The old adage about the NBA is that it always comes down to the last few minutes.
But I don't think there was anyone sitting around me in EnergySolutions Arena who actually thought the Jazz would have two shots in the closing seconds to send the game to overtime after the Lakers took a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
I mean, Utah was as off-the-mark and out-of-whack as the Lakers were in sync for the first 42 minutes of this 48-minute game. But when you're hot, you're hot, and five three-point shots in the final 2:33 can help you make up ground in a hurry.
In the final sequence, after Derek Fisher finally missed a clutch free throw with 12.7 seconds left, the weirdest thing was that Utah's long-range sharpshooter Kyle Korver passed up a shot from the arc to hand the ball to Mehmet Okur.
"It happened fast," said Korver. "I don't know. I probably should have shot it."
Okur's clank was so short, the rebound off the front rim gave Utah one more shot. Deron Williams will probably replay that one a few times before he drops off to sleep the next week. He said he rushed it because he didn't know how much time was left.
"I could have taken my time a little more because Kobe wasn't going to risk fouling me," said Williams. "It was a great look. I just missed it."
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