Upon getting on the bus following L.A.’s improbable – but deserved – last-second loss in Indiana, Lakers play-by-play voice Joel Meyers made a good point: The Lakers hardly contested a shot for much of the game, instead packing the lane and allowing the Pacers to huck up 22 threes.
Ironically, L.A. played terrific defense on the Pacers’ two most important possessions in the final minute, forcing missed initial shots both times, thanks in part to Trevor Ariza. But the other major lapse by the Lakers on Tuesday evening – defensive rebounding – was what beat them as Troy Murphy got an extremely difficult left-handed tip to go off the glass, around the rim for two seconds and finally through the net. That counted for Murphy’s sixth offensive board (17 total), and Indiana’s 19th of the evening, and gave the Pacers a 50-41 rebounding edge over the league’s best rebounding team.
The comeback was all the more impressive after L.A.’s second unit stormed to a 15-point lead by scoring the final 17 points of the third quarter. But unfortunately, that great play immediately ceded at the onset of the fourth quarter, as T.J. Ford and Danny Granger (capitalizing on six Lakers turnovers) each scored 10 points in the period just as L.A. lost its scoring touch, going for only 16 points as a team after scoring at least 30 in the previous three quarters.
Phil Jackson had this to say after the game:
And a few numbers before I hop on the plane to Philly … speaking of Philly, that L.A. plays the 76ers tomorrow is certainly a good thing – no one wants this loss to fester for too long.
95.2
Free throw percentage by Indiana, who made 20-of-21 shots. The Lakers shot just 73.3 percent from the charity stripe.
24
SEcond-chance points for Indiana, to just 11 for the Lakers, who entered the game second in the NBA in offensive rebounding but totaled just eight on the evening.
16
Minimum points for every Pacers starter, who were led by 32 from Granger. Who needs the bench?
12
Missed free throws by the Lakers, who took 45 on the evening and made 33.
6
Fourth quarter turnovers that came in the first six or seven minutes of the fourth quarter.
2
Teams in last year’s NBA Finals that the Pacers have now beaten at home, as Indiana clubbed Boston early in November.
