Los Angeles Lakers, Nba Playoffs | featured news

After four taut quarters and one edgy overtime period, the Lakers finally put away a suddenly feisty Magic team and took a 2-0 lead in the N.B.A. finals.

Orlando Magic guard Rafer Alston(notes) had the answer for his poor shooting effort in Game 1 of the NBA Finals: It was coach Stan Van Gundy's fault, according to the New York Daily News.

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers produced a dazzling display at both ends of the floor to crush the Orlando Magic 100-75 in the opening game of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

There will be no Kobe-LeBron showdown in the NBA finals -- and that could make things tougher for the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant had 35 points and 10 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers back to the NBA Finals with a 119-92 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals on Friday night.

With Denver keying on Kobe, Bryant's teammates rise to the challenge and give L.A. a 3-2 lead.

The Denver Nuggets evened the Western Conference finals Monday night, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 120-101 in Game 4 despite a hobbled Carmelo Anthony.

Kobe Bryant's big shot over J.R. Smith gave Los Angeles a one-point lead with
just over a minute left Saturday night and sparked the Lakers to a 103-97 victory
over the Denver Nuggets for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Carmelo Anthony scores 34 points and Chauncey Billups adds 27 to steal a win at Staples Center.

The Houston Rockets ran out of All Stars before they ran out of steam in the playoffs. Missing their top two players and a backup center who happens to be the NBA's second all-time shot blocker, the Rockets pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to the brink in their second-round series before losing by 19 in Sunday's Game 7.