Bryant Leads Lakers Past Nuggets, Back To Finals

[duncan228]

Updated.
The national view.

Bryant leads Lakers past Nuggets, back to finals (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009052907&prov=ap)
By Arnie Stapleton

One-half of the Kobe-LeBron dream matchup is set.

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the NBA finals for the second straight year and record 30th time overall.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to win two more wins to join them. Otherwise, it will be Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on the league’s biggest stage.

Not as sexy for Madison Ave., but certainly intriguing.

Bryant and the Lakers dispatched Carmelo Anthony and the pesky Denver Nuggets with a 119-92 victory in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals on Friday night.

“We saved our best game for last here, or maybe we caught our opponent a little bit off stride,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who gets a shot at his record 10th title.

Bryant had 35 points and 10 assists and got plenty of scoring help from Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom as the Lakers shot 57.3 percent from the field to avoid having to play a Game 7 back at the Staples Center.

They will finally get some much-needed rest after playing every other day for a grueling two weeks.

These Lakers, who are seeking their 15th title, are a more grizzled group— but also more bruised and battered—than the one that fell to Boston in the finals last year.

“Now we’re in a place where we didn’t get the job accomplished last year,” Bryant said. “Hopefully we will this time.”

Instead of cruising through the West this time, the Lakers survived an arduous seven-game semifinal series against Houston and another test against Denver.

“It’s been a physical march all the way back to the finals, every series has been tough,” Bryant said.

The Magic lead 3-2 and can clinch the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night at home in Game 6 and prevent that Kobe-LeBron matchup that has basketball fans and corporate sponsors atwitter.

The finals begin Thursday, at Los Angeles if Orlando wins, and at Cleveland if the Cavaliers prevail.

Anthony led the Nuggets with 25 points and J.R. Smith added 24, but Denver trailed for all but a few seconds and never mounted a serious charge after halftime, although they kept hitting 3-pointers, finishing 8 of 19 from beyond the arc.

This was the Nuggets’ eighth consecutive loss in a playoff elimination game.

Odom and Gasol both scored 20 points and Ariza had 17, and the Lakers made all 24 of their free throws and were 9 of 16 on 3s.

“We are really tough to beat because we’re using all our weapons, not focusing on Kobe or myself,” said Gasol, who had 12 rebounds and six assists. “We have a really good team and need to use everybody. That is how we are going to win it.”

The Lakers might very well have been swept by the energetic Nuggets if veterans Anthony Carter and Kenyon Martin hadn’t botched inbounds passes in the final seconds of Games 1 and 3, respectively.

Bryant didn’t wait for the fourth quarter Friday night to give the Nuggets, who had posted eight postseason blowouts, a taste of their own medicine.

He scored 11 points in a decisive 21-7 run that gave the Lakers a 53-40 halftime lead, took the buzz out of the Pepsi Center and the air out of the Nuggets.

“We had the effort and the execution to match,” Bryant said. “It took us a while to really get a feel for the team, just how to take advantage of the defense. We saw something how they were playing us and we executed extremely well.”

Bryant started his run with two free throws, then hit a jumper over Smith. After Ariza’s 3-pointer, Bryant made baskets over Anthony from the left and right corners on the next two possessions, then capped the run with a dagger—a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left following Gasol’s offensive rebound.

The Nuggets trimmed their deficit to 79-67 but the Lakers replied with a 9-0 run to restore their stranglehold. Bryant scored seven straight points, including a 3-pointer that made it 101-82.

“He had a great five minutes at the end of the game that no one in basketball could have covered him,” Nuggets coach George Karl lamented.

Karl likes the Lakers in the finals no matter if it’s Kobe-LeBron or Kobe-Superman.

“I saw little cracks in the Lakers and somehow we’ve cemented those cracks back up, and I think they’re the best team right now in the NBA,” he said.

The Nuggets thought they had the Lakers right where they wanted them after stealing Game 2 in Los Angeles, but they quickly gave the homecourt edge back on Martin’s botched inbounds in Game 3 that cost them their first loss at the Pepsi Center since March 9.

After winning 16 straight games at home, the Nuggets lost two of three there in their first trip to the conference finals in 24 years.

Chauncey Billups, whose acquisition from Detroit for Allen Iverson in early November, transformed the Nuggets from afterthoughts to contenders, said, “I’ll never forget this year. But this is not as far as I want to go.”

Jackson thinks these Nuggets, with their top five scorers returning next season, have arrived as an elite team.

“They thrashed a lot of opponents in the Western Conference playoffs,” Jackson said. “And their physicality and athleticism and their scoring ability is remarkable.”

Bryant concurred, suggesting the Nuggets helped the Lakers play to their potential.

“Denver is a great team, very skilled at all positions,” he said. “Strong inside. Strong on the perimeter. Huge problem for us. And because of that, we had to elevate our level as a unit. And if we didn’t do that, we’d be going home early.”

Notes

Nene broke his left forearm in the game and will wear a splint for 3-4 weeks. … Anthony turned 25 Friday: “It was a terrible birthday present,” he said. “But I can get used to playing on my birthday.”

[Lars]

Props to the Lakers.

[duncan228]

Nuggets can only blame themselves in Game 6 loss (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txnotquitenuggets&prov=st&type=lgns)
By Eddie Pells

This was no conspiracy.

The referees, the NBA and the networks didn’t have a thing to do with knocking the Denver Nuggets out of the playoffs Friday night and setting up at least one half of the Kobe-LeBron dream matchup in the finals.

Los Angeles beat the Nuggets and the Nuggets beat themselves in Game 6. The refs called a grand total of 22 fouls against the Nuggets in their 119-92 loss - and seven of those came in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand.

This one was simply a matter of one potentially great team finally hitting its stride against a good one that ran out of gas, patience and poise.

On offense, the Nuggets were never the aggressors in the decisive loss, rarely taking the ball to the hoop to create contact and get free throws. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups - the heart of this team - were off target (a combined 8 for 24), Nene was invisible (8 points despite only four fouls) and the Birdman, Chris Andersen, never took off (2 points, one rebound).

The Lakers, meanwhile, shot 57 percent, led by Kobe Bryant’s 12-for-20, 35-point, 10-assist night.

They get lots of credit for that, though Denver’s inability to get in anyone’s face on the perimeter or put a body on anyone inside made things way too easy on a team that doesn’t need any help.

Even the Denver fans who had been booing everything in purple or a referee’s shade of gray turned on their own team when Luke Walton spotted up for a wide-open 20-footer late in the third quarter that made it 75-59.

Before the game, Nuggets coach George Karl said all the talk about the officiating had obscured what was a pretty good series - at least until the finale.

“In a lot of ways, we’ve helped them put their pieces back together and they’ve helped us grow up faster,” Karl said.

The Nuggets still have some growing to do.

The Lakers need to piece together a game plan for either the Orlando Magic - or LeBron (and the Cleveland Cavaliers).

The enticement of a Kobe-LeBron final has shaped so much of the debate about the officiating in this series, during which the losing coach has complained after Games 3, 4 and 5 but only Phil Jackson’s protests were enough to draw a fine after Denver evened the series at 2.

The Nuggets felt they got an unfair whistle in their loss in Game 5 and wondered if the $50,000 in fines was enough to buy the officiating advantage.

Had Denver been able to guard Bryant, account for the suddenly resurgent Lamar Odom (20 points), neutralize Pau Gasol (20 points, 12 rebounds) or make a shot when it counted (41 percent over the first three quarters), maybe that debate could have been continued to Sunday.

Instead, the Nuggets have to look back at squandered opportunities, not so much in Game 6 but earlier in the series.

Denver might have been the better team throughout Games 1, 2, 3 and 4 but couldn’t make a key inbounds pass at the ends of Games 1 and 3, which ended up costing them in a pair of close losses.

The Nuggets also fell apart at the end of Game 5, getting outscored by 16 over the final 16 minutes, and all the old slams, the pre-Chauncey slams, on this team - lose their cool too easily, rush too many shots, don’t commit on defense - came flooding back.

By the end of Game 6, calling the Nuggets unprepared for the big time only felt like piling on. They were losing by 27, fans were filing out of the Pepsi Center - a good season, maybe the best in franchise history, was coming to a sad end.

Meanwhile, the Lakers and Kobe move on.

And if there’s a conspiracy in the NBA, it will have to play out in Orlando or Cleveland.

[Showtime24 LAKERS]

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[Ice009]

I think Pau Gasol is playing brilliant these last two games. Gasol is the key. If he keeps playing like this is will be tough to beat the Lakers.

[duncan228]

Lakers eliminate Nuggets, team set for NBA finals (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=afp-basketnbawest&prov=afp&type=lgns)

The Los Angeles Lakers are headed back to the NBA finals for the second-straight year having rolled over the Denver Nuggets 119-92 to take their semi-final series four games to two.

