Perhaps going from goat to hero faster than any professional athlete in history, Los Angeles forward Ron Artest sank a last second shot to give the Lakers a 103-101 win over Phoenix in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
The Suns could have easily headed back to Phoenix with the series lead after Jason Richardson nailed a 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to tie the game at 101.
Richardson, who missed a 3-pointer just seconds earlier, made a 27-foot shot that he banked in to complete the Suns’ comeback after being down by 18 points late in the third quarter.
Following a Lakers’ timeout, Kobe Bryant took the inbounds pass and immediately attempted a desperation 3-pointer.
Bryant’s shot was well short of the rim, but Artest dashed across the lane and caught the errant attempt. He turned towards the basket and banked home an awkward shot with less than a second remaining.
“I thought Kobe got fouled on the shot, so I figured it was going to be short,” Artest said. “And it was a little short.”
Just a minute earlier, Artest missed two questionable shots within five seconds that could have led to the Lakers’ going down 3-2 in the series.
With 1:01 left and Los Angeles ahead 101-98, Artest missed an 18-foot jumper from the right wing.
Lakers’ forward Pau Gasol tipped the rebound back to Artest, who moved across the key to the left wing where he attempted a 24-foot 3-pointer with 56 seconds remaining.
The crowd of 18,997 was yelling its disapproval after both of Artest’s ill-fated attempts.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he wasn’t sure why he had Artest in the game after missing those consecutive shots.
“He has an uncanny knack of doing things, and sometimes it just works out,” Jackson said. “He just has a knack for being around crucial plays.”
The win gives Los Angeles a 3-2 series lead over the Suns. The teams will square off for Game 6 on Saturday in Phoenix.
If the Lakers defeat the Suns on Saturday, they will earn the right to play for their 16th NBA championship.
