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June 15, 2004
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LA Lakers 87 Detroit 100
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Wins Series 4-1
The End
Well, the magic ran out for the Lakers tonight. No reappearance of the team that played as a unit and managed to pull it out at the last second. Not only did they continue to have trouble scoring, but also had a lot of difficulty on the defensive end. Not much more that I can say about this one.
Anyway, it's been fun doing all the games this season and I hope some of you enjoyed checking out my stats.
1st Quarter: A nice 10-2 run near the start for the Lakers. But the Pistons responded with a 16-4 spurt and lead by 1 at the end. Slava scored the first three hoops for the Lakers and had 8 points.
2nd Quarter: The Pistons had three runs, the last comming as shaq went to the bench with his third foul, and lead by 10 at the half.
3rd Quarter: The Lakers were treading water when the Pstions went on a 20-6 run to put the game away. Ben Wallace had 10 rebounds in the period, 4 of them offensive.
4th Quarter: Extended garbage time.
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June 13, 2004
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LA Lakers 80 Detroit 88
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 3-1
Falling In A Hole
It was a very close contest for three quarters. The good news for the Lakers is that Shaq was able to score at will, and Kobe had yet to get going. But in the last period the Pistons stretched the lead to 11 and the Lakers couldn't quite get back into it after that. The Lakers did get 20 from the Duo, but that wasn't nearly enough as the Pistons scored 32.
Shaq had an amazing game with 36 points and 20 rebounds, shooting 16 of 21 or 76%. But although he scored 20, Kobe again had trouble finding the hoop and shot just 8 of 25 or 32%. And the rest of the team shot just 28% and scored just 24.
You could also say the Lakers lost the game at the free throw line. There they hit 10 of 21. That's just 47%! And while the Pistons weren't great it either, they got 41 free throws and made 28 of them. That's an 18-point differential.
1st Quarter: No runs, and the Lakers lead by 1. Shaq had a fast start with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Detroit got 9 from Chauncey Billups.
2nd Quarter: A few small runs, and the Lakers trailed by 2 at the half. Shaq with 7 and 7.
3rd Quarter: After a swap of runs, the Lakers briefly held the lead. Shaq again lead the way with 6 points and 5 boards.
4th Quarter: Around the middle of the period, the Pistons went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 10. This was the hole the Lakers couldn't get out of. They again got 12 points from Shaq, and also 8 from Kobe. But they were countered by Rip Hamilton's 11 points, Rasheed Wallace's 10, and Chauncey Billups' 8.
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June 10, 2004
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LA Lakers 68 Detroit 88
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 2-1
Ugliness
Normally, the rest of the team scoring 43 points is a very good thing for the Lakers. But on a night when Kobe and Shaq combine for just 25, there is not much reason for celebration.
To say the Lakers never looked in synch would be a great overstatement. The looked confused and without a plan. And I don't think they were communicating too well either. Looking at the chart you can clearly see that the Pistons got the jump on them in every period, and the Lakers found fewer answers the further along the game went.
Again, a major problem was rebounding. The Pistons won that battle 51 to 39, and had 15 offensive. Too many second chances.
1st Quarter: An 8-0 Pistons start was following by a couple of small runs by the Lakers. Then Detroit started an 18-3 run that spanned into the next period. Eight points for Rip Hamilton.
2nd Quarter: The Lakers 12-4 run was their best of the game. They won the period by 1 point and trailed by 7 at the half.
3rd Quarter: Expecting the Lakers to assert themselves offensively, it was the Pistons who went on the 21-10 run. They got 9 points from Chauncey Billups, 7 from Hamilton, and 6 from Tayshaun Prince.
4th Quarter: Again, the Pistons start the period with a run. This time 9-1, and the lead was 20. Ten more points for Hamilton.
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June 8, 2004
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Detroit 91 LA Lakers 99
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 1-1
Kobe, Shaq, and the Kid
Kobe Bryant hit a crucial 3-point as part of his 33. Shaquille O'Neal added 29. But I doubt the Lakers would have won tonight without Luke Walton. Late in the 2nd quarter, and again in the 4th and OT, he provided energy and passing that they sorely needed. He ended the game with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks.