Kobe Bryant had 35 points and 11 assists and Pau Gasol scored 20 points for the Lakers on Friday who will be making their 30th appearance in the NBA championship series.

"This has been a physical march," Bryant said. "Every series has been tough.

"Now we are back at a place where we didn't finish off last year. Hopefully we will do it this year."

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points for the Nuggets who also received 24 points from J.R. Smith and 10 points and nine assists from Chauncey Billups.

As they seek their 15th championship, the Lakers now get time to rest before meeting either Cleveland or Orlando in the finals. Orlando leads the other semi-final three games to two.

If Orlando wins Saturday, Los Angeles will have home court advantage when the finals begin Thursday.

"This struggle will help us," Gasol said. "Right now we are one more step closer to our goal but we got to win four more games."

The Lakers used a balanced attack for the second straight game as five players figured in double figures in both games five and six.

"We are tough when we use all our weapons," Gasol said. "We don't just focus on Kobe or myself. We have to use all our weapons."

The Lakers shot 57.3 percent from the field to close out the Nuggets in dominating fashion.

"We saved our best for last," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We had the momentum from the beginning of the game on.

"There was a lot of precise work tonight. We moved the ball the right way and got the ball in right places where we could operate.

"Defensively we were able to shut them down from running and that is a big part of their game."

Bryant shot 12-of-20 from the field and went nine-of-nine from the free throw line.

The Lakers combined to go nine-of-16 from three-point range and was a perfect 24-of-24 in team free throw shooting.

Once again Denver was assessed the lion's share of penalties as officials slapped them with 22 fouls compared to 19 for the Lakers, who continued their playoff dominance over Denver with this series win.

The Nuggets and Los Angeles have met in the playoffs four times with the Lakers coming out on top each time. Los Angeles took a first round series in 1979, won a semi-final series in 1985 and swept the Nuggets in a opening round last year.

Los Angeles took three of four games from Denver during the regular season this year with the Nuggets lone win coming in Colorado on February 27.

Anthony shot just six-of-17 from the field for Denver who struggled to find their form shooting just 43.8 percent for the game.

Denver coach George Karl said he's proud of his group and Friday's blowout loss was not characteristic of their season.

"I don't feel good about congratulating the Lakers but they are a great team," Karl said.

"In a strange way I was anxious throughout the series because I saw little cracks in the Lakers game and they cemented them back up and they are the best team in NBA.

"I coached a long time in this league and this has been a special season for me. I couldn't ask anything more from any guy in that locker room.

"Forget about tonight. Tonight wasn't Nugget basketball and I apologize to the fans.

"This team can be really good and that is what we should focus on.

"The disappointment will linger with us. Sometimes it takes 24 hours and sometimes it takes 24 days."

[TJastal]

Nuggets seem to be a mentally weak team, as their major shortcoming. I defenitely think they let the refs get into their heads in Game 3, and never seemed to be the same team after.

Whereas Orlando appears to be much more strong willed and undeterred by any shitty ass officiating, which they have seen even more of than the nuggets did.

Too bad for the Nuggz, they succumbed to the b.s and left with nary a whimper.

Good luck magic, keep fighting on! You must prevail and spoil their plans to have LeCrab vs Phlobe in the finals.

[Laker-fan-in-SanAnto]

I think Pau Gasol is playing brilliant these last two games. Gasol is the key. If he keeps playing like this is will be tough to beat the Lakers.

I agree, but I think Odom is the one that needs to play like this. Thats why coming off the bench makes our bench look better if he's aggresive.

[Laker-fan-in-SanAnto]

We're going to the finals!!!!
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u221/rusticalpine/A%20T%20H%20L%20E%20T%20I%20C%20S/lakers.gif

[spursncowboys]

Now Kobe can have a .500 record in the Finals!!

[Laker-fan-in-SanAnto]

Let's GO LAKERS!!!!!
http://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gifhttp://www.clublakers.com/forum/images/smilies/jam2.gif

[duncan228]

Finals Exam Passed: It's All Coming Together For Lakers (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090530)
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com

DENVER -- Eighteen games into the playoffs, at the point where results matter more than style, the Lakers finally managed to combine the two.

At this late stage it doesn't really matter how the Lakers got to the NBA Finals; it would be enough to say they're playing in the championship round in back-to-back seasons and making the trip for the 30th time in franchise history. Yet they chose to arrive in grand fashion, rolling in the Maybach. This was their most complete team effort of the postseason, a 119-92 road victory to close out what had been a formidable Denver team, making the blown leads against Utah and the blowout losses to a depleted Houston team seem like distant memories.

