LOS ANGELES, 29 May 2004 — Kobe Bryant ended another exhausting day in the courthouse with another exhilarating performance on the basketball court. Bryant erupted for 18 of his 31 points in the decisive third quarter, sparking the Los Angeles Lakers past the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, 92-85 on Thursday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.
For the third time since the playoffs began nearly six weeks ago, Bryant jetted back and forth from Eagle, Colorado to attend his felony sexual assault hearing. Each time the superstar found the energy to lead the Lakers to a critical victory.
“No matter what I have to do I’ll do it, “said Bryant, who had eight rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. “That’s pretty much the bottom line.”
“Kobe’s a fabulous player,” said teammate Shaquille O’Neal, who dominated the inside with 19 points and 19 rebounds. “He’s going through a lot. I really couldn’t fathom what he’s going through. I don’t see how he does it. He goes up there, takes care of his business, gets back on the plane and puts up numbers.”
Derek Fisher scored 15 points off the bench while Karl Malone had 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Los Angeles, which improved to 8-0 at home in the post-season. The Lakers can advance to their fourth title series in the last five seasons with a victory at Minnesota today night.
“The more games we play, the closer we get to our mission,” O’Neal said. “We’re playing with a lot of energy, we’re playing real unselfishly, and were playing real hard. Hopefully, we can do the same thing and close them out Saturday.”
League Most Valuable Player Kevin Garnett barely missed a triple double with 28 points along with 13 rebounds and nine assists for Minnesota, which shot just 38 percent from the floor.
“When you get 23, 13 and nine, you’re pretty much doing everything,” Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. “KG was all over the floor tonight.”
Wally Szczerbiak added 19 points but all-star guard Sam Cassell had just three points in five minutes off the bench before exiting with lingering back spasms and a painful hip. His status for Game 5 will be another game-time decision.
The desperate Timberwolves will need a miracle come back to turn the best of seven-game series around.
Bryant managed nine points in the opening half, but Fisher had 10 while O’Neal added eight and controlled the boards, helping the Lakers to a 45-40 advantage.
The third quarter belonged to Bryant, though. He had 16 of the Lakers final 19 points, including a spectacular reverse layin, resulting in a 3-point play that opened a 75-60 cushion.The Timberwolves never recovered in the final frame.
Divac: Young Players Become Lost in NBA
Vlade Divac, one of Europe’s pioneers in the NBA, said yesterday that he was concerned about young players “getting lost” by joining the world’s toughest competition too early.
“Though I doubt anybody would listen, my advice to young players is to be patient,” Divac said in an interview with the Belgrade radio B92. “Many of the young players are not prepared for this kind of life and become lost in this circus.”
He said he was particularly concerned for potential Serbian stars, who “make a big mistake when they think that they can play here aged 18 or 19”.
He used the example of Darko Milicic, who was picked second by Detroit in the 2003 draft but played very little. “Milicic made a mistake by arriving too early, but that doesn’t reduce his chance of becoming one of our best players in NBA,” said Divac, who moved from Partizan Belgrade to the Lakers in 1989, aged 21.
Even US players have huge problems adapting, he said, adding that only a few, like the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett, remained a steady presence since joining immediately from high school.
Divac, whose six-year, 67 million dollars contract with Sacramento expired this season, criticized the policy makers in the team which — though among the top contenders for the championship over the past three years — failed again in their bid for the title. “If I was the general manager, I’d think hard how it could happen that our great game in the first part of the season disappeared when it mattered,” the veteran center said, dismissing criticism targeting his compatriot sharpshooter Pedja Stojakovic.
