NBA Finals: Game 3 Notes

The Orlando Magic franchise won their first NBA Finals game in their history while the L.A. Lakers have seen their Finals road losing streak extend to seven games. Here are my notes from a dramatic Game 3:

Orlando:

• The Magic played their best offensive game of the series, and barely won 108-104. They had to shoot an NBA Finals best 62.5% from the field to get the W. 75% Magic shooting at the half.

• Don't expect a lot of their wild shots to go in the next game. For instance: Mickael Pietrus hitting a fade away jumper on Luke Walton, which was near the three-point line. Rashard Lewis driving scoop shot on Lamar Odom on the fast break. Rafer Alston's countless street-ball like moves against Derek Fisher, and finishing over the outstretched arm of Lamar Odom. Those were some unbelievably lucky shots that had no business going in.
  

• Alston and Pietrus combined for 38 points on 15-23 shooting after combining to score 6 in Game 2. They definitely stepped their games up. That mostly goes on Kobe and Fisher. The Finals vets need to do a better job of finding their man on defense.

• Orlando did a great job of speeding up the tempo. Whenever a Laker would make or miss the basket, Rafer Alston got the ball up court and initiated the offense much quicker than he did in Los Angeles.

• Courtney Lee decided to get physical with Kobe. He denied him prime post position and frustrated Bryant into an offensive foul. We can ether expect more of this fun match up, or see if the refs foul out Lee the next game.

• The Magic won a game where they only made 5-14 three-pointers. They shot a blistering 35-50 on two-point field goals.

• Dwight Howard was incredibly efficient on 5-6 shooting while making 11-16 free throws. He also grabbed 14 boards with only one turnover, which was a far cry from his seven turnovers in Game 2. Howard also did a better job of getting better position in the post by diving down the lane. He also attacked Laker defenders as soon as he caught the ball, rather than wait for the defense to come to him.

• Rashard Lewis (8-14 FG) and Hedo Turkoglu (7-12 FG) continued their great shooting from Game 2, while also passing the ball very well as they combined for 12 assists.
  

Lakers:

• Kobe Bryant made 7-8 shots while scoring 17 points in the 1st quarter alone. Many wondered if he going to explode again for an all-time Finals performance, but his production fell off sharply. He missed 13 of his next 17 shots, and seemed dead tired down the stretch as evidenced by his very uncharacteristic 4-9 shooting on free throw attempts. When Bryant foolishly tried to split a double team, like so many times unsuccessful attempts earlier this year, he was stripped of the ball, which was the decisive dagger to the Lakers.

• Bryant needs to get his teammates more involved in the 1st quarter, and manage his energy the rest of the game. He has all of the second half to unleash his inner mamba, as his selfish attempt to be a hero are not needed with the talented big men supporting him.

• Lamar Odom (4-6 FG) and Pau Gasol (9-11 FG) were producing well offensively in the 4th quarter, until Kobe came in with 7:30 to go, and dominated the offense. Sure, he came up with some big time assists on three-point shots to Ariza and Fisher, but the precedent was set. Kobe was going to dominate the ball in the 4th. This froze out Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom from their positions in the low block. Kobe needs to pass to his big men down low, to get some easy buckets, and for nothing else, to save him some energy.

• The Lakers need to lay off Hedo Turkoglu's pump fakes. L.A. already has a player who has perfected the art of the pump fake (see Kobe's AND ONE three-pointer on Pietrus in the 1st qtr.) so they should be well aware of the Turk's tendencies.

• The Magic have gambled all series long leaving Ariza open from three, and it has worked. Ariza was only 2-7 from the land of beyond, as he missed a wide-open trey that would've brought the game within one point with 15 seconds left to play. Ariza needs to do what he's known for and that's slash to the rim. That doesn't mean he should put up silly shots over Dwight Howard though. Rather, he should slash, suck in the defense, and kick it to shooters on the perimeter or his big men for easy basket opportunities.

Prediction for Game 4:

Obviously, I expect both teams to shoot lower from the field. The Magic were jakked playing in front of their first Finals crowd in 14 years, but on the other hand the Lakers consistently got off quality shots. It took the Magic's best game to barely defeat the Lakers, but I worry about Kobe Bryant's energy level. Hopefully the day off today will give him all the rest he needs heading into Game 4.

With all that said, I predict a Lakers victory going into Game 4 because they did nothing to make me believe that they will not bounce back. They hustled, played with heart, and with a few minor adjustments, they should be able to sustain the Magic.