Lakers close out Phoenix
L.A. meets Boston in finals for 12th time
PHOENIX – Get ready, Boston, for a rematch with Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant wrapped up a magnificent series with 37 points, Ron Artest added 25 and the Lakers held off the Phoenix Suns 111-103 on Saturday night to win the Western Conference finals.
The Lakers and Celtics, the NBA’s premier teams for much of the league’s history, will meet in the finals for the 12th time with Game 1 Thursday night in Los Angeles.
“We’ll see how much we matured,” Bryant said. “They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much we’ve grown.”
Bryant scored nine points in the final 2 minutes, including what looked like an impossible 23-footer with Grant Hill in his face and 34 seconds to play. The basket put Los Angeles up 107-100 and the Suns were finished.
Amare Stoudemire scored 27 points but struggled to a 7-of-20 shooting night. Steve Nash had 21 points and nine assists in his 118th playoff game, the most for anyone who has never reached the finals.