My Player (Season 2) NBA Finals Game 3 - Hapshoops32's Dynasty

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My Player (Season 2) NBA Finals Game 3

Posted on January 28, 2011 at 12:51 AM.

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ONE WIN AWAY!

Defense wins championships, and plays like this have Happel and the Magic one win away from a ring.

Los Angeles, CA (AP) - It wasn't officially a must-win, but the games will be from here on out for the Lakers. Orlando managed to pull out another road win 105-98, putting the team on the verge of a championship. This one was a lot closer than the previous two games, particularly in the second half. The Lakers actually went into the fourth quarter with a one point lead, and L.A. kept hanging around even when Orlando took the lead back. However, the Magic once again outperformed their opponents in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lakers 37-29 in the final frame. Orlando forward Brian Happel was expecting L.A. to put up a good fight, "We knew they'd be giving us their best shot. We managed to play really well at home, and we expected them to do the same. But, we kept battling too, and in the long run, were able to make just enough plays to win it."

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Fast-break Reverse, Kobe rejection

Happel was a star, once again. He was just one assist shy of the first triple-double of his career. As it was, he scored 39 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and dished out 9 assists. Happel handled the ball a lot more than he had done in quite some time, and he managed to find the right balance between scoring and getting his teammates involved. "He just makes such good decisions and is so smart offensively," said head coach Stan Van Gundy, "We wanted to give them a different look offensively, and I wanted the ball in Brian's hands more, anyway." All five Orlando starters scored in double-figures, and the Magic also got some good bench play, including from Mack Bledsoe, who scored 9 points in just 6 minutes of action.

Nobody could get in the way of Happel or the Orlando offense

Kobe Bryant certainly came to play in front of the home crowd. He had his best game of the series so far, scoring 36 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. But, once again, his team fell just short. The front court has struggled against Orlando. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum played better than they had in Orlando, scoring a combined 24 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. But Ron Artest, pivotal in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year against Boston, has been virtually non-existant in this series. On this night, he only had 10 points on 4-10 shooting.

Again, the Lakers get a taste of team defense from Orlando, here Happel gets the block, but 3 defenders are ready.

Shooting was the big story in this one. Orlando outshot Los Angeles in every phase of the game. The Magic hit on nearly 50% of their attempts from behind the arc (7-15), while the Lakers only hit on 28% (7-28). Free throws were also a difference maker. The Magic did not miss any of their 18 foul shots, while L.A. only connected on 11-17. Los Angeles now faces the dreaded 0-3 hole, one that nobody has ever come back from in NBA history, and only 4 sports teams have managed the accomplishment, three in hockey and one in baseball. L.A. will try to survive in Game 4 on Wednesday night at the Staples Center.

You can't leave Happel that wide open, he'll burn you every time.

May 28, 2012 - ORL at LAL
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Orlando Magic (15-2)	20	25	23	37	105
Los Angeles Lakers (12-6)	16	25	28	29	98

Orlando Magic
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Gilbert Arenas	38	3-10	1-2	4-4	1	6	1	0	1	11
John Salmons	34	3-11	3-5	2-2	7	1	0	0	2	11
Brian Happel	44	16-25	1-3	6-6	13	9	2	2	4	39
Brandon Bass	29	8-10	0-0	2-2	6	1	1	1	2	18
Dwight Howard	41	4-17	0-0	2-2	14	7	3	1	2	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jameer Nelson	21	1-4	1-3	2-2	4	4	2	0	4	5
Marcin Gortat	8	1-1	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	1	2
Mack Bledsoe	6	4-4	1-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	9
DeJuan Blair	12	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Ryan Anderson	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Quentin Richardson	4	0-1	0-1	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	0
Chris Duhon	5	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		40-85	7-15	18-18	52	29	11	4	18	105

Los Angeles Lakers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J. Kidd	34	2-9	2-9	0-0	3	8	5	0	3	6
K. Bryant	42	14-30	3-8	5-6	7	1	2	0	1	36
R. Artest	37	4-10	1-3	1-2	2	3	1	0	2	10
P. Gasol	38	7-12	0-0	0-0	9	3	2	2	1	14
A. Bynum	41	6-9	0-0	1-1	11	2	3	2	0	13
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A. Gee	17	5-13	1-5	0-0	2	2	0	0	0	11
L. Ridnour	15	1-3	0-0	3-4	0	2	2	0	2	5
T. Meredith	8	0-2	0-0	0-2	2	1	0	0	1	0
L. Walton	7	1-4	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
N. Ejiofor	5	0-0	0-0	1-2	0	0	1	0	1	1
S. Blake	DNP
S. Wilkes	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		40-92	7-25	11-17	36	21	16	4	11	98