Playoffs 2000:Buzz: Teams deal with Game 4 aftermath

Buzz: Teams deal with Game 4 aftermath
By Greg Collins
ESPN.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- Pardon us while we get a few clichés out of the way.

After seeing Kobe Bryant raise his game to a new level and carry the Lakers on his shoulders to a 120-118 overtime win in Wednesday's Game 4, Los Angeles wants to take care of business in Game 5. But the Pacers have their backs against the wall and must take each game in this must-win situation one day at a time.

THE INDY STORY

Quote of the Day
"I don't want them to celebrate in L.A. or here or anywhere."
-- Mark Jackson, asking if it made a difference if the Lakers won the title on the Pacers' home floor.

Jackson

Pacers storyline of the day
Not like we were expecting the Pacers to come out beating their chests and shouting to the rafters, but they were downright glum Thursday morning. Maybe their energy reserves hadn't been restored after a taxing Game 4. Maybe it was just a lack of sleep. Whatever the case, the Pacers must find a way to pick up the energy and maintain it for an entire game. A 10-point lead to start the second quarter Wednesday night was gone four minutes into the third quarter.

Lakers storyline of the day
All smiles. Not only did the Lakers put the Pacers on the brink of elimination, but there was still a glow to be felt from Kobe Bryant's dramatic 8-point overtime performance. That relaxed atmosphere might work into the Lakers' reputation for not closing opponents out. But then again, this is Phil Jackson we're talking about. Now that they've seen what Kobe and Shaq are capable of when both are at the top of their games, can the Lakers be any more confident?

Number of the Day
Points scored by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal after halftime in Game 4.

Rebounding about timing
For being the 26th-best rebounding team in the NBA this season, the Pacers have acquitted themselves nicely in the Finals.

The Lakers, who were No. 2 in the league in rebounding, have only snatched five more boards for the series than the Pacers. The difference has come on the offensive glass, however, where L.A. has a 10-rebound margin. On top of that, Indiana picked a poor time to go lax on the boards in Game 4.

That advantage came into play in overtime of Game 4. With Dale Davis having fouled out, the Pacers were left without a banger during crunch time. Brian Shaw picked off a Glen Rice airball and put it back with 46.6 seconds left to put L.A. up 118-115, and we all know about Kobe's tip-in with 5.9 seconds left.

"We're not a very good rebounding team, even with (Davis) out there," Austin Croshere said. "When you take him out of the game, we definitely struggle and that was obvious in the overtime."

Whew. So what did Game 4 really tell us? One, that Bryant took a big step in erasing the word potential from any description of the 21-year-old Laker guard. Two, that L.A. isn't dead in the water without Shaquille O'Neal. And three, that the Pacers might have just played their best game of the series -- and still lost.

Now the Lakers are faced with the task of finishing off Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night. That's much, much easier said than done, considering the Lakers have gone 0-3 in their first chances to eliminate teams in previous playoff rounds this season.

Against Sacramento in the opening round, the Lakers went from a 24-point win in Game 2 to an 8-point loss in Game 3. The reason? Shooting barely better than 40 percent after hitting 48.8 percent in Game 2. The Lakers lost both games at Sacramento before finishing off the Kings in Game 5.

In the Western Conference semifinals against Phoenix, a 3-0 start to the series came crashing down in a 19-point loss in Game 4. The Suns shot 52.3 percent and outrebounded the Lakers. L.A. closed out the series with a dominating 22-point victory in Game 5, holding Phoenix to 65 points.

Portland successfully staved off elimination twice against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. After going up 3-1 by beating the Blazers on their home floor twice, the Lakers couldn't finish them off at the Staples Center in Game 5. Poor shooting -- the Lakers shot 38 percent -- was again the big reason for the Game 5 loss. Defense let the Lakers down in Game 6, allowing the Blazers to shoot 50 percent from the field.

So in this microcosm of scrutiny, the Lakers suddenly have a reputation of being unable to close a series. Ahh, but these wily Lakers are now saying that's motivation for them heading into Game 5.

"What you learn (from previous series) is trying to develop that killer instinct to close out a series," Glen Rice said. "We haven't been able to do that thus far. We realize we're in that situation again. Indiana won't roll over for us."

Ron Harper, who won three titles with Chicago and then joined the Lakers at the start of this season, knows all about finishing off a series. Harper remarked Thursday that it seemed like the Lakers were having fun again after mini-controversies caught the attention of the media following the Game 3 loss.

"We earned this spot, and now we have to go out and earn it again," Harper said. "I came here for this."

The perceived notion of the Lakers being unable to close out a series early wasn't lost on Laker coach Phil Jackson, but he said that his team will talk about that flaw amongst themselves.

The Lakers have their share of championship experience -- Jackson won six titles in Chicago, Harper three, Robert Horry was part of Houston's back-to-back titles, John Salley won two in Detroit and another in Chicago, and A.C. Green was a member of the Lakers in their title-winning seasons of 1987 and 1988. But Rick Fox noted that it might be some of the younger guys who might be hungrier for that first title.

"It was hard to get to sleep (after a thrilling Game 4)," Fox said. "But as soon as I heard that wake-up call and alarm -- jumping out of bed wasn"t that hard because we were that much closer to the next game."

Judging by Indiana's somber mood Thursday morning, it was doubtful any Pacers had jumped out of bed.

After giving it their all in Game 4 -- getting a huge performance by Reggie Miller, finally seeing some offense from Rik Smits, shooting better than 50 percent as a team and almost playing the Lakers even on the boards -- the Pacers are left with the daunting challenge of having to win all three remaining games to capture the NBA title.

"There's no flatline here," Sam Perkins said. "If this were a young team, maybe they'd pack it up. We're not giving up without a fight."

The chief fighter amongst the Pacers is no doubt Miller. His performances in the last two games -- 35 points in the Game 3 victory, and then 33 in the overtime defeat -- showed that he isn't shrinking from the spotlight after waiting so long to get to the Finals.

"We have a beating pulse, we got a game on Friday and we have to find a way to extend the series," Miller said.

Revisiting Kobe
Less than 12 hours after the conclusion of Game 4, there was still a palpable sense of awe in the air about Kobe Bryant's overtime performance. His eight-point overtime period -- one point short of the NBA Finals record -- was the sort of thing his potential had advertised but had yet to be seen on a scale of this magnitude.

"Knowing the big plays that he made -- you talk about legends," Rick Fox said. "You don't become a legend overnight, but if there's an argument about that, he was making a statement rather quickly.

"He's always had the hunger and desire to be the man. You have to admire that, when you consider his age, his youth and inexperience. But to follow through in the fashion as grand as that on a stage as grand as the Finals, it gives his teammates confidence in wanting him to have the ball."

If the Lakers win the NBA title, there's no doubt Shaquille O'Neal will be named Finals MVP. That's what averaging 38.0 points and 19.3 rebounds per game will get you. But O'Neal will be the first to share his glory with Bryant, whom he views as his little brother.

"Being a student of the game, I realize that every great team has a one-two punch and for this team. Kobe and myself, we are the one-two punch," O'Neal said.