(Sports Network) - MVP Kobe Bryant knows he has to perform more heroics if he hopes to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their first NBA title since 2002. Bryant scored 36 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to lead his squad to an 87-81 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center.

Things did not go LA's way in Games 1 and 2 at TD Banknorth Garden. The Celtics took care of business at home and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of- seven series. Boston is 7-0 all-time when it wins the first two games in the NBA Finals, while the Lakers are 0-5 when they lose Games 1 and 2.

Pau Gasol is averaging 13.7 points and 10.0 rebounds for the Lakers in the first three games against Boston, while Lamar Odom has posted 9.3 points and 7.7 boards for Los Angeles, which is not getting what it needs from its other two stars. Gasol scored just nine points during LA's first win of the series, and Odom netted four.

The 29-year-old Bryant is playing in his fifth championship series and has already won three rings. He is not intimidated by the atmosphere and knows this is his time to shine.

As for Gasol and Odom. Both are in the NBA Finals for the first time in their careers. They have not looked like themselves against the Celtics, as they have not attacked the basket and seem to be playing scared. Kobe and head coach Phil Jackson, who has won nine championships as a coach, see this and know that this is not the time to go into a shell.

Even though the Lakers got back into the series with their victory in Game 3, it is evident that Kobe, who is averaging 30.0 points in the finals, needs to take the team on his back if they hope to defeat Boston's Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in three of the next four contests.

During the regular season and playoffs, Bryant has shown confidence in his teammates. When the Lakers have needed a big bucket at a crucial time of a game, the 10-time All-Star has not hesitated to give up the ball to an open teammate.

While Gasol and Odom are currently struggling, reserve guard Sasha Vujacic was able to step up in Game 3 by scoring 20 points in 20-plus minutes of action. Vujacic was 7-for-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Besides Bryant, Vujacic was the only Laker to score in double-digits in the victory.

Bryant can't do it by himself, but it looks like it's going to have to be pretty close to that. The Lakers need to win Games 4 and 5 at home, and hope they can steal one in Boston to capture the title. If that's going to happen, Kobe has to focus on being a one-man show.

The Lakers don't have the luxury to wait for Gasol and Odom to find their games. These are desperate times for the Western Conference champions, and they have turned to their superstar to bail them out.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done for the Lakers. Winning Game 3 was a good start, but it's just a start.

Kobe knows what he has to do and will be up for the challenge.

NBA WISHED DONAGHY WOULD JUST GO AWAY

The NBA has the matchup it wanted in the NBA Finals. The Celtics versus Lakers is great for the game and all the fans. It has the star power and great history. However, former referee Tim Donaghy is also back in the news during this historic clash and that isn't good timing for the NBA.

Donaghy, who in a letter filed in Brooklyn court, alleged, among many damaging claims against his former employers and co-workers, that the NBA urged referees not to call technical fouls against or eject certain star players, that the league singled out certain players to be focused on for foul calls, that certain referees were biased due to close relationships with team members or management, and that the outcome of two playoff series were directly affected by biased referees.

Donaghy, who is scheduled to be sentenced in July for his criminal activity, is a desperate man and is trying to get a lighter sentence with his most recent statements. There was some questionable officiating in Game 2 of this year's NBA Finals, and look what comes out.

Anything Donaghy says cannot be considered credible. Yes, officials make poor calls and they make mistakes. After all, they are human.

It's getting very close to the time for Donaghy to call jail his new home. He got one more shot in at the NBA. Did it bring up more questions? Maybe, but who trusts anything Donaghy says.

This is a great time for the league. Unfortunately, a dishonest referee took some of the spotlight away from its most important series of the year.







Copyright 2008 The Sports Network
All rights reserved