While the Los Angeles Lakers’ reserves haplessly gave away the lead early in the fourth quarter, the Utah Jazz celebrated every basket with increasing glee, spilling off their bench in anticipation of an upset. Even the Hollywood crowd was tense, with many fans anxiously kneading or waving the giveaway white T-shirts they apparently were too cool to wear. “It was tough,” Kobe Bryant(notes) said. “But when it got really tough for me, I just checked myself in.” A few minutes after Bryant checked in, the Jazz were checkmated in these familiar rivals’ second-round opener. Bryant scored 11 of his 31 points in the final four minutes, and the Lakers blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 104-99 victory Sunday. Pau Gasol had 25 points and 12 rebounds while blocking five shots for the top-seeded Lakers, whose backups were nearly run off the court by the fired-up Jazz before Bryant seized control. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=ArBUzWgZR9g1Nl1Rl_QXCu68vLYF?gid=2010050213
How come they don't use Koufas more? At least he can spot up and shoot the ball and stretch the Lakers defense similar to Okur. Fasenko was terrible last night for the Jazz. 1-7 from the field on baskets 1 foot away from the rim not to mention 0-4 from the free throw line.