"We finally played a full 48 together, and in one of the biggest games of our year," said Luke Walton.

"We're here now. People are going to say whatever they're going to say, but we're in the NBA Finals and we went through a very tough Western Conference again. We're back to where we wanted to get and at this time we're playing at probably the highest level we've played all year. So that's what you want to do."

Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are that Luke Walton is the first Laker quoted. But he had his breakout game of the playoffs (10 points) in Game 6 and outscored Carmelo Anthony 6-5 in the third quarter, including a dunk over the Melo Man. Like I said, complete team effort. The bench, outscored 42-24 by Denver's reserves in the Lakers' last trip here, returned the favor with a 40-34 advantage Saturday night.

That's why Kobe Bryant's line of 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds wasn't as spectacular as LeBron James' 37-12-14 the night before; it didn't have to be. Not when Trevor Ariza knocked down three 3-pointers on his way to 17 points, Pau Gasol added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Lamar Odom scored 20.

And not on a night when the Nuggets came out with such little inspiration. Ariza's 10 first-quarter points came within a point of the first-quarter total for Carmelo, Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin. The Nuggets kept opening the door and asking the Lakers to come into their house and swipe everything from the silverware to the 60-inch screen, and Bryant finally took them up on it by scoring 11 points in the final 3:09 of the half to give the Lakers a 13-point lead.

From there it was simply a matter of refining for the next series, getting reps at the Nuggets' expense, sharpening an offense that suddenly is operating at near max efficiency.

"I think we learned from Game 5 at home that if we move the ball we can kind of break their defense," Gasol said. "We found our balance. And we were able to be very effective."

The Lakers think they have the answer if any Finals opponent tries to shut down Kobe the way the Nuggets did so successfully in Game 5, when he scored 22 points on 13 shots. He didn't try to force the ball through the double- and triple-teams. He made the early pass to his open teammates (like Ariza). And when the Nuggets had to respect their scoring, the Lakers moved the ball back to Bryant for one-on-one matchups.

By the fourth quarter, whether the possessions ended in made jumpers or free throws, Bryant kept looking at his teammates, giving them a nod or a fist pump, letting him know that's the way it's supposed to be done.

"We have guys on the team that are very smart basketball players," Bryant said. "So I could communicate something to them and they can just take it out on the floor and do it. And we were able to kind of learn on the fly."

They found something. As much as I've argued against momentum during these playoffs, the Lakers stumbled upon it. After failing to outscore the Nuggets in back-to-back quarters through the first five games, the Lakers won the final five quarters of the series.

"For us to come in here and put on the performance we put on gives us a lot of confidence," Bryant said.

Confidence. That's the better word. That's what could possibly carry over from this series, after the Lakers get their much-needed rest and perhaps even accumulate a little rust before the NBA Finals begin on Thursday.

"We really think that this is the team that we've seen most of the year, the team that played tonight," coach Phil Jackson said.

Jackson ran his record to 43-0 after winning the first game of a playoff series. But his once-incredible 9-0 record in the NBA Finals is long gone, updated with a two-Finals losing streak that included the humbling loss to the Boston Celtics last season.

"We feel like we failed our team as a coaching staff in both situations," Jackson said. "You feel that way. So having to go back there knowing what a disappointment it was over the summer to live with that and saying we're going to go back there and do this regardless, we're going to get this done, I give a lot of credit to these guys."

The Lakers have mentioned the pain of last year's Finals loss throughout the season.

"Last year hurt us pretty bad," Gasol reiterated for those who haven't been around to hear the message. "Now we have a chance to redeem ourselves."

Andrew Bynum didn't get to participate last year because of a new injury. He was the only Laker in the locker room wearing the Western Conference champions T-shirt and cap combo, and he also violated protocol by stating his preference for the next opponent.

"We want Orlando," Bynum said. "Because I think we owe 'em, they beat us 2-0 in the regular season, but we get home court against them. That's huge in the Finals. Last year we learned that. We went down 2-0 and it's tough to overcome that. I think with home court we'll have a better opportunity."

That's the only advantage they would have against the Magic, who also are coming on strong in the conference finals, and beat the Lakers in both regular-season games. But that came with Jameer Nelson averaging 27.5 points against L.A. before he went down for the season with a shoulder injury.

