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Lakers Reach Finals

Posted on: Friday, 30 May 2008, 06:00 CDT

By Jon Saraceno

LOS ANGELES -- When the Los Angeles Lakers needed Kobe Bryant to step up Thursday night, he danced a Texas two-step all over the San Antonio Spurs.

The league's Most Valuable Player swished and dished his way to 26 of his game-high 39 points in the second half as the Lakers rallied to eliminate the aging defending NBA champions 100-92 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

One year after wanting to be traded, the All-Star guard was magnificent with a series of brilliant one-on-one moves to the basket, off-balance jumpers and nifty passes. Bryant was energized by the unexpected presence of the logo, Mr. Clutch, Jerry West, the Lakers' former general manager responsible for trading for him as a teenager.

"I've seen a lot of great players in my life, but you people in Los Angeles are privileged to watch one of the greats," West told an ecstatic Lakers crowd.

Said Bryant: "He's my mentor. He will always be my mentor."

Los Angeles, top seed in the West, will play the winner of the Boston Celtics-Detroit Pistons Eastern Conference finals beginning next Thursday, the Lakers' first trip to the NBA Finals since 2004.

The Lakers bolstered their reputation as one of the premier "closers" in NBA postseason history. They have won 24 of their last 26 series when they had the chance to clinch a series, including eliminating 14 of their last 16 opponents dating to 2001.

They are 8-0 at home this postseason and have not lost at the Staples Center since March 28.

They looked shaky early in the game, prompting coach Phil Jackson, who got his record 190th NBA playoff victory, to quip, "Never a dull moment with these boys."

The Lakers bench of Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton gave the team a boost in the second quarter.

Trailing 48-42 at halftime, Los Angeles grabbed a 64-63 lead entering the fourth quarter on a three-pointer by forward Vladimir Radmanovic.

Pau Gasol added a career-high 19 rebounds for the Lakers and put the clamps on the Spurs' Tim Duncan, limiting him to 19 points. But Duncan had 15 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double.

The Spurs, who squandered a 20-point lead in Game 1, permitted the Lakers to escape a 17-point first-half noose.

"The better team won," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who said the defeat in Game 1 probably took a mental toll on his team.

Source: USA TODAY

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