Kobe Bryant Archives April 2008 Kobe Bryant Archives April 2008   KOBE BRYANT SWEEPS FIRST ROUND AGAINST DENVER NUGGETS April 28, 2008 - Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 31 points over the final 5 1/2 minutes Monday night, leading the Lakers to a 107-101 victory and a sweep of their first-round series. "He is unbelievable," Luke Walton said of Bryant, his teammates and one of the MVP favorites. "It's always so comforting knowing you have the best closer in basketball. They were making huge plays down the stretch, but Kobe came right back to do whatever it took: huge plays, steals or an incredible shots like that fadeaway over Kenyon Martin from the top of the key. He wanted it badly tonight and we followed his lead." Pau Gasol added 21 points in the Lakers' first sweep of a playoff series since whitewashing New Jersey in the 2002 NBA finals, the last time they won it all. LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS PLAYOFFS: GAME 4 HIGHLIGHTS The Lakers will meet the winner of the Utah-Houston series, which the Jazz lead 3-1, in the Western Conference semifinals. The Nuggets won 50 games this season for the first time in two decades, and they did it in the power-packed Western Conference. But they were no match for the top-seeded Lakers, who are 25-5 with Gasol in the lineup. Gasol led the way early, scoring 18 first-half points, and Bryant took over in the waning minutes, scoring nine straight points in every way -- a turnaround jumper, a 3-pointer, a driving layup and a 15-foot floater -- to give the Lakers a 97-96 lead. "It feels good to win the way that we won today," Bryant said. 2008 PLAYOFFS LOS ANGELES LAKERS ROUND ONE PHOTO GALLERY When Walton made a wide-open 3 from the right corner, the Lakers went ahead 100-96 with 2:37 left, and Martin and Carmelo Anthony soon fouled out. Bryant made three free throws and a jumper after that. Anthony accused his team of quitting in Game 3 and he insisted he wasn't going to let that happen Monday night. He was right. The Nuggets didn't lay down, even when they fell behind by 13 points in the first half. They stormed back to make it a seesaw game in the second half. But again, Los Angeles had the answers and sent the Nuggets to their first-ever sweep in a seven-game series. Anthony fouled out with 1:19 left and Bryant made one free throw for a 101-96 lead. After Nene's slam dunk, Bryant's running bank shot make it 103-98. LOS ANGELES LAKERS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE Game 1 : Lakers 128 Nuggets 114 : Lakers Lead The Series 1-0 Game 2 : Lakers 122 Nuggets 107 : Lakers Lead The Series 2-0 Game 3 : Lakers 102 Nuggets 84 : Lakers Lead The Series 3-0 Game 4 : Lakers 107 Nuggets 101 : Lakers Win Series 4-0 Game 5* : Wednesday, April 30 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) Game 6* : Friday, May 2 : at Denver, TBD (TBD) Game 7* : Sunday, May 4 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) * If necessary 1ST ROUND - DENVER NUGGETS Marcus Camby's first points since the series shifted to Denver came on a 3-pointer from the left corner with 33 seconds left, cutting the Lakers' lead to 103-101, but Gasol maneuvered underneath for a dunk, and Bryant added two free throws with 18 seconds left. Lamar Odom had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles and Vladimir Radmanovic scored 12 points. J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 26 points, while Allen Iverson had 22 and Anthony 21. The Nuggets were bounced in the first round for the fifth straight season -- only this time, they didn't even win their customary one game, suffering their first sweep since San Antonio beat them 3-0 in 1995, when the first round was best-of-five. - NBA.com   KOBE BRYANT AND LAKERS LOOK TO SWEEP SERIES IN DENVER April 26, 2008 - The Denver Nuggets just can't seem to keep their emotions or Kobe Bryant in check. Bryant led a balanced offense with 22 points and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-0 lead in their first-round series, routing the flustered Nuggets 102-84 on Saturday. Game 4 is Monday night, and the Nuggets are going to have to get more out of their All-Star duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson if they hope to take the series back to the Staples Center. For once, the Nuggets clamped down on defense, but their high-flying offense went AWOL as Anthony and Iverson had their worst performance together since the two superstars first teamed up 16 months ago. LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS PLAYOFFS: GAME 3 HIGHLIGHTS "I was getting to the basket, I just wasn't finishing," Iverson said. "And the same thing happened to 'Melo." Anthony and A.I. shot a combined 10-for-38 and finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively. No thanks to the Lakers, either, suggested coach Phil Jackson. "I thought our defense packed it in on them, but they missed some easy shots," Jackson said. "I told the team at halftime, 'They're not going to shoot like this for the whole game. They missed some close shots, some shots they usually make. We'll have to play better defense in the second half.' "But they never showed up. They never got it going." 