Lakers Allow Heat to Escape in Overtime

Missed free throws will haunt the Los Angeles Lakers in this contest, connecting on only 15-25 (60%) as the Miami Heat rode out the win in overtime, 114-111 at American Airlines Arena. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 39 points on 15-28 shooting (4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) but his drive to the basket late in overtime was negated by a charging foul. Miami was able to secure the win with free throws by Carlos Arroyo (17 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds) as Miami improved to 31-31 on the season. [picappgallerysingle id="8162737"]Dwayne Wade (27 points on 9-21, 14 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal) was held in check through most of the game, but made his presence felt late in the game with either a key score or finding an open teammate. Late in regulation, Ron Artest (10 points, 5 steals, 2 assists) stripped the ball cleanly from Wade and was fouled, but failed to convert either of his free throws. But Miami lost the ball on the ensuing possession and Derek Fisher (14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) drained a deep three to draw the Lakers to within 94-93. Wade scored on a floater but Kobe responded with a pair of free throws to keep the deficit at a single point. Quentin Richardson (25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal) nailed a three-pointer with :11 seconds to play for his seventh trey of the contest. But Kobe calmly dropped a 12-foot fade-away with Wade draped all over him. Wade’s desperation shot at the buzzer fell harmlessly wide of its mark as the game headed to an extra period.

Kobe exchanged baskets with the Heat as he scored the Lakers first six points of overtime. In all, there were 31 lead changes throughout the game, the most of any NBA game this season. With the score knotted at 105-105, Kobe drew the double-team and found Andrew Bynum (12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 turnovers) free in the middle, but the ball caromed off of Bynum’s hand for a costly turnover. Udonis Haslem’s (12 points, 11 rebounds) baseline jumper gave Miami the lead for good at 111-107 as Arroyo finished off the Lakers with 3-4 free throws down the stretch. Pau Gasol (10 points, 9 rebounds) was unable to get into the flow of the offense and seemed out-of-sync against the smaller Heat frontline. Jermaine O’Neal (13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) and Haslem were able to effectively neutralize the Lakers frontcourt strength, limiting the Laker bigs from dominating the backboards and the paint. Lamar Odom (12 points on 6-8, 11 rebounds) was a force off the bench but overall the Lakers second unit was unable to find the range as both Shannon Brown (6 points, 3 steals, 1 assist, 1 steal) and Jordan Farmar (7 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) struggled at key moments in the contest.

There are a handful of players in the NBA that one can argue as being the best in the game today. Obviously, there is the debate between Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. But another player that is often mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned is Dwayne Wade. The 6’4″ 220-lb. shooting guard of the Miami Heat has made an immediate impact on the league since his rookie year in 2003 when he exploded onto the scene alongside King James. Lebron has always had the bulk of the headlines, but D-Wade has made quite a name for himself, winning a championship alongside Shaq in 2006 while garnering the Finals MVP award. With career averages of 25.4 points, 6.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game, “Flash” is up there amongst the league leaders in scoring and has single-handedly carried the Miami Heat for the past two seasons. His ability to absorb contact on his powerful drives often leave smaller guards on their backsides. Fisher, no little guy himself, found himself fouling out of the contest after picking up four quick fouls trying to keep Wade away from the basket. For the most part, Artest was able to bother Wade enough with his strength and size, but during crunchtime, Wade utilized his speed and quickness to easily evade him.

Questionable fouls and non-calls (Wade’s foul on Kobe at the top of the key in particular) could have swayed the game in the Lakers favor. But ultimately, it was the Lakers inability to take advantage of their superior size on the block that led to this road loss. How can a Western Conference number one seed lose to a Eastern Conference number eight seed? The Lakers learned quite a few things tonight, among them, 1.) had they converted a few more free throws, this game never would have gone into overtime, and 2.) should these teams meet in the Finals, a more balanced effort should allow them to prevail easily in a 7-game series. Losing a single game hurts, but in the big picture of life on the road, we can afford to settle for a 2-1 trip. Overall, I liked what I saw tonight. I saw Kobe regain his shooting touch (he was on the court 3 hours prior to tip-off), I saw a depleted bench make some key contributions down the stretch (tossed in with some questionable possessions), and I saw a team that is beginning to gel at exactly the right time. Consider these last few weeks a tune-up for the playoffs. We may not take sole possession of the top mark in the league, but really, is it that important when you have arguably the best player in the world on your team? Kobe’s performance tonight erased any doubts I had (however minute they were), clearly out of my mind. I was worried that perhaps he had hit the wall with his multitude of injuries but now I’m even more convinced that he is ready to turn it up a couple of notches and carry the team for another run at the title.