Empty the Bench

By: Christopher Thell

Woulda. Shoulda. Coulda.

The Orlando Magic shot an NBA Finals record 63% from the field and had five players score 18 points or more in their 108-104 victory Tuesday night, and yet, the Lakers should have purloined this game.

And which Lakers player was the key culprit in that failed theft?

Like the legend of the apostle Thomas demanding to stick his finger in Jesus’ wounds in order to prove that Jesus had actually risen from the dead, I, too, would have demanded the gory proof that Kobe Bryant was capable of choking.

Friends, I am a witness.

We heap almost ridiculous glory upon him when he performs at his usual superb level, but when he blows it, we need to recognize that as well.

After starting the game 8-12 from the field, Kobe finished it 3-13, including 5-10 from the free throw line. You read that correctly, 5-10 from the free throw line for the game. If Kobe makes 80%, Lakers win. Simple as that.

But even after shooting so poorly from the charity stripe and fading badly down the stretch, Kobe had a chance at redemption. Trailing 104-102 with under thirty seconds to go, and a chance to tie and make the Magic win the game, you expected Kobe to step up and make a play.

Instead of tying the game, Kobe had the ball poked away by Dwight Howard and a turnover ensued when Pau Gasol attempted to recover it.

Game over.

Of course, you might say, that if it takes the Magic shooting a Finals record percentage and Kobe playing perfectly pedestrian to notch an Orlando win, that the Magic have a miniscule chance of winning this series. But with a championship on the line, you need to capitalize on every opportunity granted, and The Lake Show blew this one.

Instead of being over, this is a series once again, and Game Four on Thursday night takes on a new sense of urgency for both teams. The last thing the Lakers want to do is have to play a Game Five on the road in front of a rabid crowd with the series tied 2-2.

If Kobe doesn’t choke tonight, that isn’t even a possibility.

It is now.

More Postcards From LA:
- Volume One
- Volume Two
- Volume Three
- Volume Four
- Volume Five

The popular Postcards From LA series is back for a 2009 Lakers run at the NBA Championship. As long as the Los Angeles Lakers survive through the 2009 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.

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