- Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: "Lakers talk the talk, and walk the walk -- well, at least some of the time -- as they did just often enough to edge the Orlando Magic, 101-96, in overtime Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. To Orlando's credit, it stopped being all about the Lakers, whose game dropped off from their monster Game 1, while the Magic's came up so far, they almost passed them. For a moment at the end of regulation, it looked as if it was about to be a 1-1 series, as Hedo Turkoglu's inbounds lob sailed over Kobe Bryant to Courtney Lee, going in for the game-winning layup. Fortunately for the Lakers, tragically for the Magic, Lee had to reach back, and adjust, and, as Chick Hearn used to say ... HEARTBR-R-R-R-REAK! If Lee had made it, it would have been one of the great coaching moves in Finals history, so maybe Jackson's 9-0 lead in titles over Orlando's Stan Van Gundy isn't that important."
- Jeff Miller of The Orange County Register: "Gorgeous? Hardly, but you know how it is the closer you get to closing time. Looks matter less and less. And right now, this near to last call, the Lakers aren't terribly concerned about appearances once the lights come on. Just as long as those lights are shining on them. So maybe they didn't outclass Orlando this time, but they did outlast the Magic, dodging a last-second, game-losing layup and surviving an overtime in which the sport's best closer scored only two points. Earlier in these playoffs, the Lakers would have been dissected play-by-misplay for this performance. But at this point, all that really matters are two scores: Lakers, 101-96. Lakers, two games to none. 'We were fortunate,' Trevor Ariza said. 'There is a sense of relief,' Coach Phil Jackson said. 'We played well enough to win,' Kobe Bryant said."
- George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel: "After Sunday's loss, the body language didn't look so good. Howard was slouched on his chair, arms crossed, staring at nothing in particular. Athletes get paid a ton of money to do what they do, but they are human. Think of how hard it is for anyone to come back to work the next day after botching a big project. You don't want to look your boss in the eye. You don't want to look at your co-workers, either. You want to crawl and hide. The Magic don't have that option. They will be back in Orlando for three games, all before sellout crowds. All before people who experienced the heartbreak with them, from home, from restaurants, from bars. Their hearts are broken today, too. It is the nature of sports. If Lee hit either of those shots, think of how much different this conversation would be. The Lakers would no longer have home-court advantage, and Van Gundy would again have played all the skeptics for fools for dismissing the Magic after just one game. Van Gundy doesn't fancy himself as a guy who worries too much about the psychology of sports. But for the Magic, the 2009 NBA Finals have very much become a mind game. L.A. is in their heads, and the Magic will need less than 24 hours of group therapy to get this thing together. Is there one more run left? Orlando will embrace its team Tuesday night, willing to forgive and forget. Amnesia, it seems, isn't such a bad thing right now."
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Look at Kobe. Listen to Kobe. Learn from Kobe. Now that the Magic are down 2-0 after Sunday's devastating 101-96 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, this is what Dwight Howard should take from his participation in these NBA Finals: Approach the game like Kobe does. Attack the game like Kobe does. Love the game like Kobe does. And remember this: the game is not Kobe's job; it is his joy. ... If the Magic have any hope of rebounding from this 2-0 deficit, must outwork, outwit and, most importantly, out will Kobe. 'I just want it so bad,' Kobe says. What about you, Dwight? Do you want it as badly as Kobe does?"
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "This is not a Nick Anderson moment. It was a much tougher shot than all those free throws Anderson missed in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals. It just was such a great opportunity, and having let it slip away, it doesn't seem any more likely that the Magic will turn things around this time than last time they blew it in a Finals game. If Lee's shot falls, the Magic win and go home with the series tied, 1-1. Instead, they are still 0 for franchise history in the Finals and forced to make a case that the series is not over. The Lakers are not the most consistent of teams. They have been known to help teams off the hook a bit. But it is difficult to imagine the Magic could possibly win four of the next five games, and they now must after Lee's layup rolled off and the Lakers flourished with their second chance in the last three minutes of overtime. With that, the Magic were forced to argue they still have a chance."
- Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "The Lakers have appeared beatable but have managed to persevere. Phil Jackson, in customary fashion, has worked the officials in public settings on occasion, always seeking an edge, real or imagined. He does not need another championship. He already is on the coaching Mount Rushmore of the NBA, right next to Red Auerbach. The 63-year-old, white-haired gentleman, with the professorial air, stilted gait and coat-rack shoulders, has evolved into a legend. That is not bad for a North Dakota graduate who spent five years off the NBA radar in the '80s, with a CBA team called the Albany Patroons. Not bad at all."
- Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: "No matter which team wins the championship, the two NBA Finals participants already have sent a clear message about team makeup -- taller is definitely better. Smaller lineups might give opponents some problems and lead to modest playoff success. But to win big in the NBA, teams need to play big. And, no, that theory is not meant as an assault to your intelligence. Any 5-year-old who has ever stood near a basket quickly realizes that height is a great advantage in basketball. This is more of a suggestion for the Bulls' off-season. Maybe it's time to pull the plug on the small starting backcourt and also make a play to improve the height on the front line. Look at how the Lakers, Orlando and last year's champs, the Boston Celtics, line up. All three teams are big on the inside and tall on the perimeter. There is room for an undersized player (Derek Fisher, Rafer Alston), but the count should stop at one."
- Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: "Think back to 2006 (Gnarls Barkley .. 'Little Miss Sunshine' ... a viable economy). Remember the hype over Duke's J.J. Redick and Gonzaga's Adam Morrison, two of the nation's top scorers? They were linked legends, the Affirmed and Alydar of college basketball, the can't-miss kids. Back then, if someone said Mor
rison and Redick would face each other in the 2009 NBA Finals, well, one's imagination would run wild, picturing a wild-West shooting duel between the duo. If someone said that in Game 1 of those Finals Redick would play seven minutes and Morrison wouldn't even be activated, well, 'I wouldn't have believed you,' Morrison said Saturday. Such is the case. The 2006 USBWA co-players of the year are afterthoughts in this year's Finals." - Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "At some point, Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo will likely catch on to Chris Bosh's objective and try to trade him. As many fans realize, he would be a perfect candidate for the Cavs' front court, which needs an overhaul. He could move in at power forward next to center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. During crunch time, Bosh can shift over and play the '5' spot. But before anyone gets too excited about the possibility, it's going to be extremely difficult to pry Bosh loose from the Raptors. The Cavs don't have a ton of assets. In the best-case scenario, the Cavs could deal forward/center Anderson Varejao (in a sign-and-trade), guard Delonte West and contract fodder for Bosh. The Raptors might even want a draft pick. That's a very steep price for a player who could become a free agent after one season. But finding All-Star quality big men aren't easy."
- Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "There hasn't been any indication that Jim O'Brien will receive a contract extension. Has O'Brien, who is 72-92 in two seasons, done enough to earn an extension? I can already see it now, some of you will say O'Brien will ended up being a 'lame-duck' coach next season if he doesn't get an extension. Here's two words for you to think about when that thought crosses your mind: Rick Carlisle. The Pacers gave Carlisle an extension prior to the 2006-07 season to avoid having the players quit on him. That decision worked out so well that the Pacers went 35-47, missed the playoffs and Carlisle was fired at the end of the season, forcing the Simon's to cut him a check. I'm not a believer in a 'lame-duck' coach."
- Tom Powers of The Pioneer Press: "Three weeks into his tenure as head of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn is still something of a mystery to me. There was talk of a breakfast meeting in Minneapolis. But at 8 a.m., all I'd be able to do is drool into my oatmeal. And with Mr. Kahn's extended vocabulary, I might become disoriented. From what has been in the paper, however, it's pretty clear he isn't going to sugarcoat anything. He is painfully aware the team needs an awful lot of work. It also was interesting to read that, to this point, he has had virtually no contact with the current players. When he does pick up the telephone he might be surprised at what he discovers. Forward Ryan Gomes, for example, doesn't sugarcoat anything, either. He, too, is aware that some things have to change for the Wolves to get into the playoffs. 'Playing in the West, it takes 50 wins to get in,' Gomes said. 'We've won 24 and 22 games the last two years. That's half of what we need to get in. Over 164 games we've won 46. We have to get better. The only way we are going to do that is to take it on ourselves.' That's a commendable attitude. He isn't sitting around waiting for something to happen. Instead, he's working harder during the offseason as he tries to improve his play."
- Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Michael Jordan's role with the Bobcats sometimes seems murky; he isn't an employee, yet he has final say over basketball decisions. He's not always around -- the Bobcats hold the 12th pick in the June 25 draft and Jordan missed a workout Thursday involving lottery candidates Stephen Curry of Davidson and Gerald Henderson of Duke. The gambler's instinct and self-reliance that helped make him a great player could work against him in a business where you're as defined by your misses as your coups. Jordan might have final say, but Brown -- a Hall of Fame coach who ran player-personnel in Philadelphia -- seems to hold the most gravitas around the NBA. Much could change with Bobcats majority owner Bob Johnson looking to sell controlling interest. Jordan has said in the past he'd like to buy the Bobcats, but he won't be the only bidder. Ultimately a sale -- and it might not be far off -- could leave Jordan with everything Bobcats or nothing at all."
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