Melo’s Block Seals the Win

What a difference a single shot makes. The Los Angeles Lakers used a 22-5 run in the third quarter to get themselves back into the game but came up short as Derek Fisher’s potential game winning shot was blocked by Carmelo Anthony, giving the Denver Nuggets a 98-96 win at the Pepsi Center. The Lakers (5-5 in their last 10 games) and Denver (5-5) find themselves in the midst of late season slumps when typically playoff bound teams are building momentum prior to entering the post-season. Denver has been shaky at best with a left knee injury to Kenyon Martin and the loss of head coach George Karl to cancer treatment. Karl’s status remains up-in-the-air, but the Nuggets expect their coach to be back sometime during the playoffs. We all hope and pray that he has a speedy and quick return on his road to recovery. Meanwhile, the Lakers struggles have been well documented by sportswriters and concerned fans alike. Along with Andrew Bynum (strained achilles tendon) being sidelined, there is a slew of explanations for their recent poor play. Among them are a.) the team fails to show any intensity, b.) they are beaten by teams they should beat regularly, c.) they have regressed in their shooting, d.) the bench is incapable of providing any relief, e.) all of the above.

Anthony (31 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocked shots, 1 steal) and JR Smith (26 points on 10-19, 5-11 from downtown, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) provided the bulk of the firepower for the Nuggets. Chauncey Billups (12 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds) and Nene (11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) helped Denver secure sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the West by half a game over Dallas and Phoenix with 4 contests to go. The Lakers were led by Pau Gasol (26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocked shots) and Ron Artest (22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) as Kobe Bryant decided to sit out the contest after the morning shoot-around to rest his weary legs. Kobe’s official status was listed as swelling of the knee. In place of Bryant, Phil Jackson started Sasha Vujacic (8 points on 3-12, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot). The Laker guards (Fisher, Vujacic, Farmar, Brown) had a difficult time finding the range, shooting a combined 11-43 for 25.5%. Fisher finished the contest with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, and perhaps some second thoughts on his last second shot attempt.

Trailing by 15-points in the third quarter, the Lakers staged a furious rally, taking the lead at 69-67 after a pair of Gasol free throws. Denver was caught off-guard and had difficulty finding their offensive rhythm as the Lakers amped up their defensive pressure. The Lakers outscored Denver 27-16 in the period to take a 1-point lead entering the 4th quarter, 74-73. They would build their lead to as large as 87-80 after Sasha splashed a deep corner three-pointer. But Denver would not fall easily as Anthony would score 10-points down the stretch, giving them a 97-94 advantage with :44 seconds to play. Fisher would convert a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 97-96, and after Shannon Brown (12 points, 1 rebound, 1 blocked shot) swatted away a drive by Smith, regained possession and outlet the ball to a breaking Fisher, Billups intercepted the play and knocked the ball out of bounds. The officials reviewed the play and called it in favor of the Nuggets as the Lakers were forced to foul. Smith sank 1-2 which set up the last play with :12 seconds left. As has often been the case, Phil decided against calling a time-out and Fish brought the ball upcourt. But this time they were without the services of the best closer in the game and Fisher’s desperation three-point attempt was swatted down by Anthony.

• dEDGE Post Scriptum •

Although the Lakers lost the contest due to a bevy of reasons; a.) Kobe out, b.) Lamar Odom (5 points on 1-6, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal), c.) poor execution down the stretch, d.) poor guard play, e.) all of the above, they did not lose due to any of the reasons given earlier. The bench players actually contributed on a night they were without the services of Kobe. Denver’s collapse in the third quarter should go a long way in showing that they are not the same team as last year, when they came close to knocking off the Lakers in the playoffs. And although one contest does not negate all of their lackluster performances to date, it does show that with consistent defense, anything can happen. Had Jordan Farmar (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot) made one of his difficult lay-ups, had Artest not botched his break-away lay-up attempt, had Gasol not lost the ball with the team trailing 95-94, had Billups been called for a foul instead of given possession of the ball, the Lakers could have stolen this one. We’re unaccustomed to losing and this contest counts as a loss. But perhaps in doing so, the team may have found what they were desperately looking for, a bit of confidence heading into the playoffs. The ball takes some peculiar bounces in a game, and had one more bounce gone in the Lakers favor, we would all be claiming that the switch had been flipped on.