What a difference a day, or in this case, a game makes.
After a very close Game 2, a contest that was tied 17 times and had 18 lead changes, it is clear that the Lakers have decided to make this a much more physical series.Though I'd like to think otherwise, I don't believe we were ready for what the Lakers threw at us to start Game 3. Our 6-for-44 shooting in the first half is stark evidence of our not being mentally ready. However, even going into the fourth quarter down by only 13, I really felt we had a chance to win. But we seemed to lose concentration and came up scoreless our first six possessions, and the game was out of reach.
Shifting gears for a moment, I think the 1997 NBA playoffs in general have a chance to be one of the all-time great playoffs. Houston and Seattle have split, giving home-court advantage to the "Jekyll and Hyde" Sonics. New York took home-court advantage away from Miami in Game 1 of the series, then Atlanta made Scottie Pippen score a three-point bucket with less than a minute to go for a home-court win for Chicago, 100-97 (with Chicago then losing the home-court advantage Thursday night).
What seems to have emerged in all four current second-round matchups is that nobody is going to roll over and go home for the summer. This promises a lot of tough, hard-fought - if not artistic - basketball for the remainder of the playoffs.
Finally, in looking at the Game 3 stat sheet, it is clear that at least six of our players had a very subpar game. The problem is they all had it on the same night.
I could be whimsical about Game 3 and say, "We've got 'em where we want 'em, thinking we're weak and inept." I won't say that, however. What I will say is that I believe I know the character of our team as a whole, and of the players and coaches who comprise it. I'd love to win Game 4, but I'm not making any predictions because of the pressure it can put on the team. I will say, however, that I still firmly believe that either the Rockets or Sonics should get their hotel and airline reservations to Salt Lake City somewhere around 10 days from now.
You see, about two weeks ago Sports Illustrated asked an intriguing question, "Can Nice Guys Finish First?" We intend to answer that in the affirmative.