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Lakers' Locker Room L.A. refuses to use Kobe's absence as a crutch
Posted: Monday June 12, 2000 07:36 AM
By Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated INDIANAPOLIS -- No excuses. That was the collective sentiment among the Lakers after their 100-91 loss to the Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals Sunday afternoon. Rather than blame their defeat on the absence of All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, who sat out with a sprained left ankle, L.A. instead credited Indiana with simply playing better than it did. "They got all the loose balls," Lakers guard Ron Harper said in a subdued loser's locker room after the game. "They played their game. They came out with energy and did what we thought they'd do." "They stepped up their intensity," Lakers forward Rick Fox added. "We just didn't stop them." Going into the game, L.A. knew it would be tough to beat a desperate Pacers team on its home floor, especially without their 21-year-old wunderkind Bryant. Still, they were confident that if they played smart and got some offensive help from somebody other than Shaquille O'Neal, they would be OK. Indiana clearly had other ideas. Feeding off the raucous Conseco crowd, the Pacers double-teamed Shaq hard and fast. They hit the boards, outrebounding the Lakers 5-0 on the offensive glass in the first quarter en route to a 39-33 edge on the glass for the game. They dug out seemingly every loose ball. Meanwhile, L.A. killed itself with turnovers (17) and mistakes. Glen Rice, the hero of Game 2, went AWOL. Brian Shaw continued his horrid shooting (3-of-10). "We just didn't play smart at all," O'Neal said. "They were more hungry and a little more enthusiastic." For a team that's been criticized this postseason for not showing a killer instinct, the Lakers were a surprisingly carefree bunch before the game. An hour before tip-off, O'Neal sat at his locker, his bare feet (toenails painted gold) sticking out, watching game film on a portable tape machine. Nobody seemed too concerned about the absence of Bryant, who was in the next room, stretched out on a table with a big pack of ice taped to his sore left ankle. Once the game started, however, it was clear Bryant would be missed. The Pacers packed the defense around O'Neal, doubling with a big man and using Reggie Miller up top to block Shaq's passing lanes to the middle. Without Bryant's ability to penetrate, the Lakers were forced to either re-post the ball to Shaq or to swing it and take their chances with Rice, Harper or Shaw from outside. "We missed [Kobe's] attacking presence," Fox admitted. "He has a fearless way of attacking that puts a defense on its heels. We missed that tonight." As Fox and nearly all the Lakers were quick to point out, however, Bryant's absence ultimately didn't cost them Sunday's game. Showing the leadership characteristic of veterans, they accepted responsibility for the loss and gave Indiana credit. "We had a golden opportunity, but the Pacers came out and played well," forward Robert Horry said. "They did what they were supposed to do on their home court." That's not to say, however, that the Lakers weren't eagerly awaiting Bryant's return. When asked what L.A. needed to do to win Game 4 on Wednesday, Fox offered the following as the first of several basic tasks: "Get some 'healthy pills' for Kobe."
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