Lakers vs Suns Game 3 - Enjoy The Mirage

I miss the first half because, well, it's not like this playoff season is doing much to keep me engaged. The Suns come out in a zone and finally hold the Lakers to under 60 points in a half, but two minutes into the third, Derek Fisher makes three points from the line... but a Robin Lopez dunk, an Amar'e Stoudemire steal (a career first?) and a Jason Richardson old-school three pushes it back to seven. Lopez even drives, whirls and scores, and that was positively Gasol-esque. The pace is to Phoenix's liking, but it's not like the Lakers are panicking, and Fisher makes a ludicrously open three to cut it to three... when Lopez and Fisher get into each other for double technicals, and that could change the mood. Dicey play by Lopez, really, and a minute later the Suns center blocks Artest with a hard foul to the face. Not sure I've seen a Phoenix big man with a mean streak, well, ever.

Testy converts to give him nine for the night, all in the third quarter, but Lopez goes right at it and converts. Hill with a steal, but Nash's first turnover leads to yet another Fisher three, and he's just killing them right now. Stoudemire collects Odom's fourth foul on a drive. Amar'e makes both, and you get the sense that if the Lakers ever get the lead, they won't give it back... and that they can get it back whenever they want, really.

Shannon Brown misses a long straight three against the zone, but makes up for it with a block, and Gasol converts on the other end before commerce. Fisher finally forces and misses -- he's not nearly so good with a hand in his face -- and a Stoudemire make over Gasol makes it four again, but a Bryant forced three is a terrible possession and make. Give Kobe his due; he bails out his team better than anyone in the Association. Stoudemire's makes go to three, and Gasol elbows his way to a make as the Lakers go small. Nash is hammered to no call, and Richardson misses from the arc as the Lakers can take the lead; they don't, as Artest fails at the cup. Stoudemire was nailed on a give and go and bleeds, and shakes off the stitchwork to make the second. Kobe ties it at the line on something marginal, and the quarter ends with Amar'e scoring with fantastic body control, giving him 29 for the night. Kobe gets back to the line to tie it again, but Brown gives up a make-up call on Leandro Barbosa at halfcourt, and the two makes are an absolute gift. At the end of three, it's Suns 86, Lakers 84.

A Jared Dudley miss from the arc pushes them to 0-for-9 from there, and Doug Collins buries Channing Frye for it. Lamar Odom ties it off a Brown feed, and Stoudemire embarrasses Gasol for a reverse. Wow. He's got 31 and 10 now, and looks worlds different from the guy who was in his jersey in the first two games. Two Laker turnovers lead to Barbosa missing from the arc, as the bench fails to get separation, and Kobe's make is a thing of beauty to force the tie again. Goran Dragic gets to the line but only makes the second, and we're on the see-saw. Jordan Farmar turns it off a jump ball, but the Suns can't make on two chances, and Odom gets to the line. Lakers going with the full second half for Kobe as they go for the kill shot, and I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that the Celtics are going to sweep.

After commerce, Odom gives the Lakers the lead for the first time in the second half, 90-89. This is the time in the game where the Lake Show put the hammer down and don't look back, but Dudley makes off a Nash pass on a drive to change the lead again, then gets a steal. Lopez with confidence and a mid-range mix, and he's 8 of 10 for 18 now. Wow. Odom goes past Richardson like he's standing still to cut it to one. Stoudemire back to the line and gets back the deuce; three point game with seven minutes left. Kobe turns it carelessly off a pass, and Richardson's corner three forces a Laker timeout. That's a 9-2 Suns run following the one-time Laker lead, and a very live crowd.

Doug Collins talks about his new job before Odom turns it on an offensive foul, the Lakers' sixth of the quarter, while the Suns have that many for the whole game. Hill forces and misses, but Kobe's long three is bad, and Stoudemire makes it an 8 point game from mid-range. Bryant in Hero Mode fails, and the Lakers are taking too many threes (7 of 24) in reacting to the Sun zone. The Suns don't push the lead, and Odom misses as well, but a terrible loose ball foul puts Bryant on the line. So much for Steve Nash getting MVP calls. Two makes cuts it to six.

Nash misses from the baseline, but Lopez goes down hard from a Kobe elbow to keep the possession. Dirty play, really, but another miss pays it off, and Kobe gets to the line on the other end, and he's just living there now. With 3:51 left, four point game.

Stoudemire is a frieght train as Gasol and Odom stare at each other, then Odom misses the baseline three, then commits his sixth foul on the othe end on Lopez. Not exactly the best minute of his basketball life. Two makes pushes it to eight again, and man alive, Lopez is a force tonight. Testy's three is terrible, and you have to imagine that Phil Jackson is hating the shot selection. Nash hits from the baseline mid-range, and the lead is 10 with 2:42 left. This might be a series yet, and Collins fellates Nash for the run, which is all well and good, but Stoudemire and Lopez have really been the story to my eyes.

Stoudemire gets his 39th point on the baseline, trashing Testy. Kobe answers to keep it to 9 with 2 minutes left. Nash runs clock and feeds Amar'e, who charges Gasol for his third. Kobe's three is a bad idea, but Testy saves the possession off Nash, then hits a three to avoid garbage time. Ouch. Nash to Stoudemire of pick and roll for a huge make, and it's 8 with 70 seconds left. Testy can't do it again from the arc, and fouls Stoudemire with 49 seconds left. A make give the big man 42 and 11, and this is just a career-saving performance, really. Kobe scores quickly to cut it to seven, and the Lakers don't foul, oddly. Nash runs clock, finds Richardson off a trap for an open corner three, and that will do it. Gasol tips to cut it to eight, and Fisher nails Nash hard for the intentional foul. And Laker Fan wonders why everyone hates his team. The makes are answered by a Brown three, and Nash goes back to the line to put his final line to 17 points, 15 assists, and one turnover. Fisher's three misses, and it's over: Suns 118, Lakers 109.

Can this be a series after all? Probably not; they won tonight with a zone defense that Jackson is going to coach the hell out of, and there is no way that the Lakers are going to take 32 three-pointers again in this series. But what the hell, we'll take whatever we can in this terrible playoff season.