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Tide turns Lakers' way with 3rd win over Suns
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Phoenix Suns Shaquille O'Neal has the ball knocked away by Los Angeles Lakers Vlasimir Radmanovic as he drives in on Pau Gasol during first period action at US Airways Center. Feb. 20, 2008.
Ralph Freso, Tribune
Lakers center Pau Gasol joked he got a new tattoo Wednesday night. Two long winding scars across his upper back, a cut on his lip and a couple more elbows to his wiry frame courtesy of Shaquille O'Neal.
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For the past two years, the Lakers have been beaten on the court by Phoenix come playoff time, but Wednesday's 130-124 win over the Suns was L.A.'s third this season.
It means the Lakers won the season series (a potential tiebreaker later on) and moved into a tie for the Pacific Division lead with Phoenix.
It also means this new-look team from Tinseltown has averaged 126 points in those three victories.
"We deserved to win," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "There was no luck involved."
Gasol was the acquisition which - intentionally or not - turned the Western Conference into a trading sweepstakes when he was acquired from Memphis.
He had 29 points on Wednesday night, second only to Kobe Bryant's 41. Lamar Odom had 22 points. Sasha Vujacic scored 15 points off the bench. Even Ronny Turiaf made all three of his shots in reserve. The Lakers have put up points against the Suns in ways only the Showtime teams of the 1980s could do.
"The collection of players we have, youth, athletic ability, versatility, on and on and on," Bryant said. "That's now one of our biggest strengths."
Another "big" strength, the injured Andrew Bynum, is a month away from health. By then, the conference figures to be tighter than any traffic jam, but the Lakers' addition of Bynum could prove pivotal for the final month of the regular season.
Wednesday's atmosphere was exactly what Gasol was looking for when he left the woeful Grizzlies.
"It makes you feel special and fortunate to be here," Gasol said. "I got a taste of how a playoff atmosphere feels."
More could be on the way. The Lakers looked poised to end the Suns' recent Pacific Division runaway regular seasons, and L.A.'s six-game win streak is the second longest in the NBA.
Bryant thought former teammate and squabble partner Shaquille O'Neal "looked good," but the Lakers looked better down the stretch.
Shaq got the media swarm and his oversized paws into Gasol. Gasol's new team won the game and series.
"I told the guys, 'Know you do it, don't think you can do it,'" Bryant said. "We played with that kind of confidence."
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