Once again the Lakers held the Pistons under 90 in regulation, but had trouble scoring themselves. They did shoot better. Shaq was 50%, Kobe 52%, and the rest of the team 42%. And Shaq continued to shoot free throws well, hitting 9 of 14. What really hurt them tonight was giving up 19 offensive rebounds. Those turned into too many second chance shots for Detroit.
1st Quarter: Another sloppy start as the Lakers made 6 turnovers. But the finished the period strong with a 6-0 run and lead by 2.
2nd Quarter: Three runs for the Lakers. They trailed by 1 at the 8:57 mark, then finished the half 23-14 to lead by 8. Kobe with 9 points, Shaq with 7, and Luke with 5, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists to ignite the rally.
3rd Quarter: The Lakers held their lead for most of the period, then saw the Pistons reduce it to just 2 at the end. Chauncey Billups with 16 big points, and Rasheed Wallace with 8 for Detroit. The Lakers got 8 from Shaq, 7 from Devean George, and 6 from Kobe.
4th Quarter: A trade of runs, then a 18-8 surge by the Pistons. The Lakers needed to close the game out 6-0 to force overtime. This included Kobe's 3-pointer with 2 seconds left. He had a total of 10 points in the period, and again Luke came off the bench to ignite the team with 2 assists and 2 blocks.
1st Overtime: The Lakers dominate the OT 10-2. Shaq had 6 and Kobe the other 4. The Lakers defense held the Pistons to 1 of 9 shooting.
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June 6, 2004
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Detroit 87 LA Lakers 75
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 1-0
Making Things Hard On Themselves...Again
The Lakers did the one thing you never want to do in a seven game series. Lose the first one at home. Even though they trailed most of the way, the game remained close. But I never sensed and urgency on from the Lakers. As if they thought they could just turn it on at the end.
That didn't happen. They did OK on defense, holding the Pistons to 85. But other than Shaq, who hit 13 of 16 shots, they couldn't hit the broadsied of a barn, shooting just 28%. That included Kobe's 10 of 27. In hindsight, they should have pounded the ball into Shaq more. He and Kobe combined for 59 points, but no other Laker could manage more than 5.
1st Quarter: Shaq scored 11, but the Pistons got in the only run of the period. Chauncey Billups hit all three of his shots and scored 8.
2nd Quarter: Two runs by the Lakers and they lead by 1 at the half. Another 9 points for Shaq and Kobe with 8.
3rd Quarter: The real turning point was the Pistons starting the second half with a 16-7 run. Nine more points for Billups.
4th Quarter: A Lakers comeback was ended by the Pistons finishing the game 13-7.
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May 31, 2004
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Minnesota 90 LA Lakers 96
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Win Series 4-2
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May 29, 2004
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LA Lakers 96 Minnesota 98
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Lead Series 3-2
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May 27, 2004
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Minnesota 85 LA Lakers 92
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Lead Series 3-1
Status Quo
It wasn't a brilliant performance by the Lakers. They seemed a little less than interested to start the game, and it always seemed as though the lead they had should have been bigger. Yet they did the things that have brought them success in the playoffs.
They only shot 41%, but still managed to accumulate 25 assists. A very comperable number to the 29 they amassed in their two other wins in this series. And once again, the held the TimberWolves under 90 points. This is their recipe for winning. And tonight they added a extra dimension by grabbing 51 rebounds. Shaquille O'Neal was possed on the board and got 18.
Kobe Bryant again had a slow first half, but went wild in the 3rd quarter with 18 points and some amazing acrobatic shots. Karl Malone had his usual steady game with 12 points and 11 rebounds. And Derek Fisher was very good off the bench with 15 points.
Kevin Garnett had his best game of the series with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists. But once again didn't get much support. Sam Cassell scored just 3 points in 5 minutes of play.
1st Quarter: The Lakers came out sleep walking, but managed to stay close. Shaq got off to a good start with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
2nd Quarter: A 15-2 run gave the Lakers the lead for good. But it felt as if their 5-point halftime lead should have been bigger.
3rd Quarter: After an exchange of 7-2 runs, the Lakers completed the period with 19-6 run. Kobe scored 18 of their 30 points.
4th Quarter: The Lakers did enough to prevent a big comeback by the TimberWolves.
