Lakers-Magic: Los Angeles Has All the Magic in Game One

Kobe Bryant has a remarkable list of accomplishments that have spanned his 13 year career that includes three championships, one MVP and a game in which he topped the 80-point mark.  After leading the Lakers to a 100-75 win in Game One of the Finals, he added another achievement to the list. Bryant joined rare company with the following stat line: 40 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists.  Only three other players have recorded numbers like that on the NBA’s highest stage:  Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal.  Tonight’s game was won in the second and third quarters with the Lakers taking complete control of the game outscoring Orlando 60-34.  Bryant poured in 30 points during that time span.  The game was still close with about eight minutes to go in the third quarter as the Magic trailed 59-50.  That was as close Orlando would get as the Lakers closed out the third quarter on a 23-8 run with Bryant scoring 12 points in that span. When ... (link)