If the Lakers had previously been merely a first-tier favorite for the championship, they now had reason to claim the top spot.
After all, they had cut down the Pacers, the team with the best record up to that point.
At least that's what the Los Angeles media were saying, "The era of Los Angeles belonging to Kobe opens today—it officially begins!"
The Pacers's shooting was much worse tonight than their regular season norm.
After all, it was the last game of a "five-game road trip."
Consecutive away games posed a great challenge to players' ability to adjust their form.
If "back-to-back" games are a one-off torment, then consecutive "away" games are a prolonged torture, one that becomes increasingly severe as the schedule progresses.
For a team like the Pacers that relied heavily on their shooting, the effect was even greater.
But these were the reasons from the perspective of the Pacers.
