Game 4 Rewind: Insult to Injury – Laker 99, Tragic 91

With an elbow to the chops and a dagger to the heart, the Lakers are now just one win away from that elusive championship.

The Magic had the Lakers right where they wanted them and then Derek Fisher.  To be more accurate, it should be said that Jameer Nelson allowed Derek Fisher to happen.  Nelson inexplicably gave D-Fish all kinds of cushion to not only catch the inbounds pass but then head up the court unencumbered and unfouled, when a non-shooting foul was clearly the smart play, and then gave him enough room to launch the game-tying three-pointer.

As if that wasn’t enough, Nelson was still in the giving spirit in overtime when he decided to leave Fisher open for a tie-breaking and back-breaking three-pointer so he could instead ram his face into Kobe Bryant’s elbow.  Not what I would have done, but a bold choice nonetheless (What?  You really expected me to say that was a foul?  Ha!).

To be fair to Nelson it wasn’t totally his fault.  Dwight Howard got so involved in his quest to become the next Shaq that he even shot like him from the charity stripe, missing two free-throws with 11 seconds left that could have secured an Orlando victory.  All he needs to do now is make fun of Craig Sager’s jacket in a monotone voice and gain about 120 pounds and the transformation will be complete.

Oh but enough about washed up fat guys, let’s get back to Derek Fisher.  While he is clearly the hero of the night, he couldn’t have done it without Kobe Bryant.  You really have to hand it the Mamba.  It seemed he was dead set on proving that his costly turnover at the end of Game 3 was a fluke, that he was still The Closer, even though his shot just wasn’t going down in crunch time.  I even had a whole rant planned about how he selfishly shot the Lakers into a loss all so he could prove he was the top dog.  But then something amazing happened, The Closer turned into The Facilitator (coming to TNT this fall!).  The selfish Kobe would have tried to split the backcourt double team at the end of regulation instead of passing up court and springing Fisher.  The old Kobe would have tried some crazy fadeaway jumper while flailing wildly to draw the foul in overtime instead of kicking it out to Fisher for the go-ahead three-pointer.  It is almost like Kobe really wants this title.  I’m surprised nobody has brought that up yet.

• Trevor Ariza, where have you been all series?  Where ever you were, you showed up just in time to single-handedly outscore the Magic in the third quarter and get the Lakers back in the game.  Don’t be a stranger next time.
• A strong defensive effort for the Lakers, especially on the inbounds passes, forcing the Magic to inbound to their last options.  I guarantee you that the last person the Magic really wanted with the ball in their hands at the end of regulation was Mickael Pietrus.  They should really consider themselves lucky that he didn’t commit a turnover that led to a game-winning dunk for the Lakers.
• Look at Senor Softy getting feisty at the end of the game!  Attaboy, Pau.  You can’t let a guy get away with clubbing you in the back like that, much less a Frenchman.

Bad News:

• I was a little late getting back from work so I turned on the game late, so imagine my surprise when I saw both Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga on the court at the same time.  My wife had to talk me out of heading for the nearest fallout shelter because I was convinced that the apocalypse was on its way.
• As much as Kobe may want it, I think Dwight Howard wants it just as much.  16 points, 21 rebounds and 9 swats!  Lord have mercy!
• I regret to inform you that whatever magic spell Phil Jackson cast on Andrew Bynum in Games 1 and 2 has worn off and he has turned back into a corpse.

Laker Legend:

• Derek Fisher

I give Fisher a lot of crap for his declining defense, but when all the cards are down, he can still get it done and for that you have to love him.

Tags: Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, DJ Mbenga, Dwight Howard, Game 4, Game Rewind, Jameer Nelson, Josh Powell, Kobe Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, NBA Finals, Orlando Magic, Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza