King for a lifetime, fool for a... lifetime...

*Hits play button on tape deck, bumps Usher* Yeah! What? Okay! Lakers looked sweet in Game 3, most notably because Kobe Bryant was notthe leading scorer! What?! Okay! Last night's game had absolutely no business being as close as it was, given how the Lakers were able to dominate tempo and keep the momentum for about 45 of the game's 48 minutes. But that's a credit to just how dangerous Phoenix's shooting is. Lakers killed them on the boards, got them in foul trouble, and yet the Suns were right there 'til the end. However, the Lakers missed a lot of free throws late just to make their fans sweat, I'm sure. Thank God we finally put a body on Tim Thomas. He single-handedly kept Phoenix in the game in the 1st quarter. Last night might be a watershed moment for Smush, Kwame, and Luke. All turned in strong games and they did it at the right time. In sports, confidence is everything, and it seems like these three have finally not only earned the right, but feel themselves that they deserve to share the court with Kobe and Lamar. And credit to the bench for stepping up once again, particularly Brian Cook who had 6 offensive boards. One thing LA has to focus on is making sure they stop the ball when Phoenix is driving down the court. Can't stress enough how many easy baskets Phoenix got out of that.

I think the shoe is now on the other foot as far as who the favorite is. I can't believe it, personally. Just a week ago, this scenario seemed laughable. This series is anything but over and the Suns know that they just took LA's best shot. Lakers just need to keep doing what they're doing, playing within themselves, and forcing the halfcourt game. Keep that up and we'll have only the fifth 2nd seed/7th seed upset in NBA history.