NBA finals-Magic’s Victory
  photo from sports.espn.go.com
“I’m used to coming through in those situations, …….the team trusts me to come through in those situations, and it just didn’t happen tonight,†said the frustrated Kobe Bryant after Lakers first defeat marking
Magic’s first victory in the NBA all star finals. Most disappointing to all was when he lost his last chance to give the Lakers a 3-0 advantage in the finals, with half a minute left, he lost the ball to Mickael Pietrus and ended up fouling him leading to Magic gaining two free throws and winning the game by 4 points-108/104!
Is everyone being too hard on the NBA celebrity, we all make mistakes after all right? But maybe just not these many on one night! Kobe missed jumped shots, free throws, and couldn’t even maintain possession. With 2 minutes left, the NBA star missed a 3 pointer which could have given Lakers a good lead, at the 59.8 seconds mark; he missed one of two throws and two more potential 3 pointers. It was a very bad day for Kobe Bryant, in fact maybe one of worst fourth quarters Kobe has ever played but probably lapse he won’t be making again.
Magic on the other hand did put on a good show in the NBA all star celebrity game with Rashard Lewis scoring 19 points, Dwight Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Rafer Alston had 20 points all making a good come-back after defeat in the previous two games. They were actually able to set NBA finals records for shooting percentage, knocking down a blistering 62.5% of their shots. With those kinds of statistics, we would expect more than a mere 4 point lead but remember it’s the nine time NBA champions-Los Angeles Lakers they’re up against! Even with the Lakers star player’s misses, Magic could only squeak a 108-104 win.
The emotional roller coaster continues as we all anticipate Game 4 on Thursday in Orlando. Did Magic win only because of Kobe Byant’s mishaps or did they earn their victory? Will Kobe get over his frustration and make-up in the succeeding games or will Magic prove their worth and beat them again? Who will be next game’s top scorer or can we expect more bloopers from the NBA celebrities? One thing is for sure- Kobe’s slips were a major contribution to Lakers failure and Magic’s victory. If Bryant ‘comes back’, we can expect another Lakers win but the game being in Orlando’s home court might give them the drive they need to give them an equal chance at the trophy-a 2-2 standing would be interesting.