LA Times: For the Lakers, there is nothing to get bubbly about yet

Mamba · Jun 13, 2009

Family members and close friends of the Lakers will take a charter flight to Orlando this morning, as is the custom whenever there's a road game in which the franchise can win a championship.

Indeed, one more victory, and the Lakers begin their off-season with a lot more smiles than they did a year ago.

They are on the verge of their 15th championship, holding a 3-1 lead over Orlando with a chance to end the NBA Finals tonight at Amway Arena.

One by one, the Lakers promised they realized the importance of being this close to a title and not getting lost in visions of championship celebrations culminating with a victory parade in downtown Los Angeles.

"It's true," forward Trevor Ariza said. "[Game 4] was a big win for us, but it's not over yet. We've still got one more win to go. If we want to do that, we can't get big-headed and think that the series is over or that the other team is just going to lay down."

There have been some Game 5 slip-ups on the road after the Lakers took 3-1 series leads.

They lost to Boston in Game 5 in 1987, 123-108, which happened to be the first game after Magic Johnson's "junior sky hook" won Game 4. The Lakers lost to Indiana by 33 points in Game 5 of the 2000 Finals after taking a 3-1 series lead on Indiana.

In both cases, the Lakers won the championship in six games.

"The players have to get away from the euphoria, not listen to what everybody is telling them," said assistant coach Kurt Rambis, a player on that 1987 Lakers team. "We have to be more focused and determined than the way Orlando's going to play Sunday night. In a lot of ways, Orlando's going to be relaxed. The pressure is off of them."

The Lakers won Game 4 thanks mainly to a pair of Derek Fisher three-point baskets that stunned the Orlando crowd at the end of regulation and again in overtime.

Fisher said it seemed like a "lifetime" since the Lakers last won the championship, in 2002. They were favorites in 2004 but were crushed by Detroit and flamed out in similar fashion last year with a 39-point loss in Game 6 against Boston.

"It feels new again," Fisher said. "That's why I'm laying everything that I possibly have out there to try to help this team."

The Lakers also got a hint of good news from Kobe Bryant, who has divulged little about his looming free-agency possibilities, but provided one word of guidance when asked if he could envision playing for any team besides the Lakers next year.

"No," he said.

Bryant, who will be 31 in August, can terminate a contract with two years and $47.8 million remaining on it in favor of a five-year deal worth about $135 million. He is expected to re-sign with the Lakers, who can offer more money and, apparently, more chances to win a championship than other NBA teams.

Meanwhile, Orlando seemed resolute despite losing its second overtime game of the series.

Center Dwight Howard, who missed two late free throws in Game 4, talked about giving Orlando fans something to look forward to "when we travel to L.A."

"You want me to get up here and say the season is going to be over?" Howard said during an interview session with reporters. "I believe that we're going to be going back to L.A."

The Lakers will be going back to L.A., win or lose. It will be known soon enough if they have a championship trophy with them.

Jackson fined

Coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers were each fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing the referees during a TV interview between the first and second quarters of Game 4.

Jackson said the referees were making "bogus" calls after Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were each called for two fouls in the first quarter.

"I don't know what the referees are seeing out there in this first quarter," Jackson told sideline reporter Doris Burke. "There's some bogus calls out there, I thought. We've got all our big guys in trouble -- Lamar, Pau and 'Drew -- so we're going to be at a deficit now starting out with these guys in a foul situation."

Jackson and the Lakers were also fined $25,000 each for his critical comments of referees after Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Denver. He said after that game that there was "not equal refereeing."

Etc.

Bryant has led the Lakers in assists in all four Finals games, collecting a symmetrical eight in each game. Bryant said he was simply "reading the defense, making plays, taking the challenge if they want to stop me and throw a couple guys at me, to be able to find other guys." . . . Lakers owner Jerry Buss will not be in Orlando for tonight's game, sticking with his recent habit of not traveling to road playoff games.
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-magic14-2009jun14,0,1507549,print.story

Mamba · Jun 13, 2009

$25,000 is like $5 to Phil.

And yeah, no time to let up yet. Finish them in Orlando.

huevonkiller · Jun 14, 2009

I like Ariza's comments, stay focused dude. ;]

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LA Times: For the Lakers, there is nothing to get bubbly about yet

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