Lakers nab total control of Finals

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Just when it looked as if Jason Kidd might make the NBA Finals competitive, the budding dynasty known as the Los Angeles Lakers -- no, it wasn't just Shaq -- moved within one victory of their third straight championship.

Robert Horry hit another clutch 3-pointer to put Los Angeles ahead for good, Kobe Bryant had his first brilliant offensive game of the series and O'Neal scored 35 points Sunday night as the Lakers beat the Nets 106-103 in Game 3.

This was the closest and most entertaining game of the Finals, and in the end the Lakers showed the stuff champions are made of.

When it came time for clutch baskets, big blocked shots and key free throws, the two-time defending champs had enough of each to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series

No team has ever recovered from such a deficit to win an NBA playoff series, and don't expect to see one from the Nets -- even though they managed to play a competitive game for the first time in the series.

Game 4 is Wednesday night in New Jersey.

Kidd was outstanding again, leading the Nets on a 19-5 run that gave them their biggest lead of the series -- 86-80 early in the fourth.

But it was Bryant who made the bigger plays down the stretch -- none more important than his 10-foot jumper over Kidd with 19.1 seconds left for a 104-100 lead. Bryant was double-teamed on the shot, and Kidd even got a hand on the ball before Bryant broke free, turned to his left and hit the bucket.

Kidd knocked down a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to cut it to 104-103, and the Nets fouled Rick Fox with 3.5 seconds left. He made both, and Kidd was off-target after dribbling upcourt and launching a 30-footer just before the buzzer.

Bryant had 36 points, shooting 14-for-23 and scoring a dozen points in the fourth quarter.

"I wanted it. I wanted it, it's game time. I wasn't going to let them take it from me," Bryant said. "We're battle-tested. That's what I kept telling the fellas in timeouts."

O'Neal was 12-for-19 from the field with 11 rebounds, Derek Fisher scored 12 points while going 3-for-3 from 3-point range and Horry and Fox came through at the end.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson tied Pat Riley for the most career playoff victories -- 155. It took Jackson only 209 games to tie the mark, a winning percentage of .741 compared to Riley's .608.

Kidd had 30 points and Kenyon Martin scored 26 for the Nets, who knew that their best chance for keeping their title hopes alive rested on them winning this game.

"If we can lock this one in, it makes for a very small chance that they could win it," Jackson said beforehand.

Indeed, the Nets now need to win four in a row against a team that has only allowed them to have one single glimmer of hope through the first three games.