2008 PLAYOFFS LOS ANGELES LAKERS ROUND ONE PHOTO GALLERY Anthony said the Nuggets surrendered in the third quarter, although Karl didn't empty his bench until the fourth quarter. "You could just sense it," Anthony said. "I'm saying 'we,' because I'm part of this, too. I'm saying I quit. We all just gave up." At least one teammate concurred. "That's the way it seemed," Kenyon Martin said. "Everybody came out of the game. A.I. came out, and he leads the league in minutes. It's frustrating." "Well, I don't think I quit," Karl retorted. "... In the fourth quarter, I tried to find some answers. ... I don't think that's a fair, I think 'Melo's emotional right now, he's frustrated right now, as we all are." Bryant said he never sensed the Nuggets had given up until the very end. LOS ANGELES LAKERS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE Game 1 : Lakers 128 Nuggets 114 : Lakers Lead The Series 1-0 Game 2 : Lakers 122 Nuggets 107 : Lakers Lead The Series 2-0 Game 3 : Lakers 102 Nuggets 84 : Lakers Lead The Series 3-0 Game 4 : Monday, April 28 : at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 5* : Wednesday, April 30 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) Game 6* : Friday, May 2 : at Denver, TBD (TBD) Game 7* : Sunday, May 4 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) * If necessary 1ST ROUND - DENVER NUGGETS "Well, they're down 20-something points with two minutes to go," Bryant said. "But not until that point." Bryant had a placid first half himself (8 points of 3-of-8 shooting) but scored nine quick points in the third quarter to put the Lakers ahead 64-51 and quiet the Pepsi Center crowd that loves to hate him. Bryant has always played well in Colorado, where fans have persistently heckled him ever since he was charged with sexual assault at a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains in 2003, even after the criminal case was dismissed and a civil suit settled. Anthony drew a technical foul -- Denver's seventh in the series -- after he was stripped on his way to the basket, leading to a breakaway by Bryant that stretched the Lakers' lead to 78-61 with 2:33 left in the third. - NBA.com   KOBE BRYANT TAKES A TWO GAME LEAD OVER THE NUGGETS April 23, 2008 - The Denver Nuggets were right on the Los Angeles Lakers' heels when Kobe Bryant suddenly got hot. Oh, did he get hot. Bryant scored 19 points in a span of 4:19 of the fourth quarter Wednesday night, and the Lakers beat the Nuggets 122-107 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Games 3 and 4 will be in Denver on Saturday and Monday night. Bryant finished with 49 points and 10 assists - one shy of his career playoff high in both categories. "Tonight, the way he was going, we probably could have put 10 people on the court and probably wouldn't have been able to stop him,'' said Nuggets star Allen Iverson, who wasn't bad himself, getting 31 points and six assists. LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS PLAYOFFS: GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS "I didn't realize it,'' Bryant said when told about his scoring spree. "You just get into one of those rhythms. My teammates were looking for me, it just feels like the ball finds you.'' The Lakers led 89-79 entering the fourth quarter. The Nuggets drew within five points three times before a three-point play by Bryant with 6:41 remaining made it 101-93. That was only the beginning. Two free throws by Bryant in a span of two seconds after technical fouls against J.R. Smith and Iverson made it 105-94 with 5:37 left, and Bryant added a 3-pointer 18 seconds later to extend the Los Angeles lead to 14. Game over. 2008 PLAYOFFS LOS ANGELES LAKERS ROUND ONE PHOTO GALLERY Bryant kept it going before his hot spell ended with 2:22 left when he made a three-point play, giving the Lakers a 120-101 lead. He came out for good 20 seconds later to a loud ovation and chants of "MVP, MVP'' from the capacity crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center. Bryant was replaced by Coby Karl, the son of the Denver coach. It was the first time in NBA playoff history that a father has coached against his son. There was some trash talking between Bryant and Kenyon Martin, Denver's 6-foot-9 forward who had the assignment of guarding the Lakers' star in the first two games. "He's one of those players that you don't really want to make mad,'' teammate Lamar Odom said. "He can make shots from anywhere with people on him. I was surprised (Martin was talking at him). You never want to wake a sleeping giant. He can hit shots on anybody, on a number of defenders anywhere on the floor. LOS ANGELES LAKERS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE Game 1 : Lakers 128 Nuggets 114 : Lakers Lead The Series 1-0 Game 2 : Lakers 122 Nuggets 107 : Lakers Lead The Series 2-0 Game 3 : Saturday, April 26 : at Denver, 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 4 : Monday, April 28 : at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 5* : Wednesday, April 30 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) Game 6* : Friday, May 2 : at Denver, TBD (TBD) Game 7* : Sunday, May 4 