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May 26, 2004
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Indiana 78 Detroit 85
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 2-1
Kind of a strange game. After outscoring the Pacers by 13 points in the 1st quarter, the Pistons scored on 9 in the 2nd. And after scoring 16 or less for the first three periods, the Pacers but up 33 in the final period. But it wasn't enough. A 10-0 run got them just 1 point away from a tie at the 1:50 mark of the 4th quarter. From that point on the Pistons outscored them 9-3, including a 5-0 run at the end. Ben Wallace had 17 points and 16 rebounds.
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May 25, 2004
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Minnesota 89 LA Lakers 100
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Lead Series 2-1
Defensive Consistency
While the Lakers' offense in this series has been somewhat sporadic, their defense is something they can be happy about. In the three games, Minnesota has scored 88, 89, and 89 points. Kevin Garnet scored 22 with 11 rebounds, but did not have the kind of dominating game he is capable of. This is true of all tree games.
Tonight the offense put up big 100, but not the way you would expect. The Duo scored just 8 points in the first half, all those by Shaquille O'Neal. Picking up the slack were Gary Payton (14 in the 1st) and Devean George (8 in the 2nd). They had a 9-point halftime lead, but it felt as though it should have been bigger.
Kobe Bryant got going with 22 points, but the game into a free throw shooting contest. Minnesota turned to hacking Shaq, and he shot 19 in the second half. He was a questionable 8 of 22 overall, but hit 6 of his last 9.
1st Quarter: A trade of 5-0 spurts is followed by the Lakers 13-2 run. GP supplied most of the offense with 14 points.
2nd Quarter: The Lakers maintain the lead, then add a little towards the end of the period. Devean helped them go on a 55-0 run with two 3-pointers and had 8 total.
3rd Quarter: The TimberWolves nocked 4 points off the Lakers lead behind Wally Szczerbiak's quick 14 points. But after being scoreless in the first half, Kobe got going with 11 points.
4th Quarter: Kobe scored another 11 and Shaq had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The Lakers extended their lead to 17, then watched the TimberWolves reduce it to 7 with 1:50 to play. The Lakers outscored them 5-1 to the finish, all those points coming from free throws.
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May 24, 2004
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Detroit 72 Indiana 67
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 1-1
After a horrible 1st quarter, the Pistons used a strong effort from their bench and 19 blocks to get back into the game. A 10-1 run in the 4th gave them the lead for good, even though the Pacers made it difficult.
An amazing sequence occured when, with 0:29 left and Detroit up by 2, Jermaine O'Neal blocked Rasheed Wallace's short jumper. Chauncey Billups got the rebound, but had it stolen by Jamall Tinsley. This resulted in an apparent fastbreak layup by Reggie Miller that was blocked out of nowhere by Tayshaun Prince. Rip Hamilton added 3 free throws to finish the scoring.
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May 23, 2004
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LA Lakers 71 Minnesota 89
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 1-1
Lakers Don't Pass
After making 29 assists in game 1, the Lakers had just 14 tonight. Clearly, the offense was not flowing like it did before. Kobe did what he could with 27 points and 6 assists. But although Shaq grabbed 16 rebounds, he only got on 10 shot attempts and scored just 14. And there little help from the others.
The Timberwolves, who got good games from Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, Wallay Szcerbiak, and Darrick Martin, scored just 1 more point than the first game. Tonight the problem was with the Lakers offense.
1st Quarter: In spite of Kobe's 14 points, the TWolves got the better of an exchange of runs and lead by 8. They put up a big 32 and the Lakers never really recovered. Szcerbiak and Sprewell each had 9.
2nd Quarter: The Lakers scored just 13 on 29% shooting and the TWolves finish the period 13-5. The lead was now 14.
3rd Quarter: Finally, the Lakers got a run going and were within 7 of the lead. But the TWolves again finish the period strong to bump it back to 12.
4th Quarter: No runs made by the Lakers, while the TWolves went on a 17-7 spurt to put the game away. Garnett with 9.
