Lakers-Jazz: Los Angeles Survives Utah's Three-Point Barrage

It seems like ages ago that the Detroit Pistons won their semifinal series against the Orlando Magic, even though it was only last weekend. With the home teams winning 22 times out of 23 games, the other three series looked like they would all go the full seven games.

That was almost case with Cleveland again outlasting the Celtics 74-69 to take that series to a seventh game. But the Lakers still had to play their Game Six in Utah, where the Jazz had been 37-4 during the season, the best home record in the NBA.

There was a good chance for the home teams' won-loss record in the semifinals to reach 23-1, and it came very close.

The Lakers looked very fast and strong at the start of their game with the Jazz,. They finished tired and in disarray, like a staggered boxer trying to make it to the bell, as they barely survived an incredible Jazz three-point barrage in the last two minutes.

Although it was the Jazz who finished strong, early on, their youth gave way to the Lakers experience. The Jazz looked tentative and played a complacent brand of basketball throughout the first half.

That enabled the Lakers to take off from the start, ending the first quarter with a 13-point advantage, 33-20. All five starters scored, and the Lakers had only one turnover.

Kobe Bryant, showing little signs of a strained back, was the high scorer with 10 points. Vladimir Radmanovic had seven points. The Lakers held the Jazz to only 30 percent shooting. Carlos Boozer put up six points for the Jazz.

The Lakers, playing a patient offense against the Jazz zone defense, to 19 points at halftime, 62-43. They shot 50 percent. Boxing out well on defense, the Lakers held the Jazz to just 33.3 percent from the floor.

Bryant had 16 points, half of them on free throws. Derek Fisher followed with 13 points, and even more importantly, he had three steals against Deron Williams.

Williams had nine points for the Jazz while Boozer had eight points and eight rebounds.

The Lakers committed just four turnovers to eight for Utah and outpointed the Jazz on fastbreaks, 16-2. However, that would change in the second half.

The Lakers lost the third quarter by three points, committing four turnovers, but still held an 86-70 lead over their hosts. So for Utah, the game and the series came down to the fourth quarter.

Could the Jazz cut more off the Lakers' lead and get close with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher on the bench for the start of the final period? Or would the Lakers' Bench Mob tread water?

With Paul Milsap getting to the basket twice, the Jazz cut the lead to 13 points, 89-76, at the 8:23 mark. That brought Bryant and Gasol back into the game.

But the Lakers continued to turn the ball over while the Jazz kept hitting the offensive boards. The Lakers found themselves up by only nine, 91-82, with just under seven minutes to play. Then Boozer hit a 15-footer to cut the lead to seven.

But a minute later, Bryant hit a three-pointer and Boozer fouled out. Then Harping fouled Bryant for a three-point play to get the Lakers lead back up to 13.

After an Okur layup, the teams exchanged turnovers. With just under three minutes, the Lakers led 99-88.

Then Williams hit a three-pointer and Okur another three-pointer. After Bryant made a couple of free-throws, Okur hit still another three-pointer followed by yet another Lakers turnover. And, then, would you believe it? Kirilenko hit a three-pointer.

After Lamar Odom made two free throws, Kirilenko hit, yes, another wide open three-pointer.

Just in case you’re counting, that was five three-pointers in 90 seconds.

At this point, the Jazz were trading two-point foul shots for three-point field goals. After a Paul Milsap dunk and a Derek Fisher free throw, the Jazz needed just one more three-pointer to send the game into overtime.

They didn’t get it.

Mehmet Okur missed a 24-footer. Then Deron Williams missed a 26-footer. And the Lakers prevailed, 108-105, taking the Western Conference semifinal series, four games to two.

Bryant was the high scorer for the Lakers with 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Gasol had a double-double, 17 points and 13 rebounds. Odom was 13 and nine, and Derek Fisher had 16 points.

Williams was high scorer for the Jazz with 21 points and 14 assists. Okur had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Milsap 15 and eight, Boozer 12 and 14, and Ronnie Brewer finished with 13 points.

Even though the Lakers won, it was the Jazz who put the final exclamation point on this game and the series. Again, they proved that they were the tougher team, outrebounding the Lakers 52-38 and 20-5 on the offensive boards.

They also forced the Lakers into committing 13 second-half turnovers, and their flurry of three-pointers showed how deadly they can be from behind the arc. Only their lack of experience betrayed them.

Overall, the Lakers are happy they won in Utah and are advancing to the Western Conference Finals. But they have to be disappointed with the way they broke down in the final stanza, hanging onto the ropes while their opponent punched them silly.