CHICK'S DOGGED EFFORT SPARKS LAKERS' VICTORY; BRYANT'S FREE THROWS CLUTCH : LAKERS 92, ORLANDO 89.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer Monday was Chick Hearn Day at the Forum, and naturally, the Lakers' broadcasting legend said it best. Hearn concluded the halftime ceremony honoring his 3,000th consecutive game with a typically blunt assessment of the Lakers, down by five to the crippled Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). History Early years The Orlando Magic officially entered the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1989. : ``Enjoy the second half . . . and let's go Let's Go may refer to: Television
The Lakers fended off the Magic and averted a Kibbles-n-Bits buffet but just barely. It took a botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. Orlando inbounds in·bounds adj. 1. Basketball Involving putting the ball into play by passing it from out of bounds to a teammate on the court. 2. Sports Within the designated boundaries. play, a missed free throw by Horace Grant Horace Junior Grant (born July 4 1965 in Augusta, Georgia) is a retired American basketball player. He attended and played college basketball at Clemson University, before playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he became a 4-time NBA champion. and two clutch free throws from Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. for the Lakers to hold on for the 92-89 victory before 17,505. The game wasn't decided until Bryant's foul shots with 7.7 seconds remaining, despite Orlando playing without injured Penny Hardaway Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American NBA basketball player specializing as a point guard and shooting guard. He is currently a member of the Miami Heat[1], who signed him August 9, 2007. , Derek Strong Derek Strong (born February 9, 1968 in Los Angeles, California), is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2nd round (47th overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft. and Mark Price, and despite the Magic entering the game having lost eight of its last 11. So how bout that Alpo, Eddie Jones? ``He still needs to bring it.'' Arf ARF see a-r-f sequence. . In winning their 30th game, the Lakers (30-9) saved themselves from another embarrassing home loss to an Eastern Conference foe and avoided tarnishing Hearn's day. They did it in dramatic fashion - the drama coming from free-throw shooting. They are shooting just under 70 percent this season but on Monday had converted 15 of 27 (55.5 percent) before Bryant stepped to the line after being fouled by Derek Harper Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13 1961 in Elberton, Georgia) is a former professional basketball player from the University of Illinois, who spent 16 seasons as a point guard in the National Basketball Association with the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and . The Lakers held a tenuous 90-89 lead, and only because Grant missed one of two free throws a second earlier. Bryant, again showing all the composure of a 19-year veteran instead of a 19-year-old, drained both shots. The Magic's last threat ended when hot-shooting Darrell Armstrong's off-balance 3-pointer banged off the front of the rim as time expired. Was Bryant nervous at the line? ``Nah. It's just fun, really,'' he said. ``Anytime you get the ball in your hands with the game on the line, you relish that chance.'' The Lakers might not have been in a position to win were it not for Bryant's savvy play moments earlier. Robert Horry Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. - who had an otherwise-solid game with 11 points, seven assists, four steals and three blocks - missed two free throws with 31.2 seconds left and the Lakers up by one point. But as Horry's second miss bounced off the front of the rim, Bryant glided past Danny Schayes for a left-handed tip-in and an 89-86 advantage. ``I just timed the shot,'' Bryant said. ``I tried to cheat a little bit and left before the ball left Robert's hand.'' By the Lakers' own admission, they shouldn't have needed such heroics to beat the Magic (20-21), short-handed as the visitors were. But the Lakers shot 40.2 percent from the field and 58.6 percent from the foul line while losing the rebounding battle 46-34. They were saved in part by 21 Magic turnovers and another outstanding performance by Shaquille O'Neal, who had 35 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots against his former team. ``We had a wonderful opportunity to win a big game and we made mistakes down the stretch, a box-out on the foul line and a missed free throw,'' said Magic coach Chuck Daly. ``They made the big shots, they made the big plays. That's why they have the record they do.'' The Lakers had a 27-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and had a five-point lead midway through the second before they began to unravel, scoring exactly one point in the final 6:45 of the quarter. After Hearn's words of, ahem, encouragement, the Lakers took the game back in the third, the highlights of which were 15 points from O'Neal and a 23-6 run fueled by 3-pointers from Horry, Jones and Bryant. They led 75-67 at the start of the fourth, but the Magic's 14-5 run gave Orlando the 81-80 lead with 5:33 to play. The Lakers quickly regained the advantage but never led by more than four points the rest of the way. ``Guys are going to have to learn to play hard,'' O'Neal said. ``We can't keep playing like this, especially against good teams.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Lakers guard Nick Van Exel Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. Van Exel, a 6'1" left-handed point guard, was most well known for his flashy style of play and his ability to hit critical shots during drives around Orlando's Charles Outlaw during the Lakers' 92-89 victory. (2--Color) Chick Hearn received a standing ovation in honor of his 3,000th straight broadcast. Evan Yee/Daily News |
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