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Jun

10

2009 NBA Finals: L.A.-Orlando Game 3 Grades

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Coming back to their home Amway Arena, the Orlando Magic were on fire in a 106-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Three of the 2009 NBA Finals.

Rather than just dumping the ball into Howard in the post and standing still, Orlando’s complementary players were very aggressive from the get go, thus getting great ball movement, driving lanes and open shots that were hit at a 62.5 percent clip (an NBA Finals team record for a game).

After losing the first six games in its NBA Finals history (a 4-0 sweep to Houston in the 1995 NBA Final and an 0-2 start to the 2009 NBA Finals), the Orlando Magic have now finally won on the league’s biggest stage.

As for the Lakers, there’s no reason to hang their heads. An urgent fourth quarter nearly resulted in Los Angeles deflating and suffocating a tremendous overall effort from Orlando.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant wasn’t able to maintain his hot shooting start for most of the second half.

In the end, Orlando made the plays it needed to stay alive after getting great games from most of its players.

Still, the Lakers have to be feeling quite good with their effort.

If they can split the next two games in Orlando, Los Angeles should close this thing in six at the Staples Center, making my prediction of the Magic in seven look very dumb.

Anyways, here is an abbreviated version of the Game Three grades due to time constraints and a lack of sleep in the last 24 hours.

Orlando Magic

Rafer Alston: A- (20 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers in 36 + Minutes)

Fantastic game after two brutal games in Los Angeles. Came out ready to play and run the team. Played with a bounce (make that a skip) in his step, getting into the lane and making things tough on defense for Derek Fisher. Shot the ball without hesitation as opposed to first two games. Solid from start to finish. Big assist on Rashard Lewis jumper that gave Orlando a little breathing room late in the game.

Courtney Lee: B (4 points, 1 turnover, 1 steal in 19+ Minutes)

Statistically speaking, didn’t look like he did much. Bounced back from missed layup at end of Game Two by playing with more aggression. Did a nice job of frustrating Bryant on defense in the third quarter, which was the Lakers’ worst period of the game.

Hedo Turkoglu: B+ (18 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal in 42+ Minutes)

Much better effort in terms of consistency from start to finish. Was outstanding in first half with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Tailed off a bit in the second half and dribbled nowhere a bit too much in the fourth as Lakers made comeback. Still, was highly effective in first half in terms of all-around game and getting his shot without much effort. This is the type of effort that Orlando needs for Turkoglu in order to tie and win this series.

Rashard Lewis: A- (19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers in 41+ Minutes)

Has become one of my favorite players in the league with his performance throughout the playoffs. Another very solid game after rough Game One. Has moments where he can be forgotten on offense, but hit another clutch shot (just one of his many in the playoffs). His two pointer late in the fourth put Orlando up four. Loved his aggressiveness at the start, especially in terms of him getting shots in the post as opposed to settling for threes.

Dwight Howard: B+ (21 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots in 43+ Minutes)

Best game of the series. Not dominant but much, much better. Only got off 6 shots as Lakers still held him in check, but made 5 of those field goal attempts. Was more decisive when getting the ball in Game Three than he was in first two games. Still a bit frustrated as Lakers have made it tough for him to score. Still, was able to dictate rather than be dictated tonight. Huge on the boards. Once again, got a lot of free throw attempts and did a nice job there, making 11-of-16. Just doesn’t have the low post moves yet at this point in his career to deal with L.A.’s defense. Still, made adjustments and was very efficient and effective, even if he didn’t get enough shots, and didn’t let this affect other areas of his game.

Michael Pietrus: A- (18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 3 steals in 31+ Minutes)

Played like the X-factor off the bench that he was in the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland. Did it in different ways tonight as he didn’t make a three (his calling card against the Cavs). Drove to the basket hard but with control (as opposed to being out of control in the first two games in L.A.). Great energy effort. Huge tip dunk late in the game broke tie. Had big strip of Bryant and subsequent steal from Pau Gasol at end of game. Made two free throws to give Orlando a comfortable 4-point lead. Much more active and confident on both ends of the court.

Jameer Nelson: B- (2 points, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal in 11+ Minutes)

Is obviously not the player he was prior to injury at this point in comeback. Didn’t do anything spectacular. Had some bad turnovers in the fourth quarter. Still, give him credit for gutting it out and playing. Just looks rusty, deservedly so after 4-month layoff.

Tony Battie: A- (4 points, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot in 9+ Minutes)

A very nice stabilizing effort from Battie. Gave Orlando another big who could hit the outside shot. Played with great energy and looked like a seasoned veteran out there. Hit 2-of-3 from the field. Provided great minutes in my opinion, despite minus 1.

Marcin Gortat: C (O points, 1 foul in 4+ Minutes)

Lost his minutes to Battie, who gives Orlando a better outside shooting big man when Howard is on the floor. Outside shot is not a strength of Gortat. Still, he played well in the first two games. It’s about matchups at this point rather than being a reflection of how Gortat has played thus far.

Stan Van Gundy: A

Just liked his positive attitude tonight. Orlando played confident all night long and Van Gundy did a good job of keeping Alston’s confidence up. Looked like a different team tonight. Much better job with his substitutions. Loved how Orlando didn’t settle with getting the ball to Howard and then standing still. Much better ball movement led to open shots.

