Ventre: The last time these fierce rivals met in the NBA finals, the Celtics bullied Pau Gasol and the Lakers into submission. This time around, Los Angeles' refined forward would have none of it as the Lakers pounded their way to a 102-89 win in Game 1.
Ron Artest beat the buzzer with a wild bank shot after rebounding Kobe Bryant’s miss, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 103-101 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Opinion: In the interest of not getting too high or too low, playing it real NBA veteran-like, we're going to approach this one from the popular it-is-what-it-is perspective. In Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, the Lakers were what they weren't.
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher hit back-to-back 3-pointers during an 8-2 run in the final minute and the Lakers held on for a 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz that put Los Angeles on the verge of clinching the Western Conference playoff series.
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers methodically pounded the ball inside for a no-nonsense 111-103 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 lead the NBA finals, rallying to beat the Orlando Magic 99-91 in overtime to move within one win of a 15th championship.