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May 22, 2004
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Detroit 74 Indiana 78
GameFlow BoxScore
Indiana Wins Series 1-0
The Pacers' 6-0 run to finish the game was just enough to get the lead back and a 4-point win. They had held around an 8-point lead over the Pistons for most of the 3rd quarter. Then the game turned into a seesaw battle. The Pistons started with an 11-0 run that stretched into the 4th period. This was followed by a Pacers 7-0 run, a Pistons 6-0 run, and the final run. Jermaine O'Neal had 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Ben Wallace 11 points, 22 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks.
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May 21, 2004
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LA Lakers 97 Minnesota 88
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Lead Series 1-0
Shaquille'ing Minnesota
The Minnesota TimberWolves had no answer for the Lakers' center tonight. Shaquille O'Neal domniated the middle and scored 27 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, made 5 assists, and blocked 4 shots. It was truely a dominating performace, particularly since he hit 9 of 11 free throws.
But it was really a team win. The Lakers got 23 points and 6 assists from Kobe Bryant, 17 points and 11 rebounds from Karl Malone. and 14 points and 6 assists off the bench from Derek Fisher. Fish hit 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range.
But of course, when the Lakers do well offensively, it is usually comes in conjunction with good defense. They held Kevin Garnett to 16 points and 10 rebounds. And although Minnesota did shoot 49%, they got off 9 less shots than the Lakers, and made 3 less.
1st Quarter: The TimberWolves got their biggest lead of the game at 6 after a 16-8 run. But before the end of the period the Lakers had a 6-0 run and trailed by just 1 point. Shaq got off to a good start with 8 points and 4 rebounds. GP, Karl, and Kobe also contributed well. For Minnesota Sam Cassell had 6 points and 4 assists, and Michael Olowokandi had a big 8 points after Ervin Johnson left with foul trouble.
2nd Quarter: The Lakers start with a 8-2 run, and the Wolves used the rest of the period to reduce the lead down to 2. Shaq with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
3rd Quarter: After Minnesota grabbed an early 2-point lead, the Lakers went on a 12-3 run. This was followed by a Wolves' 14-7 run to tie the game. Then, for the second time in the game, the Lakers finished a period strong with an 11-0 run. Eight of those 11 came courtesy of Derek Fisher. Kobe also scored 10.
4th Quarter: The TimberWoves got the lead down to 2 with a 17-8 run. Again the Lakers answered with a run of their own. This time 9-2.
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May 20, 2004
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New Jersey 69 Detroit 90
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Wins Series 3-2
The Pistons let there be no doubt as to the winner of this game. After an early 6-0 run by the Nets, Detroit denied them any more until the 4th quarter when it was far too late. The Pistons kept building the lead until it was 25 points in the mid-3rd quarter. They just cruised from there. Defense was the key as the Nets scored only 69 points on 36% shooting from the field and 19% from 3-point range.
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May 19, 2004
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Sacramento 80 Minnesota 83
GameFlow BoxScore
Minnesota Wins Series 4-3
After starting the game fast, the TimberWolves had a 13-point lead by the mid-2nd quarter. The Kings made a comeback in the 3rd quarter and grabbed a 2-point lead after their 12-1 run. The Twovles got the lead back before the end of the period and built it up to 9 points with 3:10 left to play. One final 10-2 run by Sacramento got them within 1 point. But after two Sam Cassell free throws, the Kings missed two 3-pointers to tie it and had a layup blocked. Kevin Garnett had 5 blocks on top of his 20-20 game of 32-points and 21 rebounds.
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May 18, 2004
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Indiana 73 Miami 70
GameFlow BoxScore
Indiana Wins Series 4-2
The Heat had a big run the 1st quarter, the Pacers in the 2nd. The Pacers kept going in the 3rd and grabbed a 10-point lead. But the Heat made up some ground and started the 4th with a 10-2 run. Although they had a 1-point lead a couple of times, the Pacers got the lead back for good with a 6-1 run near the end of the game.
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May 16, 2004
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Detroit 81 New Jersey 75
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 3-3
The Nets reduced a 17-point Pistons lead to just 2 with 4 minutes to play. But the Pistons outscored them 9-5 from that point on to get the win and even up the series. And they won in spite of the fact that they shot just 55% from the free throw line. Ben Wallace had one of his 20 rebound games, while Richard Jefferson did his best for New Jersey.
