LOS ANGELES – It’s going to be Orlando, not Boston, in the NBA finals. Even though the opponent is different, the Los Angeles Lakers are still consumed with redeeming themselves after last year’s abject failure.
Their humiliating 131-92 dismissal by the Celtics in Game 6 last year still stings.
“We know what it feels like to lose and we just want to come out there and amend that,” coach Phil Jackson said Sunday.
A year ago, Pau Gasol had never played in the NBA finals, so he was excited just to be there.
Not this time.
“The team right now is hungry and focused,” he said. “This year we have a mission. It’s like, ‘OK, we’re in the finals, now let’s go to work.’ It’s a big difference.”
Another difference is that the Lakers have home-court advantage this year. Games 1 and 2 are Thursday and next Sunday at Staples Center before the best-of-7 series moves to Orlando for up to three games.
“It’s nice to have home-court advantage, but it’s still not something to rely on in this kind of a series,” Jackson said. “Orlando is one of the better road teams in the league the last two years.”
No doubt Jackson will remind his team that both Houston and Denver won at Staples in the past two rounds, costing the Lakers home-court advantage.
“That’s something you don’t want to do in the finals with this kind of 2-3-2 setup,” he said. “It’s just about trying to get a leg up right off the bat so you have advantage.” (AP)