THIS TIME AROUND, KOBE BEATS THE CLOCK BUZZER-BEATER STINGS CHARLOTTE LAKERS 96, CHARLOTTE 94.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When no one else could defeat 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. , when Boston had stepped up and failed, time stepped in and snuffed his efforts. But time proved a mortal enemy Noun 1. mortal enemy - an enemy who wants to kill you foe, enemy - a personal enemy; "they had been political foes for years" Friday, and Bryant would not be denied by buzzers sounding or red lights flashing or tenths of seconds ticking off and taunting him. When the final horn sounded at the Charlotte Coliseum, it was Lakers 96, Charlotte Hornets Charlotte Hornets may refer to one of several sports teams in the history of Charlotte, North Carolina:
And Kobe Bryant had evened his score with the digital god that rules the basket standard. Bryant 1, Time 1. Just three nights after his apparent game-winner against Boston was negated by the buzzer, Bryant delivered a beautifully timed 18-foot fallaway that swished through as the final seconds expired. This time, there was no question he'd beaten the clock, and the Hornets. And there was no containing the celebration. Bryant, having fallen to the floor and watched the shot fall from a seated position, put his fist in the air, then pumped it downward three times. 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. lifted him up in a bear hug Bear Hug An offer made by a company to buy the shares of another company that is too high for the board of the target firm to refuse. Notes: If the target company says the merger is okay but they want a higher price, it is called a "teddy bear hug. . Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). wrapped him. The entire bench ran the length of the court to join the jubilation. And at least half the 23,800 people in the arena roared with them. Then Bryant skipped off the floor, his right arm raised. ``It feels real good. It feels real good,'' he said. ``It felt good in the Celtics game and they took that one away from us. And it felt good to come back tonight and hit one. It's a great feeling.'' Bryant's shot completed a comeback from eight points down in the fourth quarter, and gave the Lakers two consecutive wins to start this five-game road trip. The Lakers' resulting emotions over a late-February win was uncharacteristic of a team that considers the regular season a mere annoyance between championship parades. ``We've been getting the short end of the stick here lately, but finally we got a shot off, and Kobe made a great move to make a shot,'' Horry said. ``And it's just come from having so much against us - that game, and then him making that shot at the end.'' O'Neal has been back in the lineup for three games, and the Lakers believe they should be 3-0 and bullrushing toward April. Two wins doesn't qualify as momentum, but the signs are emerging. O'Neal played a strong 39 minutes, scoring 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting, with several ferocious dunks mixed in. Bryant scored 21 points, the last 11 in the fourth quarter. But the Lakers again were outworked on the boards (48-39), Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13 1979, in Los Angeles, California) is an American professional basketball player currently starting at point guard for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He began playing basketball at the age of five. tortured them with 37 points, and Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn (born November 29, 1972 in New York City) is a retired American professional basketball player. A small forward, Mashburn was a prolific scorer in his 12 seasons in the league, with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game. (16 points) got hot in the second half, forcing this game down to the final minutes. Down 83-75 with 6:31 to go, the Lakers turned the corner when coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. realigned his defense. Bryant took on Davis, in place of Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the Utah Jazz but asked to be released from his contract to care for his 10-month-old daughter, who has cancer. . Rick Fox shifted to shooting guard The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard,[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. to take Mashburn, and Jackson ordered up heavy doses of zone defense. Davis and Mashburn scored just four points each the rest of the way The Lakers finally re-took the lead 94-92 on O'Neal's fast-break dunk and three-point play with 39 seconds left. P.J. Brown's baseline jumper tied the game at 94 and the Lakers called timeout with 9.7 seconds left. There was little doubt the game would be left in Bryant's hands. ``He thirsts for that,'' Jackson said. And Bryant had no doubt that, with 8.5 seconds more than he had against Boston, he could afford to create. He took a pass from Horry, and with George Lynch guarding him closely, dribbled to his right, pump-faked, then pulled back and let it fly. ``I was positive I beat it this time,'' Bryant said with emphasis. ``I can't describe the feeling, man. It's unbelievable. To hit a buzzer-beater, on the road, to have your teammates run up off the bench, everybody jumping up and down and high-fiving, the opponents can't do anything about it, can't call a timeout or nothing because the game is over. Man, it's great. It's a great feeling.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Kobe Bryant sits, with a look of finality, after making the game-winning basket for the Lakers on Friday night in Charlotte. Rick Havner/Associated Press |
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