Empty the Bench

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers survive through the 2008 NBA playoffs, Empty the Bench’s West Coast correspondent Christopher Thell will be submitting a local fan’s take on his beloved Lakers’ postseason trials, tribulations and successes. In this edition: the Lake Show botched a perfect crime on the sabbath.

Larry Miller picked a poor game to miss. True, the Jazz owner may have scored a few points with his Mormon God by choosing, for religious reasons, not to attend the first Sunday game at Utah in seven years (although I’m going to assume he’ll still keep the profits from the game). But he missed a well-played contest by his Jazz team that allowed them to beat LA 123-115 and even the series, leaving Lakers fans feeling blue and perhaps even a bit blasphemous.

Game 4 was one of those maddeningly frustrating affairs where your team plays just good enough to lose all game – teasing you by getting close, even forcing overtime, but never playing well enough to get over the hump.

Once again, the Lakers dug themselves a hole in the first half. After a lackluster first quarter that saw them shoot only 34.5% to the Jazz’s 55%, the Lakers trailed 31-21. And once again, Derek Fisher picked up two quick fouls only three minutes into the game and had to be replaced by Jordan Farmar. The former Bruin is stinking up this series like a day old diaper left in the scorching sun. Farmar couldn’t guard Deron Williams (29 points, 14 assists) if his life depended on it. Compounding that, Farmar is shooting only 1-15 for the series. It’s no coincidence that the Jazz built their big lead when Farmar was on the court.

However, the Lakers managed to rally in the 2nd quarter behind ten Kobe Bryant points to tie the score 55-55 at the half.

After an almost even 3rd quarter, the Jazz took control in the 4th, building a 12 point lead with four minutes left in the game – a Lakers loss seemed inevitable.

How Los Angeles snatched a loss from the jaws of defeat after the jump…

But then Derek Fisher (15 points, 2 steals, 0 assists) and Lamar Odom (26 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, but only 5-10 form the free throw line) came to the rescue, helping the Lakers outscore the Jazz 20-8 to end the game. Both Odom and Fisher notched ten points apiece in the fourth quarter, and it was Odom’s put-back off a Kobe miss that tied the score at 108 at the end of regulation and forced an improbable overtime.

And then, just when you thought the Lakers had taken the upper hand and were going to steal one on the road, they choked. Pau Gasol, who bounced back from a horrible Game 3 to tally 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, blew a dunk to open the extra period and the Lakers didn’t score a field goal until 1:10 remained in OT – far too little, far too late.

This loss was particularly painful because the Lakers left so many points at the charity strip. They shot only 14-25 as a team from the line (56%). Simply unacceptable in a play-off game.

Kobe was one of the chief culprits, going an uncharacteristic 6-10 from the line, although, overall, Kobe’s numbers were great again – 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. But the reigning MVP struggled with back spasms all game, and it seemed to affect him drastically as the contest wore on. Normally the best closer in the game, Kobe was only 2-13 in the fourth quarter and overtime after starting the game 11-20.

So now the Lakers are left to wonder, “What if?”

What if the Lakers got some decent production from Jordan Farmar? What if the Lakers made their free throws? What if Kobe Bryant just played a normal Kobe Bryant 4th quarter?

Any one of those three things would probably have been enough to push the Lakers over the hump and allowed them to purloin a victory in Utah.

That’s what true title contenders do – they steal games on the road they shouldn’t.

The Lakers had their chance but couldn’t complete the crime.

More Postcards From LA:

Postcards From LA, Vol. 1

Postcards From LA, Vol. 2

Postcards From LA, Vol. 3

Postcards From LA, Vol. 4

Postcards From LA, Vol. 5

Postcards From LA, Vol. 6

Postcards From LA, Vol. 7

Tags: Postcards from LA, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Deron Williams, Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar