Game Notes: Lakers @ Magic

Nine months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers wrote the latest chapter in a rather storied history, winning their 15th championship over the ambitious Orlando Magic. Since then, neither team has shown the kind of consistent play that makes one think they'll surely meet again for the title. As both try to hit their stride for the season's final stretch, their paths collide in south Florida, the second game in a Sunday quadruple-header (!)...Almost makes up for the curling. We pick things up midway through the first, Lakers are leading 12-10 (had to eat)

- Vince Carter. Big offseason shift from Hedo Turkoglu...Definitely a better player, just maybe not a better fit in Orlando. He needs to be far more aggressive than he's been on offense, and has shown more of it in the first 5 minutes of this game than the first 3 quarters against Cleveland the other week.

- Dwight puts the kind of swat on Ron Artest that will stick with him for the rest of the game. In related news, Artest finally crossed into the RodmanHair realm of insanity, rocking "defense" written in three different languages...in Laker yellow and purple. Some things just never change.

- With Bynum on the bench in foul trouble, the Magic are assaulting the Lakers inside; Pau's (unsurprisingly) not putting up much of a fight against Dwight...Luckily for LA, Kobe's shaking off a stomach virus and starting 5-7 on an array of jumpers and nice post moves. I don't hear Pau complaining right now.

- Another monster dunk for Dwight as he shakes off three Lakers trying to deny the entry pass. Gasol's completely helpless, but he's saved by the whistle as Dwight picks up his 2nd foul at the other end.

- Carter keeps attacking, drawing contact on a strong drive for - get this - his fifth trip to the line. No, I haven't misplaced this, it's really still the first quarter.

- ABC's mercilessly plugging the Oscars in anticipation of their broadcast tonight. Really hope they cut this out; I care about Mike Breen's opinion of Avatar less than Gene Shalit's 6th Man favorites.

- VC for three! Haven't seen this Vince since '02; he's got 15 in the first.

- Pietrus smothers Kobe's quarter-ending attempt; Orlando up 31-24 after one.

- The Polish Hammer falls hard on Lamar Odom; LA's just being abused in the paint.

- Mickael Pietrus might be to a season what Robert Horry is to a game. Their x-factor in last year's playoffs; he was nowhere to be found earlier in the year, has recently come out of his shell and opens this game with a few nice jumpers and some impressive D on Kobe.

- Howard checks in.

- Howard picks up a third foul.

- Howard checks out.

- ...Good thing Gortat's havin' a time against an LA D that's confirming every theory about them being soft inside.

- Jameer Nelson and Derek Fisher are being soft outside on the other hand, netting a pair of silky jumpers from long range...Ron Ron tries to join the party and tosses up two horrendous 3's on the same possession. 48-44 Orlando.

- Vince nets a runner in traffic after leaving Artest in his dust. His first bucket of the second quarter with 1:50, but he's above his season average and is perfect from the field and charity stripe.

- Gasol makes up for being a daisy down low, running the floor like a gazelle, trailing a Fisher/Bryant break for a nice transition dunk.

- As the half winds down, a confused clusterfuck leads to a commonplace bricked 3 from Artest. 52-48 Orlando at the half; Dwight's played 11 minutes. All is not at peace in the Zen Garden.

- The Oscar assault continues at halftime with "Dwight Howard's Best Picture"...the un-nominated Law Abiding Citizen. Still a badass movie tho; Gerard Butler verges on Liam Neeson-in-Taken-I'm-the-Coldest-Mother-F***er-Alive status.

- "Can that MyTouch bring me some more lemonade?" - Charles Barkley

- Good interview between Magic and Kevin Durant; I'm really stoked for next month when he'll be starring in the main event instead of the halftime show...and the Thunder's increased TV presence next year.

- Back to the game; Carter wets a wide-open three after a Kobe miss. Bryant and Matt Barnes exchange words under the hoop and get hit with double T's. Bryant, clearly with a score to settle, stares Barnes down the whole way upcourt and fires a blank from the baseline as soon as he touches the ball.

- After 3 straight misses, Bryant mixes it up, feeding Bynum on a cut through the lane for an easy dunk. Kinda wish Kobe would do this more often; he's an All-Star just waiting to happen.

- Down at the other end, Barnes claps back with a putback slam in Kobe's mug, where he hangs, jumps up screaming in Bryant's face, and somehow Dwight Howard picks up a T for subtly muttering something at the ref...2 minutes later and Barnes is still trying to fuck with Kobe, faking a pass off Bryant's face on an inbound. Bryant doesn't flinch. Barnes is putting in an impressive effort...to be benched/ejected.

