Live Blog: 2009 NBA Finals, Game 2

7:53 pm - Ok, I'm here. And it took some work to get here on time. I was laying out at my friend's pool all day and afterward we went to eat at this legit taco place. Upon leaving the taco place at 7:30ish, I had to drop my friend off back at his apartment and then come home myself. Needless to say, I had to get my Juan Pablo Montoya on to make it work. And here I am. Did I leave an old man in a Mercedes waving his fist at me? Possibly, but that doesn't matter. He's old, which means he's unaware of his surroundings anyway, so for all he knew, I was obeying the law at every turn. He probably would've waved his fist at me had I been going the speed limit. But now that I made it on time, let's get down to business.

7:56 pm - Kris Allen, this year's "American Idol" winner, just sang the national anthem. Not bad, but I s'pose Adam Lambert would've done a better job. I have no idea what that means, but I heard 13-year-old girls everywhere yelling it, so I wanted to fit in with the cool kids by repeating it.

7:58 pm - What do I think will happen in Game 2? I'm glad you asked. The Magic will play better (which isn't saying much since they can't possbily shoot much worse than they did in Game 1), but it won't be enough. The fact is, Kobe can do pretty much anything he wants against Orlando, and the Magic can't stop it. Pietrus is a strong, athletic guy, but he's not quick enough to stop Kobe's penetration without sagging off of him...which opens up Kobe's jumper. And when Kobe picks people apart, it opens things up for his teammates. Think about it, Gasol and Odom didn't have very good games offensively on Thursday, and LA still won by 25. Is Orlando going to improve by 26 points over two days? I say no.

8:02 pm - Man, I smell like sun tan lotion. I didn't have enough time to shower before the game started, so I'm waiting for halftime to do so. This is why I don't have a girlfriend. Not because I stink, but because if I had a girlfriend, I'd find not showering immediately after coming home from the pool unacceptable because she'd have drilled that into my head. Luckily for my live-blogging fan(s), I'm too stubborn to be given proper hygiene tips.

8:08 pm - I know some people were critical of the Lakers for breaking tradition when they began wearing the white jerseys for Sunday home games. But not me. Those things are sweet. The gold and purple trim on the white uniform make them look downright regal. I'm a fan.

8:09 pm - Interesting. Andrew Bynum gets a cheap foul when guarding Dwight Howard in the low post, and then Rashard Lewis almost immediately picks up a similarly cheap "moving screen" foul. If they're gonna call it this tight, we might have an interesting 10 on the floor at the end of the 4th quarter. Just saying.

8:10 pm - Pau Gasol makes a nice move to the basket but is blocked, grown man style, by Dwight Howard. Good to see that he's alive for this game after flatlining in Game 1.

8:11 pm - Undeterred, Gasol comes back down and hits a nice hook shot off the glass for his first two of the game. Hedo Turkoglu answers with a 3 and we're tied at 5 early on.

8:13 pm - Hmm, this is interesting. After defending Howard so well in Game 1, Andrew Bynum has two early fouls now after Dwight put a nice move on him. Here comes Lamar Odom, which means Pau Gasol will become the primary defender on Howard. Keep an eye on that.

8:14 pm - Kobe drives and draws a foul on Courtney Lee, an Indianapolis native, which is Lee's 2nd. Here comes Pietrus already. Kobe makes one of two and we're tied at 6. Can Bryant get Pietrus in foul trouble as well? That'd really mess up Orlando's plans.

8:16 pm - Just as I said that, Pietrus picks up an offensive foul on a 2-on-1 break. First foul for him, roughly 35 seconds after he enters the game. There's no flow to this game yet at all.

8:17 pm - ANOTHER foul has been called. So Lee and Bynum both have 2, and Pietrus, Lewis, and Odom have 1. That's seven foul calls in 6 minutes in a 6-6 ballgame. The NBA, where bad officiating happens.

8:18 pm - Mickael Pietrus just picked up his 2nd foul with 5:22 left in the FIRST QUARTER. He didn't even start, and came in because Courtney Lee, the starting 2-guard had two fouls. Not a good situation for Stan Van Gundy. At all.

