LeBron James had no shot. Dwight Howard scored 24 points - 14 on free throws - and Rafer Alston added 18 as the Orlando Magic, sick of seeing replays of James' dramatic Game 2 buzzer-beater, downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-89 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in an Eastern Conference finals getting nastier by the minute.
Kobe Bryant scored 41 points and made 15 of 17 free throws as Los Angeles beat Denver 103-97, snapping the Nuggets' 16th straight win at home and taking a 2-1 playoff series lead.
Kobe Bryantscored 41 points, including a key late three-pointer, to lift the Los Angeles Lakersto a 103-97 win over the Denver Nuggets and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finalsseries on Saturday.
LeBron James made a 3-point shot as the final buzzer sounded to give the Cleveland Cavaliers an exhilirating 96-95 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday, evening their NBA Eastern Conference finals series 1-1.
The Lakers' 24-year playoff dominance of the Denver Nuggets dissipated over the final 29 seconds of the fourth quarter. That's when Kenyon Martinhit a layup in traffic and Chauncey Billupsmade 3 of 4 free throws to give Denver a 106-103 victory in Game 2 on Thursday night to even the Western Conference finals.
First he took down the backboard. Then Dwight Howard helped quiet the red-hot
Cleveland Cavaliers.
Orlando center Dwight Howard knocked down the 24-second shot clockabove the basket with a ferocious dunk the first time he touched the ball in Wednesday night's Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ron Artestwas on his best behavior for the Houston Rockets this season. He was also a key contributor during their surprising run tothe second round of the playoffs.Both Artest and the team say they want to extend their relationship for another season, but the fiery forward also said he'll weigh other options as a free agent.
Those wildly inconsistent Lakers showed up for their Western Conference finalsopener against Denver and still managed to defend their home court.
Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu helped dethrone the defending champion Boston Celtics on Sunday night and gave Orlando a chance to bring a crown to the Magic Kingdom.
Missing Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo and facing the top-seeded team in the Western Conference on the road, the Houston Rockets couldn't compete in the decisive Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Houston Rockets came up with one more stunning victory to set up a final showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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