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Minnesota 87 Sacramento 104
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 3-3
Sacramento put this game away in the 2nd quarter with a 26-7 run. Minnesota made some runs at them in the second half, but never got closer than 6 points. Brad Miller had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench for the Kings.
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May 15, 2004
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San Antonio 76 LA Lakers 88
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Win Series 4-2
Saving The Best For Last
This was a very tight game for three quarters. The Lakers had the lead for most of the time, but not by much. The theme tonight was defense. In the 4th quarter, Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his game-high 26 points and the Lakers broke loose for a big 32 and put the game away.
The Spurs shot only 30% to the Lakers 45%, but stayed in the game by grabbing 21 offensive rebounds. But even though those second chance opportunities made the Lakers work even harder on defense, they never let the Spurs get comfortable on offense. San Antonio was forced to shoot too many 3-point shots and hit only 3 of 24.
1st Quarter: A 14-6 run by the Lakers is countered by a 13-4 run by the Spurs. A good beginning for the Lakers starters who all contributed.
2nd Quarter: The Spurs kept going with an 8-0 clip at the start. The Lakers recovered nicely with a 15-5 run, but found themselves tied at halftime.
3rd Quarter: The Spurs have no runs in the quarter and the Lakers try to get a lead. Shaq scored only 3, but grabbed 7 rebounds, made 2 assists, and blocked 2 shots.
4th Quarter: A quick 6-0 run by the Spurs gave the a 1-point lead. But it would be their last. After Gary Payton retuned to the lineup, the Lakers went on runs of 6-0, 14-7, and 5-0. Shaq scored 5 with 3 rebounds and 3 more blocks. And Kobe added his big 12.
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Miami 83 Indiana 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Indiana Lead Series 3-2
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May 14, 2004
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New Jersey 127 Detroit 120
GameFlow BoxScore
New Jersey Leads Series 3-2
Several players went 50 minutes or more in this marathon game. The last run (8-2 in the 3rd OT) finally gave the Nets the win. The two teams traded big runs in the first half, then settled into a tug-of-war the rest of the way. Richard Jefferson scored 31 and had 11 rebounds for New Jersey. They also got good play off the bench from Lucious Harris and Brian Scalabrine. Chauncey Billups lead Detroit with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
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Sacramento 74 Minnesota 86
GameFlow BoxScore
Minnesota Leads Series 3-2
The TimberWolves 18-4 run that spanned the 1st and 2nd quarters gave the the lead for good. The Kings made several runs at in the second half, but never regained the lead. Minnesota put it away with a 8-0 stretch in the 4th quarter. Sacramento shot only 33% from the field and 24% from 3-point range. Latrell Sprewell lead the way for the TWolves with 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
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May 13, 2004
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LA Lakers 74 San Antonio 73
GameFlow BoxScore
LA Lakers Lead Series 3-2
Fisher, Derek Fisher
Comming into this game, I didn't think the Lakers could rely on getting the same huge games out of the Duo that the did in the last game. Someone else would have the step up and contribute. In reality, a few guys showed up to help. Karl hit some shots early that helped the Lakers get the lead. Devean George's offense returned from nowhere in the form of 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting. And a guy by the name of Derek Fisher did what he does best. Hounded the ball, took charges, and hit a shot that will become part of Lakers legend.
After Tim Duncan's shot with 4 seconds left, I felt sick to my stomach thinking the Lakers had let this one slip away. A game they were in control of most of the way was now looking very much like an extremely disappointing loss. In a situation that seemed impossible, Fish showed up like some master secret agent to foil the enemy who thought they had already won. I have not gone bananas like that since Robert Horry's shot against Sacramento 2 years ago.
1st Quarter: Good start by the Lakers. After an early 5-0 run by the Spurs, the Lakers had their own 12-4 run and played good defense. Although Tim Duncan had 9 points and 5 rebounds, the Lakers shot 61% and had a 6-point lead.
2nd Quarter: The two teams swapped runs. Kobe scored 8 and the Lakes bumped the lead by 1. The Spurs only had 35 at the half.
3rd Quarter: Devean came up big with 11 points and the Lakers grabbed a 16-point lead after a 17-4 run. The Spurs looked confused but finished the period strong with an 8-1 run. The Lakers lead was now 9.
