Lakers, Cavs take rivalry to finals

LAKERS-CAVS part four?Was there any doubt?Destiny demanded it so the Lumber Company Lakers delivered, renewing Premier League basketball’s biggest rivalry on its biggest stage by booking another date with the Cavs in the finals following Tuesday’s decisive 71-59 Game 3 victory over British American Insurance Jackson at the Wildey Gym.It was the only fitting conclusion for the decade’s first season – a fourth successive post-season meeting between the heated adversaries who matched up in two prior finals and the first round last year.But if the end result was greatly anticipated, its means was anything but, as Jamar King continued his fairytale play-off run with another unlikely game-winning performance.From unheralded reserve to irreplaceable sixth man, the back-up off-guard had his second crucial effort in as many Lakers’ post-season wins, after scoring three three-pointers and 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as part of a decisive 20-4 rally.This came on the heels of a career-high 25 points in Game 1, where the previously overlooked bench player had five three-pointers in Lakers’ 88-62 victory.Unlike that opening rout though, Lakers were actually in danger of losing the game and the series, having trailed by as many as eight points before facing an unwanted fourth quarter deficit (52-48).But King hit those three bombs in succession plus a transition lay-up to score 11 of Lakers’ first 13 points in the period while Jackson could only afford a Peter Alleyne basket in that span.Kevin Austin appeared to end the drought via a trademark banker, only to see André Lockhart respond with a reverse lay-up before Keefe Birkett capped the rally with five straight points, putting the Lakers ahead for good 68-56.Jackson’s dramatic collapse was a direct result of their questionable offensive game-plan, which apparently was centred around making Pearson Griffith basketball’s six-foot-ten version of Lord Nelson’s statue.And this was after the national centre had 20 points through three quarters, half of which came in the third where Griffith proved nearly unstoppable in the paint.At one point, the 280-pound behemoth accounted for eight straight Jackson points, the last of which came on a nifty spin move to the middle between two Lakers while being fouled.It was the peak of an 11-3 run that gave Jackson a threatening eight-point lead (48-40) late in the period after Lakers went scoreless for the first four minutes of the third.However, Birkett and King gave Jackson an ominous sign of what was to come, combining for eight points between them to close the quarter on an 8-2 run before King provided the real theatrics. Birkett led all scorers with 23 points while Griffith ended with the same 20, getting 11 points and 11 boards from Kevin Austin in the losing effort.Game 1 of the finals is tonight at the Wildey Gymnasium at 8.