Maybe the Lakers have a rabbit’s foot and a horseshoe on a bed of four-leaf clovers.
Having Kobe Bryant is even better.
“I told them that God smiled on us [Tuesday] and we got the win,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson after the Lakers stole a 99-91 overtime victory from the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night to even the NBA Finals at 1-1.
The Lakers picked up the victory and saved themselves from trying to become the first team to lose the first two games at home and then try to win the NBA title. Los Angeles staged a comeback from six points down with 47.8 seconds left Tuesday night on still another game-saving three from Bryant.
The Lakers’ star, having missed all four of his three-point attempts to that point, got a dribble handoff from Luke Walton, moved to the left with Richard Hamilton shadowing him and faced up for a 28-footer to tie the game at 89-89 with 2.1 seconds left.
“It’s probably the biggest shot I ever hit,” said Bryant, whose three-pointer goes down in Lakers lore with shots like Derek Fisher’s buzzer-beater against the Spurs and Robert Horry’s three to beat the Kings a few years back. “As far as my career period, I have to put it second behind the shot I hit to beat Rip [Hamilton] in high school.”
Yes, the Lakers had plenty to smile about after facing basketball last rites in the closing seconds.
The Pistons didn’t get another shot in regulation after Bryant’s three, and scored only one basket in overtime, the Lakers going on a 16-2 run after trailing by six to end the game.
“We always believe Kobe can hit miracle shots even when things are not going well for him,” Jackson said.
Things especially were not going well for the Lakers. Jackson had to use rookie Walton extensively as well as Kareem Rush with both Karl Malone and Gary Payton being badly outplayed.
The Pistons were led by Chauncey Billups with 27 points and 26 from Hamilton. Shaquille O’Neal had 29 points as he and Bryant were the only Lakers in double figures.
It was the younger, quicker Walton who responded to an early Lakers deficit with the first-half energy that carried the Lakers and he ended the game with seven points, eight assists and five rebounds.
“Luke’s a kid, a rookie, of course,” Jackson said. “You always worry about getting calls and things that will happen. But he held his own and was the player of the game for us [Tuesday].”
The play of the game, of course, was Bryant’s, and the question was why the Pistons didn’t foul. It’s become common in the NBA for coaches to let a team trailing by three to take a three-pointer that could tie rather than risking a three-pointer and a foul that could potentially cost the game.
“I think about the four-point play,” said Brown, who added his team was “crushed” by the loss and chance to take the 2-0 lead.
“We talked about if they threw it inside and Shaq gets it to put him on the line. But I don’t want to take a chance like that. We switched and kind of backed off. The guy was 0-for-4 from three going in–that’s why he’s so special. After what the kid’s been through all year, more power to him.”
It appeared the Lakers were in control, leading 44-36 at halftime even as Malone went out briefly after again spraining his knee. Los Angeles led by 10 midway through the third quarter, but the Pistons ran Malone ragged, going to Rasheed Wallace in the post and Payton by Billups going at him and to the free-throw line.
Detroit closed within two after three quarters and then seemed to have the game–and the series–with an 89-83 lead in the last minute.
“Give them credit,” Brown said. “A great player made a great shot.”