- Artest continues his crappy shooting, muscling by Vince only to shank an open layup. LA still trails; 61-57. Riveting sideline interview with "Boogie", the barber responsible for the abomination on Ron Ron's head; apparently the script on his skull is Japanese, Hebrew and Hindi...Might help to explain the confusion with which Artest has been playing today.

- The $126 Million Dollar Man hits a baseline three to send the crowd into a frenzy and put the Magic up eight. Ya, Rashard Lewis, streaky shooter, questionable defender, top-10 NBA salary. They regularly hand out such contracts and wonder why they're losing $400 million this year...

- Kobe's disappeared from this game; three points since the first quarter. Lakers trail by ten with 2:30 in the third. And Whit Eboy nails an icy three, the hits keep coming.

-Bryant finally makes a nice dish to Jordan Farmar on the wing in transition...for an airballed trey. Kobe then clears out a defender in the post, draws coverage, and kicks to a lane-slicing Lamar Odom...for a dunk he takes off early for and shanks before falling awkwardly. Perhaps this ball-hogging thing isn't such a bad idea.

- Rashard for three! And one! Maybe he is worth all that money! Brick at the line. Ok maybe not.

- Third quarter comes to a close; if LA can't wake up and outscore Orlando by ten on the road over the next twelve minutes, they'll have their first three game losing streak in two years.

- Always nice having Jeff commentate a game that Stan's coaching..."Normally he's the worst third-quarter interview in the history of NBA coaching". What the f***.

- Kobe finally hits his first field goal since the first quarter; ironically a well-contested 20-foot baseline jumper to beat the shot clock. On the next play he works Pietrus in the post for a turnaround and suddenly it's a six point game...Enter Dwight.

- Odom wets a baseline jumper over Lewis. Down to four, might have a game here folks.

- ...Should've known this was coming; live from Orlando, it's the Van Gundys! Lebron wins Best Actor for the fifth time today. I need a Kit Kat.

- Shannon Brown nails, you guessed it, a baseline jumper. Down to two. Stan's visibly unnerved.

- Howard stops the bleeding; feeding Nelson for a layup out of a smothering double-team. Not to be outdone, Kobe draws his won double and dishes to Gasol for a dunk.

- Gasol's quickly deflated as he gets tangled with Howard on the offensive glass, stops to glare about the no call, then rushes back downcourt in time to pick up a flagrant while hopelessly trying stop a Dwight cram. LA trails 81-74.

- A peculiar call (offensive goal tending) on a perfect lob to Pietrus off an inbound. Didn't know you could goaltend an alley-oop, neither did any of the commentators.

- The Mamba's starting to wake up; Kobe buries a trey in Barnes' grill, then drives at Howard to draw his fifth foul.

- Milk carton: Vince Carter

- Howard turns a Nelson airball into two points off a tip. Kobe takes advantage of Howard's foul situation, hitting a smooth jumper over him off the switch.

- After a Vince sighting for a slashing layup; Fisher wets a three to pull LA within one...or make that two, guess his foot was on the line. Meanwhile, Vince is trying to end things as they started, driving into three Lakers for another trip to the line. Magic up 87-83 with 2:45 left.

- Kobe to the rack again. Unguardable. After a Dwight and-one, he accidentally tips a Kobe miss into his own net while battling with Gasol.

- A lost shuffle on defense leaves...Matt Barnes (!) wide open for three...icyyyy. Potential dagger? Magic up six with 1:10 left.

- Bryant abuses Barnes and draws what should be Dwight Howard's sixth foul coming over on help. Gasol cleans up the miss to keep LA alive.

- Barnes sets a no-called dirty screen on Fisher, who retaliates by chasing him down and shoving him, resulting in...a double foul? The strange officiating continues. When I wrote about the NBA needing to clean up the Donaghy mess better, this was exactly what I was talking about.

- After Howard takes care of business at the free throw line, Bryant wets a nasty three over two defenders to bring LA within two with 26 left. Lakers foul, Nelson splits...it all comes down to...A Kobe three! For the tie!....No hold up again, it's only a deuce.

- Vince gets sent to the line with 9.7 left...where he misses his first free throw of the game, leaving the door open.

- LA curiously declines to use their final timeout, Barnes defends Kobe's inevitable shot well and the Lakers are now proud owners of a three-game losing streak.