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Payton, Not Shaq, puts Heat on Lakers
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-26 08:50
MIAMI - One of Kobe Bryant's old teammates sent the Los Angeles Lakers to
defeat. And it wasn't Shaquille O'Neal. Gary Payton tied a season-high with 21
points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:05 left to help give the Miami
Heat a 97-92 win over the Lakers on Sunday �� their second straight hard-fought
win over Los Angeles on Christmas Day.
Los Angeles Lakers'
Koby Bryant pass to a teammate as Miami Heat's Gary Payton, center, and
Udonis Haslem apply pressure during the fourth quarter of an NBA
basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2005, in Miami.
[AP] | Bryant, who missed a 3-pointer that would
have beaten the Heat in Los Angeles last year, missed a potentially tiebreaking
one in the final seconds �� sealing the Lakers' fourth consecutive Christmas
defeat. He finished with 37 points, but did so on 12-of-30 shooting.
O'Neal had 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade added 18 points for
the Heat. Brian Cook had 15 points and Lamar Odom had 14 points and 16 rebounds
for the Lakers, who lost for the third time in their last 12 games.
Payton spent the 2003-04 season with the Lakers, the year they lost to
Detroit in the NBA Finals �� and the last year that O'Neal and Bryant were
teammates. He went there because he thought O'Neal could help him win an elusive
first title, and signed a one-year deal with Miami to continue that pursuit.
"Gary hit the big one tonight," Heat coach Pat Riley said.
Most of the sellout crowd wore red shirts, some donned Santa hats and banged
candy-cane-striped noisemakers. There was some holiday cheer, of course: Lakers
coach Phil Jackson strode to the Heat bench a few minutes before tip-off, shook
hands with Riley, his longtime rival, then shared a quick hug with O'Neal �� who
teamed with Jackson to win three championships with the Lakers.
But the O'Neal-Bryant relationship seemed frostier than ever.
The duo wouldn't acknowledge or look at each other before the game, not
shaking hands like last year before the Christmas tip-off in Los Angeles. Their
first contact was 23 seconds in, when O'Neal fouled Bryant while setting a pick
for Wade and drew big cheers when Bryant tumbled to the floor.
Shaq-Kobe III was ultra-hyped, with some ticketholders spending more than
$1,000 to get in.
They saw a good one, not decided until the very end.
Miami led 80-72 on Payton's layup with 9:21 left, but the Lakers answered
with a 13-5 run that ended with Bryant hitting a jumper with 3:38 remaining for
an 85-83 lead.
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