If the Lakers get Cleveland, they won't have home-court advantage, but they'll have the knowledge that they swept the season series and were one of only two teams to beat LeBron on his home court during the regular season. If Kobe can cancel out LeBron's stats, the rest of the Lakers, who are looking more effective than Cleveland's supporting cast, could be the difference.

Normally the excitement of advancing to the ultimate round outweighs any thoughts of the just-vanquished opponents, particularly when the final game's outcome is decided so early. But the Lakers kept praising Denver's toughness and the competition the Nuggets provided. And there's no novelty to this trip, now that most of the players have been there before and Bryant's already experienced it without Shaquille O'Neal.

"It's different. We're very thankful of being in this position. But," Kobe said, shrugging, "we did it last year. We're ready to move on the NBA Finals and try to take care of business."

They've been trying to tell us they had it in them all postseason. Finally, the game on the court matched the talk. Finally, it's time to believe them.

[duncan228]

Kobe, Lakers advance with best performance of playoffs (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/chris_mannix/05/30/lakers.win.game.6/index.html#?eref=T1)
Chris Mannix
SI.com

DENVER -- There will be no Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals because Kobe Bryant decided he'd had enough. Enough of Nuggets defenders poking him in the midsection as he elevated from the perimeter and slapping his forehead as he released his shots. Enough of Dahntay Jones, J.R. Smith, Linas Kleiza and Chauncey Billups bumping him like he was a running back hitting the hole and not a shooting guard looking for a seam. Enough of a city and a town that brings back too many bad memories. Enough of all of it. It was time to go home.

"It was a very controlled, excellent game from him," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, a few minutes after Bryant scored 35 points in L.A.'s 119-92 rout of the Nuggets (RECAP (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/viewcast/2009/05/29/index.html?contestId=25190&vendorId=2009052907&vendorVisitTeam=13&vendorHomeTeam=7&pageType=recap)| BOX (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/viewcast/2009/05/29/index.html?contestId=25190&vendorId=2009052907&vendorVisitTeam=13&vendorHomeTeam=7&pageType=boxscore)).

And it wasn't just Bryant who looked like he was through with Denver. It was Lamar Odom, who before the game added flu symptoms to his growing list of injuries. Prior to the game Odom's locker looked like a veritable pharmacy, with a bottle of cough syrup and a packet of throat lozenges within arms reach, his ammunition to stave off a rapidly developing virus. Yet it was the Nuggets who were left feeling ill after Odom chipped in 20 points and eight rebounds, including a pair of run-stopping buckets.

"Whoever awoke Lamar Odom," said Nuggets coach George Karl, "should be fired."

It was Trevor Ariza, who may have officially wrested the Bruce Bowen Ace Defender/Dangerous Spot-Up Shooter title from the Spurs aging forward on Friday, hounding Carmelo Anthony on 'Melo's 25th birthday while knocking down three crowd deflating three-pointers.

It was Pau Gasol sparking a balanced Lakers attack with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Although he was often visibly and vocally frustrated with his lack of touches in this series, Gasol was a workhorse in Game 7, showcasing a dazzling selection of post moves and orchestrating the offense like a seasoned maestro from the low post.

Even Luke Walton joined the act. If you haven't been following this series, Walton has been the guy fouling Anthony. A lot. But in Game 6 Walton had his own breakout game, taking advantage of a porous Nuggets defense to score 10 points, most of which came off of wide-open jump shots.

"They are the best team in the NBA," said Karl.

But in the end, it was all about Kobe, who now stands just four wins away from finally shedding Shaquille O'Neal's oversized shadow. For the first time in the post-Shaq Era, Bryant led his team to a playoff series victory that actually mattered. Taking nothing away from the Lakers' torrid run through the Western Conference last season, but 2008 was a cakewalk. The Nuggets, Jazz and Spurs took just three games from L.A. in '08 and looked more like ushers than opponents.

This Nuggets team has teeth. At least they did until Bryant whittled them down and then yanked them. It wasn't that Bryant scored 35 points. It was the 12-for-20 from the field. It was the 9-for-9 from the foul line. It was the 10 assists. It was the six rebounds. It was the 11 points he scored in the final 3:09 of the first half to expand the Lakers lead from a manageable six to an out-of-reach 13.

"He made four shots during that stretch that I think Jesus would have had trouble covering," said Karl.

It was the runner Bryant made in the third quarter with Billups hanging off his forearm like a 202-pound coat hanger. It was the three he deposited with the clock winding down in the second quarter and the shot he swatted a few seconds later. Bryant finished the game an absurd +31 and had the smattering of Lakers fans in attendance drowning out more than 20,000 stunned Nuggets fans with chants of "M-V-P."