4th Quarter: The Lakers couldn't hit a shot and the Spurs continued their resurgence with a 16-3 run. In short, the Lakers were down by 3 at 2:14 and outscored them 6-2 the rest of the way to get the win. The actual events are more fantastic. Shaq hit a short jumper at 1:57, and there was no scoring until Kobe gave the Lakers the lead with a jumper at the 0:11 mark. That was followed by Tim Duncan's prayer of a shot at 0:04. Which was followed by Derek Fishers miraculous shot at 0:001.
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May 12, 2004
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Indiana 88 Miami 100
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 2-2
The graph tells the story. A 20-8 run in the 1st quarter by the Pacers gave them the early advanatage. Then the Heat slowly chipped away at the lead and finished it off with a 12-2 run late in the 4th. Miami had six players in double figures, while the bulk of Indiana's scoring came from Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest. No one else could hit a shot for them.
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Minnesota 81 Sacramento 87
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 2-2
Things looked good for the Kings as the dominated the 1st half with big runs. Then the Twolves came on in the 3rd to tie it up. But the Kings edged them out in the 4th. Chris Webber, Brad Miller, and Mike Bibby lead the way for the Sacramento.
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May 11, 2004
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San Antonio 90 LA Lakers 98
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 2-2
Slow Start, Big Finish
After a shaky start and a 10-point halftime deficit, the Lakers used a big 3rd quarter to get back in the game and take the lead. After shooting only 37% in the 1st quarter, they shot 55% the rest of the game. They got going defensively too, as they held the Spurs to just 37 points on 31% shooting in the second half. And the fact that the Spurs had no runs in the last two periods shows the Lakers were very much in control of the game. And they only committed 6 turnovers for the game.
The Lakers relied heavily on The Duo tonight. Kobe Bryant had 42 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, a block, and 3 steals. Shaquille O'Neal had 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks. The veterans, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, combined for 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker did better than last game scoring a combined 37 points. And Manu Ginobili stepped up with 21 off the bench. But it was not enough to stop the Lakers big finish.
1st Quarter: Things looked good at first, but then the Lakers found themselves on the short end of a series of runs. The Spurs lead by as much as 11, but the Lakers reduced that to 6 with a 5-0 run at the end. Hedo Turkoglu hit 3 3-pointers for San Antonio.
2nd Quarter: After a short rest, the starters returned for the Lakers and went on a 17-8 run to get the lead down to 1 point. But again they finished a period badly allowing a 10-1 run by the Spurs. Kobe scored 11.
3rd Quarter: The Duo lead the Lakers on 22-9 run that gave them the lead for good. Shaq scored 14 and grabbed 7 rebounds. Kobe scored 9. It waw the Lakers biggest period with 31 points.
4th Quarter: Kobe scored 15 and the Lakers extended their lead to 12. The Spurs had opportunities but could not take advantage of them.
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Detroit 79 New Jersey 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 2-2
The Nets also had a big 22-9 run in the 3rd quarter tonight. And although the Pistons made three runs at them in the 4th, it wasn't enough after the Nets had a 23-point lead. Jason Kidd had a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Kenyon Martin added 16 points and 15 rebounds.
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May 10, 2004
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Indiana 87 Miami 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Indiana Leads Series 2-1
The biggest lead was only 10 points, and the Heat got that after a 15-4 run with 1:43 left in the game. It was enough to survive a final Pacer run of 12-6. Dwyane Wade scored 14 of his 25 points in the final period. Jermaine O'Neal scored 29, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots for Indiana.
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Minnesota 114 Sacramento 113
GameFlow BoxScore
Minnesota Leads Series 2-1
The TimberWolves had a 14-point lead at the 4:15 mark of the 4th quarter only to see the Kings wake up and go on a 20-6 run to tie the game. The TWolves needed Darrick Martin, not in the game since the 2nd quarter, to hit 3 of 4 free throws to force overtime. Once there, they just barely eked out the win. Sacramento got all 9 of their OT points from Peja Stojakovic. Minnesota was lead by Kevin Garnett (30 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Latrell Sprewell (25 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists).
