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Payton, Not Shaq, puts Heat on Lakers
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-26 08:50
The lead changed hands four times in the next 90 seconds �� twice on
consecutive 3-pointers by Devean George, the last putting Los Angeles up 91-89.
Until his two makes, the Lakers were 1-for-17 from behind the arc.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (R)
watches Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade drive to the basket during their NBA
game in Miami, Florida December 25, 2005.
[AP] | O'Neal grabbed an offensive rebound and
tied the game at 91 with 1:49 left, before the Lakers took their last lead on a
free throw by Odom 20 seconds later. Payton followed with his critical 3-pointer
from the corner, and Wade added three free throws in the final 12.1 seconds.
It clearly was an event, with Donald Trump and his wife Melania sitting at
midcourt, four seats to the left of New York Yankees third baseman Alex
Rodriguez. The rest of the star list was diverse: celebs from Hall of Fame
quarterback Dan Marino to rapper Trick Daddy dotted the stands.
Some 1,200 miles away in Auburn Hills, Mich., even the San Antonio Spurs and
Detroit Pistons knew their rematch of the 2005 NBA Finals was almost an
ancillary point on the day's schedule. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked before
his team's 85-70 loss that their matchup was "the JV game."
"Those two best teams probably should be in this game," Riley said during the
Spurs-Pistons matchup. "But that's not the way it is."
No, this was the showcase �� and had its share of showcase moments.
The Heat led 31-26 after one quarter, aided by a 9-0 run in a 82-second span.
Williams had five of those points, with Wade getting the other four �� including
a spectacular dunk with 1:38 left in the period.
O'Neal pulled down a missed 3-pointer by the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic, whirled
and threw a three-quarter-court outlet pass to Wade, who drove and dunked on
Odom, his former teammate.
Bryant had 16 points in the first quarter, including a three-point play off
an alley-oop dunk with 37.8 seconds left. But with him on the bench to open the
second, Miami outscored the Lakers 8-2 and eventually led by 14 with 3:39 left
in the half.
Yet just as they did Friday in a loss to the Nets, the Heat frittered away
their big early lead. Bryant had six of the Lakers' points in a 13-4 run to
close the half, drawing them within 53-48 at intermission.
And in the third, with Wade on the bench one minute in after being called for
a flagrant foul against Bryant �� his fourth personal of the game �� Miami's
offense sputtered. The Heat managed only two field goals in the first 7:57 of
the third, yet never trailed by more than five points during that drought.
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