Lakers Need to Win or Face Elimination in Denver

The Denver Nuggets were physical in Game 4, causing Kobe Bryant to embrace their aggression and Paul Gasol to criticize it. As for Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson? He remained pretty mum of the subject. The usually mild-tempered Gasol, who is averaging 17.8 points on 62.5% shooting this series, told reporters, “I just want to go on what’s effective, what works out there and what’s been working for us and what’s been a strength of ours. I think we should explore that a little more. They get away with a few things and obviously at home they get away with more stuff. I think the league is pretty aware of it at this point in time and they should be able to cut it off, so hopefully they will.”

The NBA made three rulings related to Game 4, fining Jackson and the Lakers each $25,000 for Jackson’s critical comments of the referees after the Nuggets beat the Lakers 120-101 in Game 4. Andrew Bynum’s fourth-quarter flagrant foul was reduced to a personal foul and Dahntay Jones wasn’t suspended for purposely tripping Kobe Bryant in the third quarter but rather assessed a flagrant foul 1 (Jackson called the play “unsportsmanlike basketball” while Bryant shrugged it off saying, “It’s just good playoff basketball. It’s cool with me”). After the league reviewed and allocated all of the infractions, Denver officially wound up with three technical fouls and one flagrant foul while the Lakers had one technical foul and a steep financial penalty. None of the rulings will directly affect Game 5, which will be held at Staples Center tonight and give one team a 3-2 series lead. Lakers spokesman John Black told reporters, “We’re not shocked, but we’re disappointed.”

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Posted in General on May 27, 2009

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