Order was restored in the Western Conference on Friday night. That cute little story bubbling out of the Rocky Mountains turned into just another footnote in the legacy that is the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the Lakers' conference-clinching drubbing of Denver, they operated their offense as if they'd kept it under wraps until now. If Friday was a sneak preview of the NBA Finals, doubts about this up-and-down team disappeared in a wave of 3-pointers, pinpoint passing and stifling defense. "We saved our best game for last," beaming L.A. coach Phil Jackson said.
The officiating, a dartboard for verbal harpoons from both teams all series, wasn't a factor. Wasn't one in the first half, either, when the Lakers torched the nets at a 60 percent rate. The Lakers were so wide open, ESPN needed a wide-angle lens to get a Nugget in the screen on some shots.
The Lakers didn't look like a team that had been questioned from coast to coast, from getting pressed to seven games by Houston, and getting outplayed for long stretches by the Nuggets early in the series. It looked like a team sending a signal to the East.
L.A. shot 57.3 percent (43-of-75) overall, 56.2 percent from 3-point range (9-of-16) and won the rebound battle, 38-27. They didn't miss a free throw in 24 attempts.
The only Nugget who made a dent in the defense was J.R. Smith, off the bench. However, his 24 points were offset by Kobe Bryant turning him, and every other Nugget defender, inside and out on his way to 35 points, 10 assists and one turnover.
"Teams go through stretches in the year and the playoffs where you don't play the same level all the time," Jackson said. "Tonight was a game where we played at the highest level, shooting the ball well from all spots on the floor. Our collective energy was good. Our collective intelligence was good, and that's the most important thing at this time."
You name the shot, and the Lakers made it. Five players scored in double figures, including Lamar Odom (20 points) and Luke Walton (10) off the bench. If Trevor Ariza or Bryant weren't canning 3s, Pau Gasol was hitting left-handed hooks (he's right-handed) and Walton was swishing wide-open jumpers.
Denver's defense, the cornerstone of this record-setting season, brought back bad memories of past Nuggets' disasters.
"They got confused," said Lakers center Andrew Bynum, wearing a white-and-purple conference championship T-shirt. "They started looking like us out there."
Give Jackson a huge assist. In his quest for a record 10th NBA title, Jackson gathered the team after losing Game 4 in Denver and changed the attack. Inside-outside. If the Nuggets double-teamed Gasol down low, pass it to one of the hot shooters on the perimeter.
Double-teaming Bryant proved worthless, too. In the last five quarters, L.A. outscored Denver, 146-110.
"We got a read for what they were doing," Bryant said. "That was the key. It's something we talked about. We have guys on this team that are very smart. They're smart Basketball players. We can communicate something to them, and they take that out on the floor and do it."
It wasn't just offensively where L.A. pressed its will. The defense forced Chauncey Billups into five turnovers, and the Nuggets starters hit only 18-of-47 (.383).
"We just gotta do it, having everybody participate on offense and that's going to help us defensively," Gasol said.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
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The pow in Pau
As quiet as he was on the court, his statistics spoke loudly, as Pau Gasol dominated in six games against the Nuggets , recording six double-doubles:
....FG....FT....Pts.....Reb.....
Game 1....5-9....3-5....13....14....
Game 2....5-8....7-10....17....17....
Game 3....7-12....6-8....20....11....
Game 4....8-11....5-7....21....10....
Game 5....5-8....4-5....14....10....
Game 6....8-12....4-4....20....12....
