Even though the final scores don't reflect it, the final two games forced me to play my best.
Chicago 116, Sacramento 91
The change of venue seemed to make a difference in the first quarter, as Sacramento jumped out to an early lead sparked by a 9-0 run. Although I caught up by the end of the quarter, they still led at the end of the first 12 minutes 34-27. I took the lead early in the second, lost it once, but regained it and held it until halftime. Doug Christie played much better, scoring 10 of his 16 in the first half. Eddy Curry had a great first half, scoring 14 of his 19 and making a couple of great defensive stops.
Sacramento collapsed in the second half, allowing me to take a 20 point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Even though they put up a nice scoring effort in the fourth, it was too little too late. With a 116-91 victory, I am one victory away from the championship.
Top Performers
Kevin Garnett (POG): 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 blocks
Eddy Curry: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks
Scottie Pippen: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals
Jamal Crawford: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals
Kirk Hinrich: 12 points, 8 assists, 7 steals
Donyell Marshall: 12 points
Tyson Chandler: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Peja Stojakovic: 20 points, 8 rebounds
Chris Webber: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Doug Christie: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Bobby Jackson: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Mike Bibby: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists
Brad Miller: 5 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks
Chicago leads series 3-0
After being the second option in the first three games of the series, Chris Webber exploded in the first quarter of Game 4, scoring 17 points. I was really surprised (pleasantly, to tell the truth) to see the CPU change its gameplan after losing by double digits three times in a row. C-Webb also equalled his rebounding effort in Game 3 by the end of the first quarter. The Kings led 26-22 at the first quarter break.
Sacramento went back to Peja in the second quarter, and he responded by scoring 9 points. Chris Webber saw limited time in the second quarter, and did not get a shot attempt in the quarter. Peja was the only King doing damage at the offensive end, allowing me to take the lead and run up a 54-42 advantage by halftime. KG had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the first half. Donyell Marshall added 12 points and Scottie Pippen contributed 11 points, 3 assists and 4 steals.
The Kings made the mistake of bringing C-Webb back into the game too late, only to take him out again when he picked up his fourth foul early in the third. Peja picked up the slack though, scoring 20 points in the third on 8/10 shooting. His 34 points led all scorers heading into the fourth, but I still held a 76-66 lead.
Webber returned in the fourth, but picked up his fifth foul and was promptly taken out again, leaving Peja to once again carry the scoring load alone. Peja scored 10 points to bring his total to a game high 44, but I jumped out to a 20 point lead and never looked back. When the final buzzer sounded, I had a 108-88 victory, and the NBA Championship trophy!
KG had yet another triple double, Pip had another great all around performance, and Marshall scored 16 points off the bench. It was a great finish to a great season.
Top Performers
Kevin Garnett (POG): 32 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 blocks
Scottie Pippen: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 5 steals
Donyell Marshall: 16 points, 2 rebounds
Jamal Crawford: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Kirk Hinrich: 10 points, 5 assists, 6 steals
Tim Hardaway: 8 points, 2 steals
Peja Stojakovic: 44 points, 7 rebounds
Chris Webber: 17 points, 4 rebounds
Bobby Jackson: 8 points, 7 assists
Mike Bibby: 4 points, 8 assists
Brad Miller: 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Chicago wins series 4-0, to become the 2004 NBA Champions!
Finals Most Valuable Player
Kevin Garnett: 29.1 ppg, 18.6 rpg, 6.8 apg, 2.5 bpg, 0.4 spg
Offseason recap coming soon.