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) * If necessary 1ST ROUND - DENVER NUGGETS Linas Kleiza made just his 14th start of the season in place of Anthony Carter, giving Denver more firepower and additional size. The move paid off early as Kleiza and Anthony both scored six points to help the Nuggets take a 20-14 lead. Then Bryant went to work, scoring 16 of his 20 first-quarter points in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the period as the Lakers outscored the Nuggets 19-12 for a 33-32 lead. Bryant shot 8-for-10 in the period, compared to his 9-for-26 effort in Game 1, when he scored 18 of his 32 points in the final 8 1/2 minutes of the Lakers' 128-114 victory. The Lakers outscored Denver 14-4 to start the second quarter for a 47-36 lead. Bryant had 25 points in the first half, which ended with Los Angeles on top 59-49. Gasol, who had 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in Game 1, had just four points, four rebounds and no assists at the midway point of this game. - NBA.com   KOBE BRYANT & PAU GASOL DOMINATE GAME ONE OF THE SERIES April 20, 2008 - Pau Gasol's post-game smile made it clear how he felt about finally winning a postseason game. His numbers revealed just how much he had to do with the victory. Gasol established career playoff highs with 36 points and eight assists, and he also had 16 rebounds and three blocked shots Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers took command in the third quarter and beat the Denver Nuggets 128-114. "It feels amazing, it feels great. I had a blast out there,'' the 7-foot Spaniard said after shooting 14-of-20 from the floor and 8-of-8 from the foul line. "We did a pretty good job, we can do better. We're happy with the win, I'm happy with the win. Hopefully there will be many more. LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS PLAYOFFS: GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS "Every guy on our team is doing an amazing job out there, and I'm just one of them.'' Gasol, a 27-year-old forward/center acquired from Memphis on Feb. 1 after spending 6 1/2 seasons with the Grizzlies, was 0-12 in three previous postseasons. "I knew he could perform at a high level,'' Lakers star Kobe Bryant said. "This just ain't Memphis. I think this offense has freed him up a little bit and showcased more what he can do instead of just being in the post all the time.'' "It's tough to match up against us for a variety of reasons. We have guys that can finish, we have a a great 1-2 punch, and all of our guys can pass the ball.'' 2008 PLAYOFFS LOS ANGELES LAKERS ROUND ONE PHOTO GALLERY Bryant, who said he made himself a decoy through most of the game, scored 18 of his 32 points in the final 8 minutes to keep Los Angeles safely ahead. Lamar Odom had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and Luke Walton added 16 points for the Lakers, who entered having won eight of their last nine regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. But it was Gasol who did the most damage. "They do an excellent job of finding him around the basket,'' Denver's Kenyon Martin said. "Pau is so versatile, he just opens the game up,'' Odom said. "He was past good, he was amazing.'' Denver coach George Karl said he didn't believe it was just Gasol. LOS ANGELES LAKERS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE Game 1 : Lakers 128 Nuggets 114 : Lakers Lead The Series 1-0 Game 2 : Wednesday, April 23 : at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 3 : Saturday, April 26 : at Denver, 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 4 : Monday, April 28 : at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 5* : Wednesday, April 30 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) Game 6* : Friday, May 2 : at Denver, TBD (TBD) Game 7* : Sunday, May 4 : at Los Angeles, TBD (TBD) * If necessary 1ST ROUND - DENVER NUGGETS "I think the film will show it was the Los Angeles Lakers who tore us up,'' Karl said. "Gasol played great, don't get me wrong. He had a lot of great decisions for him to get a lot of easy baskets.'' Karl said he was glad Game 2 isn't until Wednesday night at Staples Center, giving the Nuggets a chance to adjust. The third and fourth games in the best-of-seven series will be played in Denver. "I don't think anyone in our locker room is deflated,'' Karl said. "We know that we can play better than we did, and defense is probably the first thing we'll address.'' - NBA.com   KOBE BRYANT FACES DENVER NUGGETS IN 2008 PLAYOFFS April 17, 2008 - The Los Angeles Lakers won 57 games and nabbed the No. 1 seed in the West in perhaps the most competitive conference race in NBA history and what was their reward? A date with the 50-win Denver Nuggets, that’s what. With Golden State’s historic upset of Dallas fresh in their minds (not to mention the distant memory of what happened the last time Denver was the eighth seed), L.A. isn’t about to dismiss the Nuggets as an easy out. After bowing out of the playoffs in the First Round each of the last two years as the No. 7 seed, now it’s the Lakers’ turn to flex some muscle as the favorite. Just like in those Phoenix series, potential league MVP Kobe Bryant (28.3 points, 6.3 r