Get Up Eight Times

Continuing where we left off from the first half, the Lakers are slowly putting the Kings to sleep.

Vlade has actually played Shaq well here; he’s kept him away from the easy dunks (only two or three so far), and he’s forced him to the hook shot. 17 shots for 20 points. That’s exactly what you need. Unfortunately, the Lakers are on pace to take 25 more shots thanks to AC Green and Ron Harper. Ew. No wonder they let Jason Williams just shoot it up.

Chris Webber is up to 26 points now. This was never a good sign against LA. Anderson shut down, Divac just not looking for his shot.

Kobe draws the double team while penetrating, and puts Shaq in single coverage on Webber for his fourth foul. This is followed by Shaq getting the inside position on Divac for another two. It’s hard to forget how great Shaq was after watching him barely lift off in Miami this year.

White Chocolate does not understand the concept of blocking out. We’re at five offensive rebounds for 36 year old Ron Harper.

Webber goes behind the back in traffic, heaves a ball that somehow goes to Williams, who clangs a three. Ah, this is the part of C-Webb that always drove me crazy.

Nick Anderson shoots an airball. This is sad to watch. Still a ten point game.

Vlade just drives his way into three defenders and gets the ball knocked out of bounds, then can’t get the ball off before the shot clock violation.

Chris Webber was a fantastic talent, but I always wonder what his career would have been like if he had stayed in the post instead of floating to the perimeter (as he did often in his Sacramento tenure). Webber was great in the post–he could execute the behind the back pass, he could work with the hook shot and the floater, he found the cutters. This game is a reminder of how dominant he was inside in his prime.

(And right on cue, he misses a 20 foot jumper. Do I know this guy or what?)

Offensive rebound and putback. Hey, let’s guess which team did this.

Horry coming in. I’m predicting a multitude of Webber jumpers.

Bob Costas visibly groans when Ron Harper comes up with another offensive board (with White Chocolate 20 feet away from him, standing like a statue). I wonder if he has money on the Kings.

Peja misses a technical free throw after Shaq gets another offensive rebound and pushes Nick Anderson into oblivion. Lord.

C-Webb loses his mind after committing his fifth foul on another Horry bump flop. An iffy call, but Webber is the master of overreacting. It evens out.

Webber and Divac out, and the Lakers are about to bury the Kings.

Shaq goes glass, then takes him into the block. Scott Pollard is getting obliterated. Against 2002 Shaq he held his own, but he had no chance in this series.

You never think of Glen Rice for his defense, but Peja is getting hammered. He can’t get shots off, he’s taking fallaway 3s. In other words, it’s a typical playoff Peja performance.

Rick Fox says something on a lame foul, Steve Javie Ts him up. I wonder what the five quickest technical fouls of Steve Javie’s career are.

Lakers lead 91-79 after three. A fairly comfortable game for LA.