Orlando claim first ever NBA finals win
Published: 10 June, 2009, 08:21
Orlando's Dwight Howard shoots against Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers
TAGS: Sport, Basketball, NBA
Orlando Magic have claimed their first ever NBA finals win and didn’t let their rivals from L.A. Lakers increase their advantage to a virtually unreachable 3-0 score in the series.
The high-energy game was decided in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Lakers’ best man Kobe Bryant scored 31 points on the night, but it was his mistake that determined Magic’s win. L.A. were two points down when he failed to intercept a pass and was forced to commit a foul on Mickael Pietrus.
The Frenchman converted all his free throws, making the score 106-102 with 28.7 seconds left.
The Lakers needed a three-pointer to come back into the match, but Trevor Ariza, Bryant and Derek Fisher missed their chances.
Kobe managed to score two with less than a second to play, only to see Orlando’s Rashard Lewis calmly putting in his free throws after a tactical foul. 108-104 was the final score for Magic, who have made the score in the series 2-1.
This is the second NBA finals in Orlando’s history. They first reached it back in 1995, only to go down 4-0 to the Houston Rockets.
08.06.2009, 18:39
Local specialist replaces Messina at CSKARussian specialist Evgeny Pashutin will replace Italian Ettore Messina as head coach of basketball club CSKA Moscow next season, the club’s official website reports. |
18.06.2009, 09:17
Messina says ‘goodbye’ to CSKAIt's the end of an era for basketball CSKA Moscow as head coach Ettore Messina prepares to leave. The Italian says he was willing to stay on longer, but has agreed to leave with one year remaining on his contract. |