Team Effort: A

Everyone on Orlando played urgent in Game Three. Nice to see the Magic regain their shooting stroke after two tough games in L.A. En fuego all night long. Persevered late in the game when Lakers were threatening. A gutsy effort from a team that was coming off two very difficult games in Los Angeles. Have made it a series again, which is all they can ask for.

Los Angeles Lakers:

Derek Fisher: B- (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 steal in 32+ Minutes)

Got off to a nice shooting start. Normally a stud on defense, struggled containing Alston for three quarters. Hit big three in fourth quarter as Lakers made move on Magic. Not his best game, but still a gritty effort from a guy who may be at the end of his career but is still effective and willing to take a charge against the big boys.

Kobe Bryant: B+ (31 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 turnovers in 40+ Minutes)

Had brilliant first quarter, hitting 7-of-10 shots en route to 17 points. Played with much more urgency and aggressiveness at start of Game Three following a Game Two where he was surprisingly a bit too passive in my opinion. Struggled with his shot after hitting first 8-0f-11. Went 3-of-14 the rest of the way. Forced his shots a bit in the second and third quarters, and was frustrated by Lee early in the second half. Loved his approach in the fourth quarter, setting up the offense off the pick and roll and being a facilitator for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Didn’t come through at the end of the game. Had ball pick-pocketed by Pietrus-Howard combination, missed some big shots and even clanked a late free throw to make it five missed free throws on the night. Get a feeling that he’ll bounce back and shake off disappointment of missed opportunities at end of the game.

Trevor Ariza: B (13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2 steals in 41+ Minutes)

Missed his fair share of open threes, but hit two big ones, including a trey in the fourth that stemmed the momentum in favor of the Lakers. Came up with a few nice hustle plays as well. His 13 shot attempts were second to only Bryant’s 25 shots for the Lakers. Orlando will live with Ariza shooting more than Gasol.

Pau Gasol: A- (23 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 turnovers, 1 steals, 2 blocked shots in 39+ Minutes)

Soft no more! Got a little out of the flow after picking up two early fouls. Still, at end of the day, another highly efficient shooting effort, going 9-from-11 from the field. Made some tough shots in the fourth quarter as he and Odom stepped up their games big time. Needs more touches. Is playing the toughest and best basketball of his career in my opinion. Also playing Howard tough on the defensive end.

Andrew Bynum: C+ (4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal in 23+ Minutes)

Liked his start yet again. Came out very aggressive and made Howard uncomfortable. Only had 2 fouls, but got forgotten in this game, which has happened at times in the playoffs. Still, with the way Odom has been playing, not a big deal. I think Bynum has more than done his job thus far in this series by making Howard uncomfortable with his size on defense and keeping him honest on offense with some aggressive post moves.

Lamar Odom: B+ (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot in 32+ Minutes)

Very ordinary and maybe even a little below par in the first three quarters. Not as effective on the boards as in first two games. Still, got serious in the fourth quarter and was all over the place, scoring with ease in the post and being a defensive force. Like Gasol, Odom is playing at a very high level this series. His all-around fourth quarter sparked visions of Scottie Pippen back in the day.

Jordan Farmar: A- (11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers in 15+ Minutes)

Has seemed to find his confidence again in the last two games. Hit some tough shots, going 4-for-6. Looking more like Farmar of 2008 NBA Playoffs as opposed to this year. Provided nice boost off the bench for second straight game.

Luke Walton: B (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers in 11+ Minutes)

Had a nice stabilizing run in the second quarter with his rebounding and passing. Didn’t do as much in the second half. Not a bad effort considering his minutes.

Sasha Vujacic: F (0 points, 1 foul in 3+ Minutes)

How bad has Vujacic been for most of the playoffs? In early minutes of second quarter, Vujacic badly missed his lone jump shot, immediately picked up a foul and then got destroyed in the post by Pietrus, who scored an easy lay-up.

D.J. Mbenga: B (zeroes across the board in :17 seconds of play)

Saw limited time early in the first quarter as a defensive replacement for L.A.’s foul trouble. Immediately pulled once L.A. got the ball back on offense.

Phil Jackson: A-

Lakers didn’t play a bad game tonight; the Magic were just on fire and made more plays in the decisive minutes than the Lakers. Still, Lakers didn’t look like a team content with a 2-0 lead. They were looking for a 3-0 lead and seemed disappointed by the loss (which they should be!).

Still has to feel good about his team’s effort. Orlando shot 75 percent in first half and 63 percent for the game, and his team only lost by 2 points.

Lakers Team Grade: A-

Played a nice game. Didn’t look like the team that took off some games earlier in the playoffs. Played well overall and nearly pulled it out with hot shooting and aggressive play in fourth quarter. Orlando made the big plays when it mattered most and Bryant didn’t. That’s what the game basically boiled down to. One thing to be disappointed is 16-0f-26 effort from foul line.

Position Match-up Wins

Point Guard: Magic

Shooting Guard: Lakers

Small Forward: Magic

Power Forward: Even

Center: Magic

Bench: Even

Coaching: Even

Magic win 3-of-7 position battles.

Lakers win 1-of-7 position battles.

3-of-7 position battles were EVEN.

Overall

This was a very well-played game by both teams, and one that was worth watching, as opposed to the ugly Game Two. Orlando looked like a much more confident team at home while the Lakers had a killer look in their eyes in the fourth. Orlando deserved the win and the series is deservedly 2-1. Hey, we have a series here. Alright!