8:19 pm - Ok, Budweiser, if you're gonna start showing sappy commercials focusing on the great Jack Buck, you're gonna need to warn me. I'm an emotional guy, I can't handle being blindsided by you pulling at my heartstrings. Rest in peace, Mr. Buck.

8:23 pm - Interesting move by Van Gundy. He subs in Marcin Gortat, the Polish Hammer, for Pietrus, giving him a huge lineup. I like it. You might as well try something new since none of your guards played particularly well in Game 1. Plus, Gortat's my boy. Good to see him get some burn.

8:25 pm - The commentators have begun the Jameer Nelson debate. And even though he played relatively well in Game 1, I still don't think he should play. Dude hasn't played since January, and you're gonna bring him back for the Finals? It just doesn't make sense. Meanwhile, Rashard Lewis has now picked up HIS second foul, so J.J. Redick is in. Yes, that J.J. Redick.

8:27 pm - Another turnover by Orlando, their 6th. It's 11-10 Lakers with 3:12 left in the 1st. Just a sloppy game so far. I might start telling stories soon if this keeps up. I can't afford to lose the three people that are currently reading my blog. I love you guys, by the way.

8:32 pm - J.J. Redick just hoisted a 3 and missed...but that's a good thing. No, seriously. Everyone knows the kid can shoot, so if he looks hesitant to pull, the defense will sag off of him and make it harder for the other Magic players to score. But as long as he's aggressive, the defense will be forced to stay out on him. And if he hits a few, even better. Remember, Orlando is just trying to steal minutes right now while Lee and Pietrus are in foul trouble.

8:34 pm - Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Hedo Turkoglu, Marcin Gortat, and Dwight Howard. That's Orlando's lineup. It just looks weird when typed out...kind of like it does on the floor. At least Dwight Howard is playing well.

8:35 pm - Offensive foul (moving screen) on Dwight Howard, giving Orlando 8 turnovers for the game...and we're still in the first quarter. Not good. If LA could hit anything on offense, they'd be up 10. Instead, both offenses have been putrid and we're tied at 15 at the end of the first. The lowest-scoring opening quarter in NBA Finals history, folks. Yum.

8:38 pm - I definitely don't have "girl-approved hair" right now. But it's not because I don't use Axe shampoo, it's because I sat out at the pool all day and haven't taken a shower yet. Keyword being "yet".

8:42 pm - Ok, now Orlando's lineup is Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Rashard Lewis, Tony Battie, and Marcin Gortat. This just keeps getting weirder. I feel like Stan Van Gundy is personally trying to make my head explode. And I respect that.

8:43 pm - Lamar Odom hits a shot; he's looking good early on. Good sign for LA. And just as I'm typing that, he gets back on defense to make a great block on a Redick layup. Lots of energy so far from him.

8:45 pm - There is 8:55 left in the 2nd quarter, and LA leads 21-19. There have been 15 field goals made and 16 fouls called. Correlation between the sloppiness and the over-calling of fouls? You better believe it. I really hope this ends soon. We need David Stern to put in the call to calm down the whistles. This is brutal.

8:49 pm - Hahaha, another foul called. And on this one, ABC/ESPN couldn't even find the foul on replay. As in, there was no contact. Apparently Andrew Bynum's offensive game is so awkward, it assumes fouls on defenders. Nice.

8:51 pm - The Padres scored 5 in the bottom of the 9th to tie the Diamondbacks at 6...and now they're in the 15th inning. The lesson, as always, it's bad to give up 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th. Good things rarely come from such an occurrence. Yes, this Finals game has bored me to the point that I'm checking baseball scores.

8:53 pm - Rashard Lewis strokes a 3 to tie the game at 26. Despite the overall poor play, at least it's competitive. Maybe Orlando decided they can't lose by 25 if the Lakers only score 70 points this game. Good philosophy.

8:56 pm - My beloved Baltimore Orioles lost today, 3-0 to Oakland. My favorite part? Oakland got TWO hits. They scored on a bases-loaded walk, a bases-loaded HBP, and bases-loaded groundout. Really? I hate my life.

8:58 pm - Trevor Ariza just hit his second shot of the game, both 3-pointers. He's now the third-highest scorer in the game. Where is Mike D'Antoni when we need him?

8:59 pm - Just as I type that, Derek Fisher and Rashard Lewis trades 3s. Nice. I like this whole scoring thing a lot better than the whole not scoring thing.

9:02 pm - Uh oh, "Gran Torino" is coming out on Blu-ray this Tuesday and I'm in a budget crunch. What's a man to do? Hmm, I'll have to think on it. I'll keep you posted.

9:03 pm - Rashard Lewis has 14 points. The rest of the Magic have 2, 2, 3, 4, 2, and 2. I guess that's one way to be balanced. Not a good way, but a way nonetheless.

9:05 pm - J.J. Redick just left Kobe Bryant wide open to help out on defense. Not a good idea. Kobe makes the three and the Lakers go up by 7.

9:06 pm - Rashard Lewis, ladies and gentlemen. 20 points for him after draining another three. 30 seconds left in the 2nd quarter and it's 38-35 Lakers. Lewis is saving Orlando right now, obviously.

9:08 pm - After Redick misses a three and Howard can't corral the rebound, the half is over. 40-35 Lakers. I need to not smell like sun tan lotion anymore, so I'm gonna go shower. Be back in a bit. Leave me a comment to read when I get back. It'll be like a present.

9:29 pm - Ok, I'm back. Good shower. Dwight Howard dunks for the first points of the 2nd half. Kobe responds with 2 of his own, and the Lakers maintain a 5-point lead.

9:30 pm- We have a Hedo Turkoglu sighting!! Scoring for the second time tonight, Turkoglu gets the Magic within 3. He needs to play very well this half in order for Orlando to have a chance. Very well.

9:32 pm - And Orlando leads for the first time after two free throws from Lewis...but not anymore because Kobe comes down and hits a jumper. 44-43 Lakers. Wait, he just scored again. 4 straight for Kobe and the Lakers lead by 3.

9:34 pm - The Padres-Diamondbacks game is now in the 18th. So basically, they've played a double-header without the intermission in between. That's gotta suck. Especially for whomever ends up losing.

9:35 pm- We finally seem to be hitting a rhythm here. Kobe's scored a few, Gasol just made another one, and Orlando is right there with them. 50-47 Lakers with 7:38 to go in the 3rd.

9:37 pm - Dwight Howard is getting frustrated. The Lakers are doubling him every chance they get, and he's not liking it. He's got 6 points and 4 turnovers.

9:38 pm - Somehow, Orlando is staying in this one. Hedo hasn't found his rhythm yet, Howard is frustrated, and the Lakers seem to be able to score whenever they want. Yet, the deficit is only 3. Howard gets a monster slam and all of a sudden it's 52-51 LA. Wow.

9:41 pm - Sign me up to see "The Taking of Pelham 123". Denzel is my boy, first of all. It's about a hostage situation on a New York City subway car, secondly. And thirdly, it looks like the rare action flick that doesn't overly rely on explosions and bullets to entertain me. What a novel concept. Don't get me wrong, I love explosions and bullets, but I also like them to be supplemented by good stories and fascinating characters. Call me an action flick snob.

9:45 pm - Hedo Turkoglu is heating up a bit. He hits another Orlando 3, and the game is tied. LA had better be careful here. Orlando hasn't played well at all, but the game is knotted at 54. Now that they seem to finding a rhythm, the Lakers may be playing catch-up soon. Jameer Nelson hits two free throws and the Magic lead by a deuce.

9:48 pm - I'm telling you, Orlando is getting hot. Hedo hits another 3 and the Magic go up by three. We now have a game on our hands. I wasn't convinced before, but I am now.

9:50 pm - Ok, now that was funny. Capitalizing on the awkardness of having LeBron-Kobe puppet commercials even though LeBron is sitting at home, Nike makes a spot about...well, LeBron sitting at home, being annoyed by a kid who's asking a bunch of questions about the Finals, and mentioning that Kobe is in them while he isn't. That's just good, clean fun right there.

9:54 pm - NICE play by Hedo and Dwight. Howard faked post position then rolled to the hoop, and Turkoglu hit him with a great lob pass for the lay-in. 61-60 Magic.

