Magic look to tie finals series with the Lakers

By Steve Ginsburg
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic's record-setting shooting in the third game of the NBA Finals was not a concern, Los Angeles Lakers' coach Phil Jackson said.
The Magic made nearly 63 percent of their shots during a 108-104 victory on Tuesday, trimming the Lakers' lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1.
Their shooting percentage was a record for the NBA Finals, giving Jackson a little deja vu moment from when he played for the championship with the New York Knicks.
"The team I was on in '72 had the record for the best half in the game at 71 percent, versus the Lakers," he told reporters on Wednesday. "It was the first game of the series and the only game, by the way, that we won in that series."
Perhaps more worrying for Jackson was that for the majority of Tuesday's game, All Star guard Kobe Bryant appeared to be struggling with the weight of a grueling schedule.
After scoring 17 points in the first period, Bryant scored just 14 more on four-of-15 shooting in the rest of the match, and had a key turnover with 30 seconds remaining.
Bryant, however, denied he was fatigued, saying he was more concerned with Orlando's shooting.
The Magic, who made just 29.9 percent of their shots in Game One, rely on their outside shooting and was one of the reasons why they upset the heavily-favored Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
"They're in this position because they shoot the ball well," said Bryant. "It's not something that is just a fluke or one game where they got hot.
"They can get hot and stay hot. When that happens, you're dealing with a monster."
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy the victory would mean little if they come out flat for the fourth game on Thursday.
"We were happy to win last night, but we're still down 2-1 with them having the home court advantage," he said.
"Our players understand all that.
"So as happy as we were to get the win, I didn't sense any celebration or anything like that. We know this is going to be a tough grind."
Orlando center Dwight Howard said the team had refused to get discouraged after the Lakers won the first two games. Continued...
Source: Reuters