After his shot dropped to beat the buzzer, win the game and lift the Los Angeles Lakers to within two victories of their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, Anthony Davis shouted out one word that said it all: “Kobe!”
Davis' 3-pointer from the left wing won the game 105-103 as time expired, put L.A. up 2-0 over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals and improved L.A.'s postseason record to 3-0 when wearing the alternative “Black Mamba” uniforms, which Kobe Bryant helped design several years before his death.
“Obviously, we're representing him,” said Davis, who scored 10 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter. “Especially in those jerseys. It's his jersey, one he created, and any time we put it on, we want to win.”
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
On This Day In UK Basketball History
- On March 18, 1966, Louie Dampier joined the 1,000-point club. He did it in 53 games.
- On March 18, 1966, Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the nation, faced off against No. 2 Duke in the 1966 NCAA Final Four. Louie Dampier (23 points) and Pat Riley (19) led the top-ranked Cats past No. 2 Duke in front of 14,253 at the Cole Field House in College Park, Md.
- On March 18, 1972, Adolph Rupp coaches his last game at UK, a 73-54 loss to Florida State for the Mideast Region title in the NCAA Tournament.
- On March 18, 1978, in the 1978 NCAA Tournament round of eight, sophomore point guard Kyle Macy scored nine points in the final 6:16 to rally the Wildcats past Michigan State and freshman star Earvin “Magic” Johnson before 13,485 at the University of Dayton Arena.