LOS ANGELES // Whenever the Suns sent two defenders at Kobe Bryant, he coolly passed to an open teammate. When Phoenix loaded up down low against Pau Gasol, the Lakers picked them apart from the perimeter. Los Angeles' triangle offence has the Suns running in circles after two terrific performances in the Western Conference finals - and the defending champions' fans just could not help looking ahead to a possible grand finale against Boston.
Gasol scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Bryant had 21 points and 13 assists, and the Lakers roared away in the final minutes for a 124-112 victory on Wednesday night to claim a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is on Sunday night in Phoenix. But unless the Suns figure out a way to stop Los Angeles' versatile, poised offence, the Boston Celtics and the Lakers could be just a few days away from another chapter in their storied rivalry.
Although the Lakers took no bows after hitting better than 57 per cent of their shots and scoring 252 points in the first two games, it is clear Bryant and Gasol are leading a clinic in offensive hoops against one of the NBA's highest-scoring teams. "We're shooting the ball very well, moving the ball really, really well," Gasol said. "Our bench is playing at a high level, and we're all stepping up."
After Bryant scored 40 points in 35 minutes in the series opener, the Suns tried to double-team him more regularly in Game 2 so last season's NBA finals MVP racked up the most assists by a Lakers player in a post-season game since Earvin "Magic" Johnson in 1996. Bryant's streak of six 30-point games in a row ended, yet he capped his night as a creator by setting up Gasol for two tough baskets in the final minutes.
"It makes the game a lot easier to have [Gasol] inside to catch and complete plays," Bryant said. "We're extremely well-versed in playing against teams that double and zone, things like that." Ron Artest scored 18 points for the Lakers, who won their eighth consecutive play-off game and moved within striking distance of a finals showdown with the Celtics, who lead Orlando 2-0 in the East. The Lakers remained unbeaten at home in the post-season, handing the Suns their first back-to-back losses since late January.
"It's really tough because we have so many guys on this team that can hurt you offensively," said Lamar Odom, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. "When we get four or five guys going offensively, it seems like our defence steps up. We do a great job of using our quickness." "We can't slow them down,"said Alvin Gentry, the Phoenix coach. "I thought we played well offensively, but every time we tried to make an adjustment to slow them down offensively, they would go somewhere else. ."
The Lakers have lost only one best-of-seven play-off series in franchise history after taking a 2-0 lead, winning the other 41. "We still scored enough points tonight, but when they can score 120-something, that's asking the offence to score too much," said the Suns' Steve Nash, who had 11 points and 15 assists. "If we're going to beat them, we've got to find a way to slow them down." * AP
