The Lakers have been in this position before -- a close-out game.
They are in the same position again, with a chance to finish off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.
All the Lakers have to do is win Game 6 Friday night and they will win the best-of-seven series and move on to the second round. If the Lakers lose, they will host Game 7 Sunday at Staples Center.
Though the Lakers won Game 5 by 24 points to take a 3-2 lead in the series, they lost Game 4 at the Ford Center by 21 points.
"It's going to be a tough test for us," Kobe Bryant said after practice Thursday in El Segundo. "They have one of the best home crowds in the league. They have a lot of confidence at home. So it's going to be tough." Last season in the playoffs, the Lakers closed out the Utah Jazz in five games in the first round in Salt Lake City.
They closed out the Nuggets in six games of the Western Conference finals in Denver.
And then they finished off the Magic in five games in the NBA Finals in Orlando.
Brryant didn't practice Thursday so he could rest his right knee, right index finger and left ankle.
Lamar Odom practiced slightly so he could also rest his body.
The one thing the Lakers talked about the most was transition defense.
It has been a theme all series long. The Lakers have been implored by the coaching staff to get back on defense, and in Game 5 L.A. limited the Thunder to seven fast-break points.
"If we don't get back on defense, we know we will be in trouble," Odom said. "We have to get back and slow them down."
-- Broderick Turner
They are in the same position again, with a chance to finish off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.
All the Lakers have to do is win Game 6 Friday night and they will win the best-of-seven series and move on to the second round. If the Lakers lose, they will host Game 7 Sunday at Staples Center.
Though the Lakers won Game 5 by 24 points to take a 3-2 lead in the series, they lost Game 4 at the Ford Center by 21 points.
"It's going to be a tough test for us," Kobe Bryant said after practice Thursday in El Segundo. "They have one of the best home crowds in the league. They have a lot of confidence at home. So it's going to be tough." Last season in the playoffs, the Lakers closed out the Utah Jazz in five games in the first round in Salt Lake City.
They closed out the Nuggets in six games of the Western Conference finals in Denver.
And then they finished off the Magic in five games in the NBA Finals in Orlando.
Brryant didn't practice Thursday so he could rest his right knee, right index finger and left ankle.
Lamar Odom practiced slightly so he could also rest his body.
The one thing the Lakers talked about the most was transition defense.
It has been a theme all series long. The Lakers have been implored by the coaching staff to get back on defense, and in Game 5 L.A. limited the Thunder to seven fast-break points.
"If we don't get back on defense, we know we will be in trouble," Odom said. "We have to get back and slow them down."
-- Broderick Turner
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