Kobe's Special Delivery a Pain in the You-Know-What for Suns

Filed under: Lakers, Suns, NBA Playoffs

PHOENIX -- Michael Jordan had the shoulder shrug. And now Kobe Bryant has the pat.



When the dust settles on Bryant's brilliant career and the highlights all have been spliced together, this one certainly will make it.



With 34.2 seconds left Saturday night at US Airways Center, the Lakers guard put up a 23-foot jumper right in front of Phoenix's bench with Suns forward Grant Hill practically doing chin-ups on his forearm. It didn't matter.



Bryant made the decisive bucket that would lead his team to a 111-103 win over and a third straight trip to the NBA Finals. Before Bryant ran back up court, he gave Suns coach Alvin Gentry a pat on the butt, as if to say, "Nobody can stop me.''



It was similar to when Jordan hit his sixth three-pointer of the first half for Chicago in Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals against Portland. With the Bulls on their way to the second of six titles, he simply shrugged for the camera.



"After I knocked down the shot, I just heard (Gentry) mutter something like, 'That's B.S., you know,''' said Bryant, giving his version of the shot that put the Lakers up 107-100 and on their way to securing a 4-2 win in the Western Conference finals. ''Something to that effect about the shot. Just made me smile.''



As for Gentry's version, "I said, 'Good defense. (Bryant) said, 'Not quite good enough.' ... He just patted me.''

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/05/30/kobes-pat-sends-lakers-back-to-finals-sexy-showdown/