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May 9, 2004
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San Antonio 81 LA Lakers 101
GameFlow BoxScore
San Antonio Leads Series 2-1
Remembrance Of Games Past
The Lakers did some things right from the start in today's game that they hadn't done in first two games of this series. They played swarming defense. They made good passes to the low post. And they passed the ball to the open man who took and hit his shot. Suddenly they looked a lot like the team that started the season 18-3 and went on an 11 game win streak late in the season.
As a result the Spurs shot just 34% and got just 18 points combined from Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Those two had accounted for 95 points in San Antonio. Shaquille O'Neal dominated with 28 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and an astounding 8 blocks. Kobe Bryant added 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. And Karl Malone and Gary Payton combined for another 28 points.
1st Quarter: A 12-0 run in the middle of the period helped get the Lakers off to a fast start. And they uncharacteristically finished it off well with a 5-0 run. Kobe hit 3 3-points for his 9 points, and Shaq had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
2nd Quarter: The Lakers kept going with a 7-2 run. The Spurs responded with runs of 6-0 and 5-0, but just reduced the lead by 2 at halftime. They got 8 points off the bench from Devin Brown. Shaq had 3 more blocks.
3rd Quarter: The Lakers extended their lead 18-5 run in the middle of the period. Nine points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks for Shaq. GP scored 7. Tim Duncan scored 6 and grabbed 7 rebounds.
4th Quarter: The Spurs started the period with a 5-0 run and suddenly the lead was just 12. The Lakers weren't done, however, and put the game away with a 21-5 run.
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Detroit 64 New Jersey 82
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 2-1
For the last three periods, this game was actually a 51-51 tie. Unfortunately for the Pistons, the Nets had a huge 1st quarter and held their 18-point lead to the end. Richard Jefferson scored 11 of his 30 points in the 1st. The Pistons shot only 29% for the game, which helps explain their low score. Ben Wallace did his thing with 24 rebounds.
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May 8, 2004
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Miami 80 Indiana 91
GameFlow BoxScore
Indiana Leads Series 2-0
A 18-6 3rd quarter run gave the Pacers a 15-point lead an pretty much ended the contest. They were lead in the period by Ron Artest and Reggie Miller. Lamar Odom had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a losing cause for the Heat.
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Sacramento 89 Minnesota 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 1-1
After being down by as much as 14 points in the first half, the Kings got big 3rd quarter prodution from Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber and reduced the defecit to just 5 going into the final period. And they kept going with a 18-5 run that gave them a 10-point lead with 4:11 left to play. The Timberwolves immediately reasserted themselves by finishing the game 16-1 to get the win. Minnesota got 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 blocks from Kevin Garnet, while Sam Cassell scored 10 of his 19 points in the 4th quarter.
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May 7, 2004
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New Jersey 80 Detroit 95
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 2-0
Unlike the first game of this series, the Nets got off to a good start tonight and lead by 12 at the half. But the second half belonged to the Pistons. They used a 19-2 run in the 3rd quarter and a 17-4 run in the 4th to convert that 12-point defecit into a 15-point lead. The Nets then responded with a 9-1 surge to get within 7 points with 2:13 left to play. But the Pistons put finished the game 13-5 to protect their lead. Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups both scored 28 for the Pistons, and did most of their damage in the second half.
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May 6, 2004
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Miami 81 Indiana 94
GameFlow BoxScore
Indiana Leads Series 1-0
A 19-4 run in the 1st quarter and a 26-5 run that spanned halftime gave the Pacers a 23-point lead. The Heat fought back but got no closer than 8 points. Interesting that Indiana had only 69 shots to Miami's 84. But even though they made two less baskets, they made 6 more 3-pointers and 11 more free throws on 14 more attempts.
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May 5, 2004
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LA Lakers 85 San Antonio 95
GameFlow BoxScore
Spurs Lead Series 2-0
Defense Escapes Them
The Lakers found themselves down by 16 after the 1st quarter, then made the long slow climb to almost but not quite get the lead. After all that effort they seemed to run out of steam and watched as the Spurs put the game away. This time, in addition to poor execution on the offensive end, they had even more trouble with their defense. The Spurs had 61 points at the half on 59% shooting. And the Lakers have yet to find an answer for Tony Parker.
