Saturday, June 01, 2002
Lakers survive to reach Game 7
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES — The budding dynasty remains alive.
Now the Los Angeles Lakers have to battle history as well as the Sacramento Kings.
The two-time defending NBA champions beat the Kings 106-102 Friday night thanks to 11 free throws in the last two minutes to set up a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals Sunday at Arco Arena.
The Kings earned homecourt advantage with their NBA-best 61-21 regular-season record — three games better than the Lakers — and now they'll reap the benefit.
Only once has a road team prevailed in a Game 7 of the Western Conference finals in the past 52 years — the Phoenix Suns won in that situation at Golden State in 1976.
The feat has been accomplished 14 times overall in playoff history.
The Lakers, playing in their first elimination game since the 2000 conference finals, faced the must-win situation when they lost 92-91 Tuesday night at Arco on Mike Bibby's jumper with 8.2 seconds left.
Bibby missed a 3-pointer that could have tied this game after Kobe Bryant's final two foul shots with 11.8 seconds remaining put the Lakers ahead 105-102.
The Lakers harassed Bibby into a 7-of-20 shooting performance including 1-of-8 in the first half, when veteran Brian Shaw spent considerable time shadowing his smaller foe.
O'Neal and Bryant combined for 72 points with the rest of the Lakers totalling 34, but it proved to be enough.
The Lakers might not be the same team that breezed through last year's postseason with an all-time best 15-1 record, but now they're one win away reaching the NBA Finals and a date with the New Jersey Nets.
The Lakers made 34 of 40 free throws while the Kings went 18-of-25 from the line. In the first five games, Los Angeles was 74-of-112 and Sacramento 100-of-149.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, more animated than usual on the sideline, relied on stars O'Neal and Bryant to get the job done, but Rick Fox made his presence felt by making four free throws without a miss down the stretch, giving him 11 points.
Jackson-coached teams have won a record 22 straight playoff series — 12 in Chicago and 10 with the Lakers.
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Lakers survive to reach Game 7
