LOS ANGELES -- The catalogue of famous postseason steals has historically been tinted green. It includes John Havlicek in Game 7 of the 1965 division finals, Gerald Henderson in Game 2 of the 1984 Finals, and, of course, Larry Bird in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Should we add Trevor Ariza's swipe of Anthony Carter's inbound pass of Game 1 of the 2009 Western Conference semifinals to the list?
With 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers clinging to a two-point lead, Carter was set to inbound the ball in the Denver frontcourt, with Ariza assigned to defend Chauncey Billups, the intended recipient.
"Chauncey ran up, and I was a few steps behind," said Ariza. "[Anthony Carter] gave the ball just enough air, and that's all it took."
Had Lakers coach Phil Jackson not switched up the defensive assignments, the play might have never come to pass. At the five-minute mark, Jackson put Kobe Bryant on Carmelo Anthony, leaving Ariza to cover Billups. To defend the inbounds pass, Jackson stuck the lanky Lamar Odom on the shorter Carter.
"The reason [Ariza] got the interception was probably because Carter had to make the pass over Lamar," Jackson said. "The lob pass gave Ariza an opportunity to speed into that ball. That was a huge play for us."
It didn't start out as a banner night for Ariza. His matchup at small forward, Anthony, shredded him early. When defended by Ariza, Anthony shot 7-for-10 from the floor. Ariza's problems weren't limited to the defensive end of the floor. Although he entered the game shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, Ariza couldn't get his stroke going. He finished with six points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field -- his worst shooting night of the playoffs.
Ariza brushed off any suggestion that the steal was a redemptive moment for him, but teammate Odom was impressed.
"It was a great play," Odom said. "Carmelo was having a great day scoring the ball. For Trevor to stay in the game ... it shows character. We were able to get some pressure on the inbounds and they were close to a five-second call, and Trevor did a great job at anticipating the pass and making the steal."
Asked about the play at his postgame press conference, Nuggets head coach George Karl sighed, then mournfully described what he saw from the Nuggets' bench.
"A.C. probably didn't see him and threw the ball with a little loft to it," Karl said. "[Carter] was surprised at how quick Ariza was. He has a great ability to make plays like that and I just wish [Carter] had called a timeout."
Ariza's quickness and, in Karl's words, ability to make plays stem in large part from his gambling style. Amid his troubles with Anthony and the forgettable shooting night, Ariza dazzled with a spectacular steal at a crucial juncture in the third quarter, when he shot the gap, knocked away a Billups pass and drove the length of the floor before scooping an underhanded pass to a trailing Derek Fisher for an easy layup.
The third-quarter steal won on style points, but Ariza's memorable play in the final minute Tuesday night likely will go down as one of the great acts of thievery in recent memory.
Should we add Trevor Ariza's swipe of Anthony Carter's inbound pass of Game 1 of the 2009 Western Conference semifinals to the list?
With 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers clinging to a two-point lead, Carter was set to inbound the ball in the Denver frontcourt, with Ariza assigned to defend Chauncey Billups, the intended recipient.
"Chauncey ran up, and I was a few steps behind," said Ariza. "[Anthony Carter] gave the ball just enough air, and that's all it took."
Had Lakers coach Phil Jackson not switched up the defensive assignments, the play might have never come to pass. At the five-minute mark, Jackson put Kobe Bryant on Carmelo Anthony, leaving Ariza to cover Billups. To defend the inbounds pass, Jackson stuck the lanky Lamar Odom on the shorter Carter.
"The reason [Ariza] got the interception was probably because Carter had to make the pass over Lamar," Jackson said. "The lob pass gave Ariza an opportunity to speed into that ball. That was a huge play for us."
It didn't start out as a banner night for Ariza. His matchup at small forward, Anthony, shredded him early. When defended by Ariza, Anthony shot 7-for-10 from the floor. Ariza's problems weren't limited to the defensive end of the floor. Although he entered the game shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, Ariza couldn't get his stroke going. He finished with six points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field -- his worst shooting night of the playoffs.
Ariza brushed off any suggestion that the steal was a redemptive moment for him, but teammate Odom was impressed.
"It was a great play," Odom said. "Carmelo was having a great day scoring the ball. For Trevor to stay in the game ... it shows character. We were able to get some pressure on the inbounds and they were close to a five-second call, and Trevor did a great job at anticipating the pass and making the steal."
Asked about the play at his postgame press conference, Nuggets head coach George Karl sighed, then mournfully described what he saw from the Nuggets' bench.
"A.C. probably didn't see him and threw the ball with a little loft to it," Karl said. "[Carter] was surprised at how quick Ariza was. He has a great ability to make plays like that and I just wish [Carter] had called a timeout."
Ariza's quickness and, in Karl's words, ability to make plays stem in large part from his gambling style. Amid his troubles with Anthony and the forgettable shooting night, Ariza dazzled with a spectacular steal at a crucial juncture in the third quarter, when he shot the gap, knocked away a Billups pass and drove the length of the floor before scooping an underhanded pass to a trailing Derek Fisher for an easy layup.
The third-quarter steal won on style points, but Ariza's memorable play in the final minute Tuesday night likely will go down as one of the great acts of thievery in recent memory.
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