"I'm not going to watch this film for a long time," said Karl. "Maybe never."

The Lakers will have plenty of time to watch as they prepare for their second straight trip to the NBA Finals. One half of the dream match is set and as Bryant and the Lakers wait to see if LeBron James can pull the Cavaliers out of the fire and complete the matchup the world has been clamoring for, they can rest secure in the knowledge that they just played their finest game.

"We saved our best game for last," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "Tonight was a game where we played at the highest level."

Especially Kobe. Though it can be argued that his level was even higher.

[Bob Lanier]

LOL! I love the talking points. Sportswriters make Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf look positively professional.

[duncan228]

Lakers rest while awaiting start of NBA finals (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-testedlakers&prov=ap&type=lgns)
By Beth Harris

Kobe Bryant stared straight ahead, delivering his answer without emotion. His teammates were out of earshot, though Bryant undoubtedly told them the same thing.

Asked what it would take to close out Denver in six games, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar replied, “Be cold-blooded, go out there and execute. We have to stay focused and poised and try to cut them up.”

Led by Bryant’s merciless efficiency, the Lakers sliced and diced the Nuggets to advance to the NBA finals for the second consecutive year. Los Angeles turned what had been a back-and-forth series into a rout Friday night, winning 119-92 on the road.

“Now we’re in a place where we didn’t get the job accomplished last year,” Bryant said. “Hopefully we will this time.”

Battered, bruised and just plain exhausted, the Lakers took Saturday off. They’ll get a few days’ rest before the finals begin Thursday. Orlando leads Cleveland 3-2 and can clinch the Eastern Conference title Saturday night at home in Game 6.

The Lakers will open at home if Dwight Howard and Orlando win or at Cleveland if LeBron James and the Cavaliers prevail.

“We’re back to where we wanted to get to and we’re probably playing at the highest level that we have all year,” Luke Walton said.

It hasn’t been easy.

Critics have questioned the Lakers’ effort throughout the playoffs, especially when they were forced to a seventh game by an undermanned Houston team in the conference semifinals.

They have seemingly turned it on and off at times, getting thumped 120-101 in Game 4 at Denver before coming home and dominating the Nuggets in the fourth quarter of Game 5, then dissecting them with precision in the elimination game.

“We didn’t allow the early energy and emotion of the home team and their crowd to force us to play from behind,” Derek Fisher said. “That was a real key for us, mentally as well. We had a very solid start and we were able to sustain it for four quarters.”

The Lakers overwhelmed the Nuggets with a 21-7 run in the second quarter, with Bryant scoring 11, to lead 53-40 at halftime. Denver failed to make a serious run in the second half.

“That was definitely killer instinct. That was definitely as focused of a game as we’ve played all year,” said Walton, who had 10 points. “We’ve heard in the media people questioning us. We’ve never questioned our own ability. It’s nice to put a full 48 (minutes) together in one of the biggest games of our year.”

For the second consecutive game, Bryant got his teammates involved while he passed out of double-teams. Sure, he scored 35 points, but he also had 10 assists and counseled his teammates to keep their focus.

Pau Gasol added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Lamar Odom scored 20 and Trevor Ariza 17 while helping the Lakers shoot 57 percent. The bench, including Walton, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown, injected energy. The Lakers made all 24 of their free throws.

“It was important to step through that door, seize the opportunity. Don’t wait,” Fisher said. “Now is our time to finish what we didn’t finish last season.”

A year ago, the Lakers breezed into the finals with a 12-3 playoff record before losing to Boston in six games. This year, they’re 12-6, having been tested by the Rockets and the Nuggets in arduous back-to-back series after beating Utah 4-1 in the first round.

“We’re more prepared to play against teams that are physical or extremely athletic or play a certain style of offense or defense,” Fisher said. “It doesn’t guarantee us any success going forward, but I definitely think we’ve learned from some of the things we’ve been through in the last three or four weeks.”

The Lakers are in the NBA finals for a record 30th time. They’ve won 15 titles, but none since Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal teamed for three in a row ending in 2002.

This time, Bryant will be seeking to quiet everyone who reminds him he hasn’t won a championship without O’Neal, while coach Phil Jackson is going for his record 10th title.

Their humiliating 131-92 dismissal by Boston in Game 6 last year still stings.

“It’s about winning it,” Ariza said. “That’s what we’re focused on.”