5 Greatest Moments of Metta World Peace’s Laker Career
By Jacob Rude
2. Game-winning lay-up against Phoenix, Western Conference Finals, 2010
If MWP was going to make a game-winning lay-up, the only way for it to happen was to follow an insanely dumb play. And that’s exactly how it played out in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
With just over one minute left in the game, MWP flashed to the high post for a wide open jumper to put the Lakers up five. It wasn’t necessarily a bad shot, but it wasn’t great. The shot bounced off the back of the rim before Pau Gasol grabbed the offensive board and kicked it back out to MWP, who was standing at the three-point line. Despite catching the ball wide-open, the smart play was to pass it out and run 24 more seconds off the shot clock. Instead, Artest chucked up another shot, which bounced off the back rim again, this time rebounded by Phoenix. In true karmic fashion, the Suns tied the game on a banked in three with 3.5 seconds left.
Most looked to Kobe Bryant to save the Lakers like he’d done so many times that season. And when he caught the ball and forced up a double-clutch, fade-away three, the shot looked good. That didn’t stop MWP from bulldozing into the lane, knocking Jason Richardson over, grabbing the ball and laying it in as time expired.