I'd like to personally thank Carmelo Anthony for creating such chaos in Denver. This allowed the Lakers to beat a playoff team, and finally learn some patience on the offensive end.
Kobe is aging nicely into this "crafty veteran" role of his. The three pump fakes on J.R. Smith leading to a fould was testament to that. I think the Lakers finally calmed down a little bit and just played basketball.
When they played the Mavericks on Wednesday there was no patience on offense, mainly because the team had to play keep-up since Jason Kidd decided to knock down like 54 3-pointers or something like that.
The tide changed against the Nuggets. When the Lakers got down in the first half and Kobe was playing distributor they didn't panic. It was just a matter of playing basketball, and eventually Kobe was able to take over in the third quarter with 14 points.
Also to be noted from Friday's game, Kobe got extensive rest in the second quarter and the Laker bench kept the game close and even had the lead for a little bit.
It was a great overall performance, and I hope the Lakers continue to implement a similar strategy every game. If a third championship is what the Lakers want then this is how they're going to have to get it.
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