1st Quarter: The Spurs got off to a fast start with a 29-11 run. The Lakers looked sleepy as they watched Tony Parker score 16 points.
2nd Quarter: Shaq scored 12 and Slava came off the bench to add 6, but the period ended in a tie. Tim Duncan scored 11 for San Antonio.
3rd Quarter: Again the big period for the Lakers as they had three runs to none and made up 11 points. Kobe had 6 points and 5 assists, and Shaq had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and a block.
4th Quarter: After a short rest, Shaq reentered the game and the Lakers went on a 10-4 run to narrow the Spurs lead to just 2. But that's as close as they got. San Antonio then went on a 15-7 run that put the game out of reach.
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May 4, 2004
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New Orleans 77 Miami 85
GameFlow BoxScore
Miami Wins Series 4-3
Leading almost the whole way, the Heat had to survive a Hornet's 4th quarter run that reduced their 16-point lead to just 5. Rafer Alston retuned to the game and scored 4 points in the last 4 minutes to help stabalize the lead. Miami had 5 players in double figures, including Caron Butler who had 29 points and 9 rebounds. New Orleans got a surprising 25 points in 27 minutes from Steve Smith. Baron Davis left the game in the 3rd quarter with an injury and did not return.
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Sacramento 104 Minnesota 98
GameFlow BoxScore
Sacramento Wins Series 1-0
The Kings lead most of the way. The Timberwolves got even a few times, but could never keep a lead. They had a 2-point edge with 6:31 left in the game only to see the Kings go on a 14-5 run. When Minnesota reduced the lead to 3 at the 1:07 mark, Sacramento answered with 5 straight points. Mike Bibby scored 10 of his 33 in the final period. He also had 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals for the game. The TWolves got a big 40 points from Sam Cassell, but only 16 from Kevin Garnett and 5 from Latrell Sprewell.
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May 3, 2004
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New Jersey 56 Detroit 78
GameFlow BoxScore
Detroit Leads Series 1-0
Was it all the Piston's defense? The Nets scored just 56 points on 27% shooting. They had only 25 at the half, and the 17 they scored in the 4th quarter was their biggest. An amazingly awful exhibition of offense. And I thought the Lakers execution was bad!
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May 2, 2004
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LA Lakers 78 San Antonio 88
GameFlow BoxScore
San Antonio Leads Series 1-0
Lack Of Execution
Except for a stretch early in the 3rd quarter, the Lakers looked disorganized and confused today. Bad decisions, bad passes, and turnovers were the rule rather than the exception. Very seldom did we see any crisp execution by the Lakers. Kobe did have a good game with 31 points and 10 rebounds, and Shaq had 19 and 13. But as a team they shot 38% from the field and 67% from the free throw line in addition to their 20 turnovers.
1st Quarter: Lakers get in the first run with an 8-1 spurt, but immediately give up a 16-2 run. Kobe lead the way with 6 points and 6 rebounds while Tony Parker had the fast start for the Spurs with 7 points.
2nd Quarter: A trade of runs that the Lakers got the shot end of. The Lakers shot just 28% for the half and trailed by 8. It was Shaq's turn to have 6 and 6 with 3 blocks. Tim Duncan scored 8 for San Antonio.
3rd Quarter: Kobe broke loose with 12 points and the Lakers broke lose with a 23-9 run to start the period. Devean George added 8 after a scoreless first half and the Lakers lead by as much as 7. They hadn't broke 20 in the first two quarters, but now scored 32 on 57% shooting. Then, repeating one of their bad habits, they gave up 4 quick points at the end and only lead by 3.
4th Quarter: The Lakers grew stagnant and kept throwing ill-advised passes into Shaq. That was the main reason for their 10 turnovers in the period. The Spurs dominated the period with a 21-3 run and 52% shooting. The Lakers scored only 13 on 33%. Twelve points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals for Tim Duncan.
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Miami 83 New Orleans 89
GameFlow BoxScore
Series Tied 3-3
The Hornets lead most of the way but had to survive a 19-5 4th quarter run by the Heat to get the win. After scoring just 1 point in the first three periods, David Wesley scored 9 in the 4th to help New Orleans hold the lead. Dwyane Wade scored 27 and Eddie Jones 23 for Miami.
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