9:55 pm - Nelson hits a runner to put the lead back at three...and then Derek Fisher drains a 3 to tie it at 63. Great second half. As boring as the first half was, this second half has been that entertaining. Turkoglu hits a jumper just before the end of the quarter, and Kobe's 3 misses at the buzzer. 65-63 Orlando at the end of the third. Here we go...

9:57 pm - Yeah, "The Taking of Pelham 123" looks good, but "Public Enemies" looks REALLY good. A movie about John Dillinger (another Indiana native) featuring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale? Wait, and it's directed by Michael Mann? Don't mind if I do. For the record, "Up", "The Proposal", "The Taking of Pelham 123", and "Public Enemies" are most likely going to be the next four movies I see. If that's not versatility, I don't know what is.

10:01 pm - Dwight Howard just spoke to the ball, presumably telling it to go in on Jameer Nelson's free throw. That's funny to me.

10:02 pm - LOL, the Polish Hammer just shot a jumper. That was much funnier than Dwight talking to the basketball. Man, that was really quality humor. I need to see that on a regular basis. Orlando doesn't, since he airballed the shot, but I do.

10:04 pm - GREAT play by Orlando. Hedo gives it to Rashard after splitting the pick-and-roll, who finds a streaking Gortat for the lay-in. Wonderful execution there. LA scores, and it's 69-68 Lakers.

10:05 pm - Pietrus fouls again. He's had a nightmare of a game and it probably won't get any better considering Kobe is liable to go off for 15 this quarter. Something to keep your eye on.

10:06 pm - Bryant makes a terrible pass and then tries to point at Shannon Brown like he wasn't supposed to charge in for the offensive rebound when Kobe went up for the shot. That's on you, One Over Jordan.

10:07 pm - Here I am, having a good evening full of pool time, tacos, and a good Finals game; and ABC has to ruin it by showing me a "GI Joe" preview. Man, that movie looks awful. Why'd they have to bastardize the series like that? Seriously, why?

10:10 pm - And it's over. No, not the basketball game, the Padres-Diamondbacks game. Arizona scored 3 in the top of the 18th to win 9-6. Good for them. On to tomorrow's game!! Gotta love baseball, baby.

10:11 pm - Lamar Odom has been great tonight. 8 points in the fourth quarter and now the Lakers lead by 3 with 7:21 to go. He's only taken a handful of shots, but he's made them all count, going 8-for-9.

10:14 pm - Wow, this game is good. Lewis hits another 3 to put the Magic up 77-75. Turkoglu has become the primary ballhandler in a lineup of him, Lewis, Redick, Pietrus, and Howard; and this seems to have sparked the offense. The ball movement and creativity is much better than it was early on. This is a different team than the one that played through foul trouble in the first half. LA is in for a fight.

10:19 pm - Derek Fisher hits a layup and we're tied at 77. Good stuff. Uh oh, Lamar Odom just picked up his 5th foul and we have 5 minutes to go. It'd be shame for him to foul out. He's been LA's second-best player tonight.

10:21 pm - Tough shot by Gasol, but it goes. 79-79 as we get near the 4-minute mark.

10:22 pm - What's more improbable? The fact that Jack Nicholson just showed more emotion over a bad call than he's shown in 10 years, or the fact that Dwight Howard hit two clutch free throws? Discuss.

10:25 pm - Ehhhhh, I don't like that call. Turkoglu hits a step-back jumper, but is called for a push-off. Didn't look like much to me. Especially for the 4th quarter of a Finals game.

10:26 pm - Pietrus just fouled out. Not a good night for the Frenchman. Speaking of, I miss Tony Parker. It's been too long since I watched a Spurs game. Is it October yet? Courtney Lee, a rookie, comes in to guard Kobe. I think we know where this is going. Kobe makes his free throws and it's 82-81 Lakers.

10:29 pm - What a great commercial from General Motors. Addressing the bankruptcy head-on, and making me believe they actually can overcome this monstrous setback. "The only chapter we're worried about is chapter one." I like that. And if they can get that Cadillac CTS into my price range, I'd like it even more. Tip o' the cap, GM.

10:32 pm - Remember earlier when I commended Redick for shooting with no hesitation? Yeah, it finally worked out for him. Lewis caught the defense sagging off of him, dished it to him in the corner, and he drained the 3 to tie things at 84. Good job, all.

