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Bryant's 45 extend Laker winning streak

L.A. takes Game 1 of West final from Spurs for its 16th straight victory.

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2001

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Shaquille O'Neal has been convinced. Kobe Bryant is the best.

"I told Kobe that he was my idol," O'Neal said. "I'm serious. He's playing phenomenal. I think he's the best player in the league, by far."

With his take-your-breath-away moves and long-range daggers, Bryant stole San Antonio's home-court advantage in a hurry in the Western Conference final.

He scored 45 on 19-for-35 shooting and had 10 rebounds as the Lakers beat the Spurs 104-90 Saturday night in Game 1.

O'Neal added 28 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists as the Lakers won their 16th in a row -- eighth in the playoffs. He also was 6-for-8 in free throws.

Game 2 is Monday night in the first showdown between the past two NBA champions in a conference final since 1985.

"This team is hungry," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Bryant fell three points short of his career playoff best set in his last game, the series clincher against Sacramento. It was the most points against San Antonio in a playoff game, surpassing the 43 by Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1995 conference final.

Bryant tried to deflect the praise to Shaq.

"I don't know, man," Bryant said. "I'm just a little guard. I try to steal some of his post moves, but they don't seem to have the same powerful effect as when he does it."

Bryant didn't think he was in any particular zone, but was only trying to take what the Spurs were giving him.

"You really have to pick your spots with those two big guys down there," he said. "It's a lot of work, and a lot of preparation.

With 93 points total in consecutive games, Bryant was drawing a comparison with the greatest big-game player ever -- Michael Jordan.

Horace Grant kept referring to Bryant as "No. 23," the number Jordan wore. It wasn't a mistake.

"I knew what I was saying," Grant said.

O'Neal said it wasn't the points but the way Bryant scored them that was so impressive.

"That's where I've been trying to get him all year," O'Neal said. "He's been getting his points, getting everybody involved, drawing and kicking, doing the right things. Somebody once said the mark of a great player is how you make the other players around you play. I now can truly say that Kobe Bryant is the best player in this league."

O'Neal and Bryant might have feuded in the regular season, but they blended like Beach Boys harmony in this one. When one would misfire, the other took over.

Bryant, who averaged 37.7 points against the Spurs in the regular season, was even tougher this time, maybe because San Antonio is without Derek Anderson.

When Bryant wasn't scoring, he was finding O'Neal inside.

Tim Duncan had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and David Robinson 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who lost at home for the first time in the playoffs. Antonio Daniels scored 16 of his 20 in the second half for San Antonio, which at 58-24 had the best regular-season record, two games ahead of Los Angeles.

But frustrated by the Lakers defense, the Spurs misfired from long range, especially early in the game, and committed an uncharacteristic 11 first-half turnovers.

"We had open looks at the basket. We were missing shots that we normally make," Robinson said. "We were turning the ball over. You throw the ball right to the other guy, what are you doing? That's not the way we play basketball."

Meanwhile, Los Angeles' role players came through. Derek Fisher made three of four three-pointers and scored 13.

Los Angeles led throughout after a 13-1 run in the first quarter. The Lakers were up by 16 three times in the third quarter.

"I thought we were sloppy," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said, "more than I've seen us in three months. You have to give the Lakers credit for their aggressiveness. Be that as it may, I was really disappointed in our mental errors, some we haven't made in a very, very long time."

GAME 7s TODAY: Hornets at Bucks, 3; Raptors at 76ers, 5:30. TV: Ch. 8.

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