Series Index:

Game 1: Lakers 128, Nuggets 114 at Los Angeles		Game recap & pictures
Game 2: Lakers 122, Nuggets 107 at Los Angeles		Game recap & pictures
Game 3: Lakers 102, Nuggets 84 at Denver		Game recap & pictures
Game 4: Lakers 107, Nuggets 101 at Denver		Game recap & pictures

Picture Gallery (LADN)

April 23, 2008 - STAPLES CENTER - LOS ANGELES. The chant that was heard most of the season in almost every stadium, was clear and loud when Kobe Bryant went to the bench for good with 2 minutes left in game 2: MVP ! MVP ! MVP !. He had scored 49 points and dished 10 assists to lead his team to another victory, this time 122-107 against the Nuggets.

Kobe started on fire, making 8 of 10 shots in the first quarter. His 20 points in the period helped the Lakers recover from an initial 20-14 deficit and were just 2 points shy of the Lakers playoff record of 22 set by Elgin Baylor on March 15, 1961, against Detroit.

Then in the second quarter Bryant changed to distributor trying to involve his teammates. Pau Gasol who had a terrific game 1 had just 4 points and 4 rebounds by halftime but the Lakers still were ahead 59-49. He ended with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Walton who recovered his basketball just in time for this playoffs scored 18 points, 10 of them in a 22-11 spurt after the Nuggets took the lead 68-67 midway through the third.

Odom, slowed by foul trouble, was held to 4 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, but it really didn't matter because all scoring needed was provided by Bryant. Iverson had 31 points, Carmelo Anthony 23 and Smith added 21, but they couldn't match Bryant in the fourth quarter when he returned to attack mode to terminate all the Nuggets hopes with 19 points in a span of 4:19, toying again with Baylor's record.

He could have easily topped that record, or his own career highs of 50 points and 11 assists in the playoffs, but everybody's mind in L.A. is focused on bigger goals.

Kobe was replaced by Coby Karl, the son of George, the Nuggets coach. It was the first time in NBA playoff history that a father has coached against his son.

The Quotes

Lamar Odom (Lakers): "He’s one of those players that you don’t really want to make mad,” he said about the trash talking between Kenyon Martin and Kobe. “He can make shots from anywhere with people on him. I was surprised. You never want to wake a sleeping giant. He can hit shots on anybody, on a number of defenders anywhere on the floor. Talking to him is a surprise to me, but guys are competitors too, so sometimes you get caught up in it. Kobe was definitely coming out to prove a point."

Kobe Bryant (Lakers): "I take it as a challenge when there's a lot of talking going on. It's fun. I certainly enjoy it and I think my teammates certainly enjoy it. It's something we all feed off of.

Allen Iverson (Nuggets): "Tonight, the way he was going, we probably could have put 10 people on the court and probably wouldn't have been able to stop him."

Highlights