Kobe Bryant is hoping that in the third time around, the ending will be different.
In the previous two meetings between the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 and 2007 playoffs (the Suns lost in 2008 to the Spurs and they did not make it last year), the Lakers had an early exit in the playoffs as they were defeated in the First Round.
Now, Kobe is looking for redemption.
This one is a different team with the addition of Pau Gasol and Ron Artest. In fact, since adding Gasol in their lineup, Los Angeles has beaten Phoenix seven times in nine games.
Both teams swept their Conference Semifinals Round opponent, 4-0: the Lakers against the Jazz while the Suns against the Spurs.
NOTES:
1. The Lakers advanced to their third straight Western Conference finals while the Suns the first time since 2006.
2. The Lakers entered the 2010 NBA Playoffs as the #1 seed in the Western Conference while the Suns is #3.
3. In the regular season, the Lakers defeated the Suns 3 times out of 4 meetings.
4. The Lakers is led by the tandem of Kobe Bryant (27 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5 apg) and Pau Gasol (18.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg).
5. The Suns is led by the tandem of Steve Nash (16.5 ppg, 11 apg, 93.8 ft%) and Amare Stoudemire (23.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1 bpg).
SCHEDULE: Lakers won series 4-2
Game 1 May 17 9:00 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 128-107 Lakers
Game 2 May 19 9:00 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 124-112 Lakers
Game 3 May 23 9:00 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT 118-109 Suns
Game 4 May 25 9:00 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT 115-106 Suns
Game 5 May 27 9:00 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 103-101 Lakers
Game 6 May 29 8:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT 111-103 Lakers
GAME BY GAME RECAP:
Game 1
Bum knee and all, Kobe Bryant scored 21 points in the third quarter netting 40 points for the games as the Lakers give the Suns their first loss in seven games, 128-107.
Lamar Odom added 19 points and a playoff career high 19 rebounds for the Lakers.
Shannon Brown gave perhaps the greatest missed dunk of all-time in the 4th quarter.
Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points, Steve Nash had 13 points and 13 assists and Robin Lopez scored 14 points in his playoff debut for the Suns.
Game 2
Kobe Bryant’s streak of six consecutive games scoring at least 30 points came to a halt. But he more than made up for it by dishing off 13 assists; the most assists by a Lakers player in the playoffs since Magic Johnson in 1996.
Most of those were passed to Paul Gasol coming from Suns double-teams. Gasol scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers pulled away in the the final minutes in a competitive game for a 124-112 victory.
Steve Nash 11 points and 15 assists for the Suns who had its first back-to-back losses since late January and now down 0-2 in this series.
The Lakers have lost only one best-of-seven playoff series in franchise history after taking a 2-0 lead, winning the other 41. The 15-time champions haven’t won eight straight games in the same postseason since their famous one-loss run through the 2001 playoffs.
Game 3
Kobe Bryant had a near triple-double with 36 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds but didn’t get much help aside from his team mates other than Pau Gasol as the Lakers surrender a 109-118 loss to the Suns.
Amare Stoudemire matched his career playoff high with 42 points, 29 in the second half, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Robin Lopez added 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in 31 minutes, by far his most playing time since returning from a back injury at the start of the series.
Steve Nash had 17 points and 15 assists.
Game 4
Kobe Bryant was on a roll again with a 38-point, 10-assist performance but the Suns bench delivered outscoring their Lakers counterparts 54-20 to give their team a 115-106 win over the Lakers and tie the series at 2-all.
Reserves Channing Frye, Leandro Barbosa, Jared Dudley, Lou Amundson and Goran Dragic combined to make 20-of-32 shots, including 9-of-20 3s, 23 rebounds and 13 assists.
Game 5
Ron Artest hit an improbable buzzer beater at the end of regulation to give the Lakers a 103-101 victory.
After Kobe Bryant air-balled his three-point shot attempt with 3.5 seconds remaining, Artest caught the miss and throw the ball that somehow went in.
Bryant finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Steve Nash had 29 points and 11 assists for the Suns who had an off-night from Amare Stoudemire with only 19 points and 4 rebounds
Game 6
In search of his 5th championship ring in 7 tries, Kobe Bryant closed out the series with a 37 points as the Lakers won 111-103.
Steve Nash scored 21 points and gave out nine assists in his 118th playoff game, the most for anyone who has never reached the NBA Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers will meet the Boston Celtics in a rematch of their 2008 NBA Finals showdown.
Watch the 2010 NBA Finals online starting June 3, 2010.
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Tags: 2010 NBA playoffs, la lakers, phoenix suns
