner. Let's hope that however long he is out, the Lakers play like they did in the second half today. Another good offensive and free throw shooting game for Shaq, and he got good help from GP and the bench.
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Boston 80 Minnesota 77
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Dallas 98 Houston 101
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Detroit 86 Seattle 65
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Indiana 103 Denver 94
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Memphis 95 Golden State 85
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New Orleans 76 Toronto 84
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New York 99 Washington 86
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Portland 71 LA Clippers 91
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Sacramento 107 Orlando 90
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March 5, 2004
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Seattle 91 LA Lakers 99
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Better Late Than Never
It's one thing when you know a guy is going to miss a game. You have time to prepare and change your game plan. But when Kobe hurt his shoulder again in the 1st minute of the game, the Lakers were in the position of having to change things up on the fly. He does so many things so well, he's a hard one to replace; even if you have time before hand.
But even so, the Lakers were in position to put this game away a few times. And like some many other games this season they let the opponent back in.
1st Quarter: Kareem Rush came in early for Kobe. The Lakers relied on GP (10) and Shaq (11) for the bulk of their points. A 15-4 run gave them a good lead, but the Soncis recoved with a 9-1 run to finish the quarter.
2nd Quarter: After GP and Shaq reenter the game, the Lakers put up the only run of the period. Shaq scored 7, Rush 6, and Fish 5, while Ronald Murray scored 10 for Seattle. The Lakers had the biggest lead of the game at 13 near the end of the half.
3rd Quarter: Murray scored another 10 as the Sonics got a quick start on the period. The Lakers responded with a 10-2 run that extended their lead back to 12. Shaq did a little over everything with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. But like the 1st, the Sonics stay close by finishing the period with a 13-5 run.
4th Quarter: The lead was only 4 at the start, and Sonics run in the middle of the period tied it up. This is when the Lakers needed to take over, and that's what they did with and 11-3 run to finish the game. Luke did a lot of helping, and Rush again hit a big 3-pointer 1:31 to play.
It shouldn't have been this much trouble, even with Kobe's unexpected absence. But the Lakers made the plays when it counted. They ended up relying heavily on Shaq, and he came through. It didn't hurt that he made 12 of 19 free throws. Again, I think their problems tonight were inconsistent play on the defensive end. The return of Karl and Kobe will go a long way to fixing that.
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Atlanta 96 Orlando 101
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Cleveland 88 New Orleans 85
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Houston 112 Minnesota 109
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Indiana 96 Utah 88
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New Jersey 78 Golden State 74
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New York 109 Toronto 103
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Washington 90 Boston 94
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March 3, 2004
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LA Lakers 96 Houston 93
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Timely Defense
Again, not a great defensive effort. But at least they found the ability to play some D when it mattered the most.
1st Quarter: Things start out good for the Lakers. Three runs and a 4-point lead at the end. Lakers shot well, got 11 from GP, and 6 and 7 assists from Kobe.
2nd Quarter: A completely different story. Lakers had only one 5-0 run, and watched as the Rockets went on a 14-0 run and shot 71%. Yao Ming scored 10. Leading scoring for the Lakers is Rush with only 3, and they trailed by 14 at the half.
3rd Quarter: The Rockets didn't shoot nearly as well, but the Lakers weren't burning up the nets either. Yao scored another 11. The Lakers get 7 from Slava, and 8 points and 2 blocks from Shaq. The lead is reduced a little to 9.
4th Quarter: Finally the Lakers came out on fire. A 5-0 run and a 13-0 run got the Lakers a 3-point lead with 4:26 to go. It became a nail biter after that as the two traded hoops and free throws. Luke Walton hit a three pointer along the way. Then at 1:27, with the game tied, GP hit another three. That was followed by 2 free throws by Steve Francis and a jumper by Jim Jackson. The Lakers trailed by 1 with 39 seconds to play. The Lakers responed with a beautiful jump shotp by Kobe to get the lead back. The crucial sequence was next. The Lakers played great team defense at least once and this was it. Everyone stayed with their man, shut down the passing lanes, and forced Yao to take a 21 foot jumper that clanked off the back of the rim. Fish dove for the rebound and was fouled in the process. His 2 free throws iced the game. Shaq scored 11 in the quarter.
Not a great game, but much better than last night. The Lakers have to stop playing to the level of their competition and just put teams away. Defense is the key to that. They didn't play it consistently tonight, but the 4th quarter showed how important it is. The Lakers out shot them 67% to 39% in that final period
Again, though, I must add that if the Lakers had shot better than 15 of 28 from the line the game is much easier for them. Shaq doesn't have to be a great free throw shooter. He just has to be better than 2 of 13.
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Atlanta 80 Cleveland 112
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Chicago 97 New Orleans 100
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Dallas 97 Minnesota 121
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Indiana 101 LA Clippers 94
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Memphis 97 Portland 88
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Milwaukee 105 Orlando 97
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New Jersey 74 Phoenix 87
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Philadelphia 77 New York 88
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Seattle 84 San Antonio 88
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Toronto 70 Washington 84
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March 2, 2004
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LA Lakers 93 Atlanta 94
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Disappointed
If I hadn't see it myself, and someone had told me that without Kobe the Lakers got 23 and 14 from Shaq and a triple double from GP (23,10,10), I would have said they must have destroyed the Hawks. After all, they beat them without Shaq by 46 a few weeks ago. I guess they played defense in that game. After their best performance of the season, tonight they gave their worst.
1st Quarter: The game started off OK. The Lakers 16-8 run gave them an early 8-point lead. But they just seemed to relax after that. The Hawks went on a 12-2 run and the game was tied after one period.
2nd Quarter: The Hawks continued their surge with a 13-2 run, turuning the tables on the Lakers with an 8-point lead of their own. A 5-0 run by the Lakers made it a little more respectable.
3rd Quarter:The Lakers put a couple of runs together, but the game remained close. Shaq scored 10, and GP had 8 and 7 assists. But defense continued to be the problem as the Hawks got 7 from 3 different players.
4th Quarter:The teams traded runs. After the last, the Lakers lead 87-86 with 2:36 to play. The teams traded hoops. Kareem Rush made 1 of 2 FTs to give the Lakers a 2-point lead at 1:06. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Jason Terry did the rest of the scoring. He it a jumper and then made 1 of 2 FTs to give Atlanta the 1-point win.
If you wanted a statistic to blame it on, you could look at the Lakers 13 of 22 free throw shooting. If they had hit half of those misses, they win. But it shouldn't have been that close. If the Lakers play defense, they hold them well under their average of 89.6.
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Indiana 96 Golden State 88
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LA Clippers 106 Sacramento 113
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New Jersey 95 Denver 91
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Seattle 96 Dallas 107
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Toronto 89 Miami 86
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