10:33 pm - Rashard Lewis hits a TOUGH runner to put the Magic up by two. And just like that, Kobe banks in a shot of his own to tie it back up at 86. This has been a fun second half.

10:34 pm - Goodness gracious. I can barely type fast enough to keep up. Good thing I can type 80 wpm. Anyway, enough about me. Turkoglu hits a step-back jumper with 47 seconds to go to put Orlando up by two, 88-86. I wonder what Kobe has in store for us now.

10:37 pm - That was easy. Fisher drives in uncontested and dishes it off to Gasol for the easy deuce. Tie ballgame.

10:38 pm - Courtney Lee makes a nice move with the shot clock running down but can't finish the shot. Odom rebounds and calls timeout with nine seconds left. I hope Kobe actually gets it this time, unlike last time against Denver when they used him as a decoy. Hopefully, they learned their lesson.

10:40 pm - WHOA! Bryant gets the ball, drives in for a jumper, and is BLOCKED from behind by Hedo Turkoglu. Remember when I said that Hedo had to play very well in order for Orlando to have a chance to win? Yeah, he's played very well.

10:44 pm - Mark Jackson: "Hedo playing Kobe and saying 'he-don't' on the drive." That's funny.

10:45 pm - WHEW!! LA dodged a bullet there. Courtney Lee gets a great screen from Rashard Lewis and a good lob pass from Turkoglu but is unable to hit the tough reverse layup. It rims out instead, and we go to OT. I'm gonna go get some orange juice. All of this competition makes me thirsty.

10:50 pm - Fisher with another nice drive-and-dish to Gasol, who draws a foul on Turkoglu. Orlando subs in Rafer Alston, who hasn't played since yesterday, to give Hedo a breather. Being the only ballhandler on the floor seems to have worn him out a bit in these last few minutes.

10:52 pm - Hedo catches a pass from Alston, runs a pick-and-roll with Howard, and sets up Dwight for a layup-and-free throw. The 3-point play makes it 91-90 Orlando.

10:53 pm - Goodness. A tough shot by Bryant, who fades away and hits the deuce. 92-91 LA, 2 minutes to go.

10:54 pm - Two Fisher free throws make it 94-91 with a minute and a half to go.

10:55 pm - Kobe penetrates and gives it off to Gasol who makes the layup and gets the foul. The free throw is good and it's 97-91 LA with 1:14 to go in overtime. 7 straight Laker points. This one is over, folks.

10:58 pm - Redick hits a layup to bring Orlando within four. We'll see if they have a run left in them now.

11:00 pm - After swapping empty possessions, Pau Gasol draws a loose ball foul and hits both free throws. With 28 seconds to go, it's 99-93 LA. I just don't see any way Orlando can win this one. But at least they're not getting pantsed.

11:01 pm - Ok, Orlando, I hear ya. Lewis drains a 3 (which is being reviewed) to split the Laker lead in half. With 26 seconds to go, it'll be interesting to see if Orlando fouls here. They should, but I've stopped trying to figure out NBA coaches when it comes to their fouling strategies.

11:04 pm - After review, the 3 stands. 99-96 LA. 26.2 seconds left.

11:05 pm - Good job on the foul by Orlando. They wait until Lamar Odom, a shaky free throw shooter, gets the ball and then they foul. No need to rush the foul if you can wait and get the ball in the hands of a worse shooter.

11:06 pm - Odom hits both, so LA now leads by 5. Orlando can't hit a shot and the Lakers hold on for the win.

11:07 pm - It's 2-0 Lakers, heading to Orlando for Game 3 Tuesday night. The Magic certainly showed signs of life and should be able to pull off at least one win at home. Asking them to get three is tough, which means they may have to win both games back in LA to clinch the series. I'm not saying the series is over, because strange things have happened before (see: Miami vs. Dallas, 2006), but it's certainly an uphill battle for Orlando. Game 3 should be highly competitive, with the Magic looking to make it a series and the Lakers looking to bury the Magic's spirit. As always, Skip To My Lank will be here for your live-blogging needs. See ya Tuesday, kind people.

~~ Lank