Magic coach Stan Van Gundy will stick with struggling Jameer Nelson as his backup point guard, despite laying the blame on him for allowing Derek Fisher to hit the 3-point basket at the end of regulation that sent Game 4 of the NBA Finals into overtime.The Lakers won, 99-91, essentially ending Orlando's hopes of winning this series.
"Jameer had one responsibility on that play, and that was to not give Derek Fisher a 3-point shot,'' Van Gundy said Friday afternoon during a conference call with reporters. "I'm sure Jameer wishes he had that one back, or that he had played it differently.''
Fisher's basket came with 4.6 seconds remaining in regulation. It followed two missed free throws by Dwight Howard that could have iced the game with the Magic already leading 87-84. After a Lakers timeout, Fisher got free at midcourt, took a pass from Trevor Ariza and raced to the 3-point line where he hit the key shot. Nelson was one step behind."I told them (Lakers) that tomorrow we may be having our last practice of the season. And that got them pretty excited.''
-- Phil Jackson
"I question if I made it clear enough, or maybe I should have told him to play it differently,'' Van Gundy said. "He [Fisher] got a lot of air space to shoot the ball.''
Nelson has struggled in this series since being activated following a four-month layoff when he was recovering from shoulder surgery. He returned as a backup and replaced veteran point guard Anthony Johnson in the Magic's rotation. With starter Rafer Alston on the bench Thursday, Nelson played the entire fourth quarter and the overtime period. He managed just two points, three assists and a turnover in 26 minutes.
"We'll stick with the rotation we've had,'' Van Gundy said.
The Magic effectively denied Kobe Bryant a chance to take the shot, but it left them vulnerable elsewhere. Van Gundy was asked Friday if he had considered fouling intentionally when the Lakers inbounded the ball to make sure they didn't get a chance at a 3-pointer.
"There was too much time left,'' he said. "You always have regrets, but faced with the same situation again, I still wouldn't be telling them to foul.''
Although Van Gundy talked at length about his team's resiliency and its ability to bounce back from a defeat, Lakers coach Phil Jackson in a separate conference call reminded his team that he expects only one team to be flying back to Los Angeles next week.
Game 5 is Sunday in Orlando. A potential Game 6 is scheduled for Los Angeles. The team met briefly Friday. Both are expected to practice Saturday at Amway Arena.
"I told them [Lakers] that tomorrow we may be having our last practice of the season,'' Jackson said. "And that got them pretty excited.''
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
6-12-2009 @ 5:37PM
cjc said...
Magic suck... almost, ALMOST choked as bad as Caramello did for the Denver Nuggets. Nope, not gold nuggets... lumps of coal. Would be great to see a real coach arrive in Denver and instill some discipline with that talented and unruly pack of thugs.
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6-12-2009 @ 5:55PM
whgrill said...
I was hoping Ref's getting paid off was last years story. How much did Kobe pay for this game. In OT ,he clearly fouls Nelson to the face,and passes to Fisher who hits a three pointer which changes the end of the game. Did anyone else notice that he didn't even look back at him after elbowing him in the face to see if he is ok, they do that in Football. Shaq is right, the guy has no class and to win a game that way with the Ref's deciding the outcome is garbage, but I guess that is the only way he can win!
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6-12-2009 @ 6:37PM
lopjackie21 said...
whgrill
I'm glad you can't stand Kobe Bryant!!!!
I want you to be really pissed...!
GO KOBE.....GO LAKERRRRRRRRRS!
6-12-2009 @ 6:47PM
pahtoo said...
You have to be kidding. 18 Free throw attempts by the Magic in the Fourth Quarter to...ZERO for the Lakers. Howard's blown free throws and Nelson's blown defense let the Lakers win a game the league clearly had pencilled in as a Magic victory.
6-12-2009 @ 7:39PM
richard said...
First foul committed by the magic 1:11 left in the 4th. Please, Kobe gets fouled on the 3, Magic shoot 20 free throw to 0. Only foul shots were on the flagrant foul. yeah, the refs did all they could to help the Magic win. Kobe has been getting hacked all series. Get over it your done.
6-12-2009 @ 11:00PM
tamjatmat said...
what ever you call your self you no nothing about basketball that was a legal move by kb and to say that he paid the reffs off is a person with a very narrow mind one ref out of 60 steps out of bounds and you think all officials are in someones pocket just watch the gams and stop crying
6-13-2009 @ 12:26AM
A. Talib Wahab said...
Nelson ran his face into Kobe's elbow as he make the pass to Fisher. That's it ... it's not a foul. Suck it up!
