Basketball is a team sport. When played properly, five players are in tune with each other, reacting to one another's movements as if they were a single unit. Occasionally, there is a player who can grab total control like a dictator (say, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe) and dominate.
Kobe Bryant is the most clutch player we have in the league today. He's just about the best shooter there is and is one of the best defenders. That isn't to leave out his best attribute, his ability to create his own shot. This year, he's spent more energy trusting his teammates which has risen his game to its highest point of his career. In Game 3, Bryant wowed the home crowd, scoring 36 points. When the Celtics made it a game in the fourth, Kobe took over. Ray Allen looked like it was his first day on the job trying to stop Bryant.
Vujajic had the game of his life with 20 points. The Lakers needed it because both Odom and Gasol were largely ineffective. Odom got into foul trouble early again. Gasol is a great second banana, but the weaknesses in his game surfaced in Game 3. He can be soft around the basket and isn't always sure what to do with the ball.
The Lakers defense was better this time around. Pierce shot 2-14 and Garnett was almost as bad, 6-21. Eddie House saw his first action of the series and went 2-8. Only Ray Allen did anything, pouring in 25. But Kobe was the story and the Lakers came away with an 87-81 win to cut Boston's lead to 2-1.
The series has been plagued by inconsistent officiating. In Game 2, Boston flung 38 balls at the rim from the free throw line, to Los Angeles' 10. In Game 3, LA shot 34 from the stripe, while Boston took 22 attempts, but in the first half the disparity was greater, 20-4 in favor of the Lakers. It's possible that there's nothing to these numbers, but the reality is something different. The overall officiating isn't one-sided, just erratic. Has it affected the results? Maybe.
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