ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Searching for an explanation for his team’s poor free throw shooting, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson had an odd explanation after his team’s 108-104 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of the NBA finals Tuesday night.
“Maybe it was that guy throwing that red flag in the air like this,” Jackson said, waving his hands.
Whatever the reason, Los Angeles never did find its rhythm at the line.
The Lakers were just 16 for 26 and missed some key attempts late, and now they hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
All-Star Kobe Bryant, who was 16 of 18 from the line in the first two games, said it wasn’t because of any funny signs or fans screaming. And he said the fan with the red flag behind the basket wasn’t an excuse. In fact, Bryant said he never saw him.
“Maybe if I saw him, I would have made some free throws,” Bryant said. “If I saw him, I would have made a shot. I didn’t see him.”
rrant free throw shooting highlighted the Lakers’ struggles, going 5 for 10.
“Free throws, we could have done better,” Lakers forward Pau Gasol said. “But every other aspect of the game, I don’t think it’s disappointing.”
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ALLEY-OOPS AGAIN: Maybe the Game 3 victory will help Orlando Magic guard Courtney Lee get his missed alley-oop attempt at the regulation buzzer two days earlier out of his head.
The rookie from Western Kentucky said the best way he could think of to try to forget the potential game-winner was to watch it over and over and move on.
“When I was at home, I was just beating myself up a little bit,” Lee said the 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. “But then when I got in here (Tuesday), my teammates were picking me up a little bit. That was my main goal, to just get it out of my head.”
Lee had four points in 20 minutes Tuesday night.
In Game 2, the Magic had the ball on the sideline with the game tied at 88 and 0.6 seconds left. Rashard Lewis set a pick on Kobe Bryant that freed Lee to cut to the basket, and Hedo Turkoglu lofted a pass that led Lee right under the hoop.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said about an hour before Game 3 that, according to the strictest interpretation of the rules, goaltending should have been called on Pau Gasol of the Lakers on the play. Gasol’s right hand grazed the net and his fingers banged into the rim.
on called the rule “kind of archaic” and said while the call should have been made, it didn’t effect the shot.
However, the NBA said Bernie Fryer, the league’s vice president and director of officials, confirmed the call on the court was correct and there was no goaltending.
Rule No. 11, section I-A (i) of the NBA rules says a player shall not “vibrate the rim or backboard so as to cause the ball to make an unnatural bounce.”
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LITTLE BIG MEN: Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar longs for the days when NBA big men worked on their drop step, pivot play and inside moves.
Maybe even a Skyhook or two.
In recent years, Abdul-Jabbar, the most prolific scorer in league history, has seen young frontline players who wish they were dribbling in the backcourt.
“Everybody wants to shoot the 3-pointer,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend said. “It’s like Lotto fever. They all want to be 7-foot point guards.”
Currently working as a special assistant with the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar has spent the past few seasons years working with Los Angeles centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, helping them develop their interior games. Gasol came to L.A. with a polished repertoire as international veteran while Bynum, who joined the league out of high school, was raw.
son after being sidelined by a knee injury, entered Game 3 averaging 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in the first two games.
“He’s coming along,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “Andrew’s confidence is growing and he’s just starting to tap into his potential.”
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MAGIC SINGER: The Magic brought out their secret weapon for Game 3.
Orlando improved to 6-0 in the playoffs – 7-0 on the season – when 7-year-old Gina Marie Incandela sings the national anthem at Amway Arena. She gave another one of her stirring renditions on Tuesday night.
Incandela was diagnosed at an early age with Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified, Autism, or PDD-NOS. Her parents, Michelle and Dwayne, feared their daughter would not be able to speak at one point.
But working with teachers who used music to help her speech, she slowly started humming songs around the house. She eventually learned the “The Star-Spangled Banner” and sang it with incredible bravado. She has wowed players and fans in Orlando throughout the playoffs. Tuesday night was her fifth straight appearance before a home playoff game, and she will likely sing again before Thursday’s Game 4.
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CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS: Orlando couldn’t match the star-studded fans seen at the game in Los Angeles, but the Magic did have one of sports’ biggest icons: Tiger Woods.
No. 1 golfer was in his usual calm and cool form. Although Woods is a central Florida resident and a regular at Magic home games, he grew up in Southern California as a Lakers fan.
Other notables in the crowd included Duke and U.S. Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski; film maker Spike Lee; former Tampa Bay Bucs running back and Florida State standout Warrick Dunn; and NBA commissioner David Stern.
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QUICK HITS: Security was so tight at Amway Arena that Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was stopped by guards at the team entrance. The former Lakers center, wearing a Dodgers cap and blue dress shirt, was screened by security with wands, which other celebrities also endure as standard procedure. … Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash was at the arena as a member of the media, doing reports for CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman. … It was only the second time – and first in 14 years – that Orlando hosted the NBA finals.
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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers, and AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
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