Bryant Drives Lakers Into Finals
Once-Dissatisfied Star Leads Rally from 17-Point Deficit to Dethrone Spurs : Lakers 100, Spurs 92

By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 30, 2008

LOS ANGELES, May 29 -- The moment didn't seem possible almost one year ago, when Kobe Bryant flip-flopped on a trade demand because he didn't think the Los Angeles Lakers -- a franchise with 14 championship banners but none since 2002 -- were about winning anymore.

A sustained playoff run grew in plausibility when the season began as Bryant never was traded and role players Bryant had criticized began exceeding expectations.

An NBA Finals berth became a realistic hope when General Manager Mitch Kupchak made the deal -- some would say steal -- for Pau Gasol that skyrocketed them to the best record in the Western Conference.

But it finally became a reality Thursday night at Staples Center, where Bryant hoisted the Western Conference championship trophy above his head after the Lakers -- a team he could finally call his own -- dethroned the San Antonio Spurs in just five games with a 100-92 win.

"It is really a very victorious point in time," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, "for Kobe especially."

The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004, but there was a hint of doubt that it would happen on this night, as the Lakers found themselves trailing the Spurs by 17 points in the first half.

Those worries quickly dissipated as Bryant, the league's most valuable player, refused to let his team waste its first opportunity to close out the Spurs. He scored 17 of his game-high 39 points in the fourth quarter, putting the Spurs away with a personal 8-3 run that extended a two-point lead to seven with 55.4 seconds left. As he stepped to the foul line to give the Lakers a 91-84 advantage, he received a well-earned "MVP" serenade.

Afterward, fans began focusing on their preferred opponent in the next round, as they began chanting: "We want Boston! We want Boston!"

The Boston Celtics have a 3-2 lead over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.

After the buzzer, Bryant raised both of his arms, then immediately shook hands with Tim Duncan and the two stars embraced. Through the Lakers' four NBA Finals trips, which resulted in three championships, Bryant reluctantly deferred to Shaquille O'Neal.

He long wanted to have a team to call his own -- and he found it an unlikely mix that included a versatile, left-handed power forward in Lamar Odom (13 points), a 7-foot power forward masquerading at center in Gasol (12 points, 19 rebounds), a longtime friend and confidant in Derek Fisher and a lively, energetic, albeit inexperienced bench. Fisher was the only teammate to have reached the NBA Finals.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment," Bryant said. "For us to not have as much experience as some of the other teams in the West, still be able to get through the West, I think it shows a lot of maturity. We're all extremely excited and proud about it. Now it is time to go on and see if we can't finish it off."

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points and Duncan had a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Spurs, who have four titles since 1999, failed in their fourth opportunity to repeat. "We haven't repeated for whatever reason," Duncan said. "Luckily enough, we have won four times and had the opportunity to repeat."

The Spurs dealt with one issue after another in this series, starting with a terrible flight from New Orleans, blowing a 20-point lead in Game 1 and losing, getting blown out by 30 points in Game 2, then ending up on the wrong end of a controversial last-second non-call at the end of Game 4, when Brent Barry missed a desperation heave at the buzzer after getting bumped by Fisher.

"As I look back, it was a tough beginning of the series for us, considering the seven games against New Orleans and the quick turnaround and losing that game in Game 1," Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. "I think it took a little bit of a mental toll that we had to recover from."

The Spurs greeted the NBA's announcement on Wednesday that Fisher should have been called for a foul on Barry on the final possession of their 93-91 loss in Game 4 with pointed sarcasm.

"Oh, thank you," Popovich said. "That's a great help. I'll send some flowers to the NBA. That's great."

Barry reached back to the movie "Back to the Future" to express his feelings. "Doc Brown is waiting for me outside, we're going to get in the DeLorean and fire up the flux capacitor and we're going to go back and shoot a couple of free throws," he said.

After he concluded his standup routine, Barry said the Spurs were only concerned about winning the next three games, not looking back on the last 2.1 seconds of the previous game. The Spurs, who didn't practice on Wednesday or have a morning shoot-around, came out with the proper focus, taking a 33-16 lead on a Barry three-pointer in the second quarter.

But the Lakers responded with the game's best closer. "Never a dull moment with these boys," said Jackson, who needs just four more wins to pass Red Auerbach for an elusive 10th NBA championship.