Kobe Leads Lakers Back To The Finals; 2 Days Left

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, are headed back to the NBA Finals after beating the Denver Nuggets 119-92 in game 6 on Friday night. Kobe had a lot of scoring help from his supporting cast once again, mainly from, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom as the Lakers shot 57.3 percent from the field to avoid having to play a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals back at the Staples Center. Odom and Gasol both scored 20 points and Ariza had 17, and the Lakers made all 24 of their free throws.

A hobbled Melo led the way for the Nuggets with 25 points and J.R. Smith added 24, but Denver trailed for all but a few seconds and never mounted a serious charge after halftime, although they kept hitting 3-pointers. Kobe didn't wait for the fourth quarter Friday night to give the Nuggets, who had posted eight postseason blowouts, a taste of their own medicine. He scored 11 points in a decisive 21-7 run that gave the Lakers a 53-40 halftime lead, which took the buzz out of the Pepsi Center and the air out of the Nuggets like they had taken a punch to gut. Kobe would end the night with his stat line stuffed by 35 points, 10 assists (see he CAN pass people!!), and 6 rebounds

The Lakers will finally get some much-needed and much-deserved rest after playing every other day over the course of a grueling two weeks. These Lakers, who are headed to their record 30th NBA Finals and are seeking their 15th title, are a more grizzled group, but are also more bruised and battered, than the one that fell to Boston in the finals last year. Instead of cruising through the West like last year; this time, the Lakers survived an arduous seven-game semifinal series against Houston and a very physical battle in 6 games against Denver.

The Lakers will face either Orlando or Cleveland in the finals. The Magic lead 3-2 and can clinch the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night at home in Game 6 and prevent the Kobe Bryant/Lebron James final that has all basketball fans (even casual ones) and corporate sponsors in a frenzy. The finals begin Thursday, at Los Angeles if Orlando wins, and at Cleveland if the Cavaliers prevail in their quest to rise from the brink of elimination.

Random Stuffs
- Los Angeles also became the first team to make consecutive NBA Finals appearances since the Pistons in '04 and '05.

- With Friday's loss, the Nuggets have now dropped eight straight contests when faced with playoff elimination. It's the longest such streak for any team in NBA history.

- Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 35 points and 10 assists, and now has scored at least 500 points in four different postseasons. Only Michael Jordan, who accomplished the feat eight times, has done it more.

- George Karl fell to 0-10 in postseason series after losing Game 1, the worst such record in NBA history.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)

*Note: I realize in my last post I made an error when I said that the Magic had 2 chances to end their series with Cleveland early, when in fact they only have one chance to end it early. I apologize to everyone for the misinformation.