Sun v Lakers Game 7

Last Thursday, I performed all the good luck rituals. I did my shoot-around in my backyard. I had The Shirt on. I had my glass Suns mug full of orange juice, into which I dumped some whiskey from my Suns shot glass. (OK - I have relatives who know very little about me except that I am a Suns fan, and I am on their gift list at Christmas.)

So I'd like to say that, in some small but coincidental way, I contributed to the OT "upset" in game six. Except, that if you look at the numbers, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion, as least as far as foregone conclusions can go in the new universe playoffs.

The Laker's shiny, new team-sport approach to basketball had won them three out of four from the otherwise heavily favored Suns, who had beaten their old "triangle offense" (which means Give-the-ball-to-Michael-er-Kobe) three out of four times during he regular season. Good for them. They stuck with that system in game five as well, and got blown out in Phoenix. Don't let the box score fool you; the last two minutes were absolute garbage time - it was a blow out.

They were in danger of losing badly in game six when Kobe abandoned script and started heaving up Circus shots. He made most of them, which ut the Lakers briefly ahead I the fourth, but Tim Thomas calmly tied the game with seconds left, forcing overtime.

Kobe Bryant was blown out in overtime. He took all but one of the Laker's shot attempts, and every time he looked up the lead had grown. In fact, Lamar Odom was the only other Laker to make a field goal past the start of the fourth quarter.

No one is surprised by this. It's already established that Kome can't beat the Suns by himself. The question is: can the team approach, if they hold to it, beat the Suns on their homecourt? You have to remember that neither Nash or Marion had a good game in Game 2, and the Lakers needed OT and some "fortunate" officiating to beat the Suns in game 4.

I'm still going to go through all my rituals. I like taking jumpshots in my yard and drinking whisky and OJ on their own merits. I'm wearing The Shirt as I write this. But I know it doesn't matter.

The better team is gong to win this game. That's what I'm counting on.