6-13-2009 @ 12:38AM
sjmarkets said...
whgrill..... Your not even that close to make call foul,your watching the game on t.v.
6-13-2009 @ 2:11AM
nabpdcop said...
GOD YOU ARE DUMB with a CAPITAL "D". Do you know anything about sports. Guess not. Let's see, fake nails, hair,, nose, boobs, just a complete FAKE....................LOL;OLOLOLOLOLOL
6-13-2009 @ 10:26AM
ktnt3235 said...
whgrill what game was you watching, 17 foul shots to none in the 4th quarter and over time. superman clearly and blatenly fouling gasol in the refs face and fisher gettin called for the foul, come on. 1 or 2 team fouls in the entire 4th quarter. what game was you watching
6-13-2009 @ 11:29AM
reggie said...
Am concerned why Jameer Nelson was suppose to commit a foul to Fisher @ dying seconds of the game instead allowing Fisher to throw a 3. If he did this Magic would have won the game.For after he sees that Howard lost the free throws this would have been a good option. Orlando would have win the game with one point lead to Lakers.
6-12-2009 @ 6:14PM
alfredblueflamee said...
Those refs can miss the fact that a player standing with both feet planted hit a defensive player with a offensive hand that holds the ball when the defense stepped n2 the ball handler. Ref made that three point shot go into the basket also. All fixed stuff no mistaking it.
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6-12-2009 @ 6:30PM
Maj said...
The refs did not decide the outcome, your big, I have no offensive talent center cost you the game by not making one of them two free throws at the end of the game. That is the bottom line!
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6-12-2009 @ 6:44PM
James said...
Many times the difference between a winner and loser is a few close plays. The Magic just make enough mistakes to lose, the Lakers don't.
The Lakers should wrap it up in game five, but it would be nice to see them win it all back home in L.A.
It's a great Laker team, but nowhere near the dynasty teams of the past.
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6-12-2009 @ 6:46PM
jfelt0720 said...
The refs didn't give this game to the Lakers. If anything, they tried to give it to the Magic. I think the Magic shot 19 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime. The only ones I think the Lakers shot were when Pao Gasol got murdered at the end of overtime. If Howard and Turgolu could have hit there free throws then they would have won.
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6-12-2009 @ 7:02PM
lilhazeleyes2492 said...
FIXED? C'MON, IF HOWARD WOULD'VE MADE THOSE FREE THROWS THE MAGIC WOULD'VE WON THE GAME. STOP WHINING MAGIC FANS AND ACCEPT THAT THE LAKERS BEAT THEM BECAUSE THEY PLAYED BETTER.
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6-13-2009 @ 11:46AM
reggie said...
The game was for Orlando. If Magic played this way @ thier first game they would have win the game. Am not saying Lakers did not play well, they did, but Magic played better in the last game than Lakers.
6-12-2009 @ 7:11PM
Janice said...
Fixed? Nah it wasn't fixed. Magic shot themselves in the foot. As bad as i wanted them to win, they simply choked. They were up by 3 after dwight missed his freethrows. I don't know if they had fouls to give but if they did, they should have fouled and if they did go to the line it would have been two shots. Why let them get a shot off?!!!!!
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6-12-2009 @ 7:14PM
PAUL AND MARIA said...
what about that horrible by Petrieus against Gasol at the end, that was sad sportsmanship!Game was over any way!!!
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6-12-2009 @ 7:20PM
whgrill said...
Missed free-throws-definitely helped lose the game, but why was Howard called for offensive under the basket at the end when the ref's were going to let them play and yey the Lakers were not called. That last play is on the internet and it shows Nelson not moving, were was the call, it wasn't a clean play that changed the game, not good sportmanship either, thats not how the Lakers of the past played, Magic stopped and helped Bird up in one game. With a minute-thirty left, changed the play of the game, for all the Lakers fans, wouldn't a uncontested bucket be worth the win, hey, but people like the Detriot maylee for November a few years ago also. It would have been great sportmanship if Kobe would have atleast checked on the guy, but after Sunday, LA will have another riot to celebrate and the game will be brought down to a little lower level, win with no rules.
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