6 straight wins after a loss this postseason, but 7 straight Finals losses on the road? What gives? Has Kobe hit the Great Wall of China? Has the Olympics and playing so many games before and after Beijing finally caught up to Kobe Bryant? Will his shooting percentage rise or continue its downward pattern? Is Pau Gasol really this good? He’s really hitting at a nice clip in the Finals. What about LO? Will he step up offensively and defensively to solidify his X-factor status in this series? Rashard is shooting his eye out. How are the Magic staying in this series when Dwight Howard has made 11 field goals in three games? Will Skip ball out in Game 4 after shock rockin’ it in Game 3? How about Mickael Pietrus? Will he continue to put pressure on Kobe defensively with his agressive play? The Magic are 8-2 at home in these playoffs with both losses coming via the buzzer banger (Iguodala, Davis). There’s no way they shoot 62.5% tonight right? We might not ever see Kobe miss 5-10 free throws again until his likeness hits high school. Phil Jackson will make defensive adjustments and presumably will do whatever to make sure Rashard doesn’t get off again. There’s really nothing the Lakers can do about the Magic point guards. The deciding factor is how Dwight passes out of the double. If he makes quick decisions when the shooters are locked and loaded, then the Magic play fluid. Kobe will probably facilitate early to get his bigs involved, but the second half will be his. Can I get 30/20 Dwight? Dude is hitting his free throws…which is a testament of his commitment to winning. Who controls the boards? Magic win. 100-96 and lock this thing up. Notes from NBA TV Game 3: Barkley on Magic center Dwight Howard: “Dwight Howard is a terrific player, but he has a long way to go offensively. (The Finals are) going to be a learning experience for him.” NBA TV’s Ahmad Rashad interviewed Dwight Howard Howard’s response to an article questioning how great he could be: “I felt they were saying I am too happy to play basketball and I don’t have any dog in me. I have dog in me, but I like to have fun. There’s no need for me to try to look tough when I’m on the floor. That’s not me.” Rashad on Dwight Howard’s performance in the Finals: “(Dwight Howard) is underachieving. He is already acting like he’s a star. When you get into a situation like this you have to overachieve.” Smith on Dwight Howard’s performance: “(Howard) has to learn how to score in order to be a superstar. Otherwise, he’s just really good.” Smith on the NBA Finals: “The (Finals) are a different stage, and a lot of these players get some stage fright. It takes some of them three or four games to get acclimated to being in the NBA Finals.” **** **** **** **** ***** Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai Announcers: Johnson, Barkley and Smith Barkley on the Magic winning Game # 3: “You have to take your hat off to two guys; Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus. They both played fantastic. Alston gave (Magic) great spark. The Magic played a good game tonight.” Smith on Magic guard Rafer Alston: “Rafer Alston is a very good basketball player and he has a lot of NBA skills.” Barkley on the Magic needing to win Game #4 in the Finals: “(Magic) are not back in this series until they win game #4.” Smith comparing 2008-09 Magic team to 1994-95 Magic team, who was the last squad to reach the NBA Finals: “I can honestly say the 1995 (Magic) team had more talent from top to bottom than this (2009) team.” Barkley comparing 2008-09 Magic team to 1994-95 Magic team: “Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Pietrus, and Gortat; they are better and deeper down the line.” Barkley on Magic guard Mickael Pietrus’s defense: “Mickael Pietrus impressed me. He did a fantastic job on Lebron and he’s doing a good job on Kobe. You can’t stop guys like (Lebron and Kobe), you can just work them hard.” Smith on the Lakers advantages heading into Game #4: “One of the things that the Lakers have an advantage on is the low-post, they always have two out of three players that have an inside presence. They can get lay-up after lay-up against this Orlando Magic team.” Send to Facebook