It would be difficult for any fan of the NBA to try and analyze Game 3 of the NBA Finals and not laugh at the degree that each pundit’s take will vary depending on their deposition.

Either Orlando had one of the most efficient offensive performances in the history of the Finals, or Los Angeles had one of the NBA’s all-time poor defensive showings.

Either Kobe Bryant choked away his team’s chances and single-handedly blew the game with forced threes and missed free throws, or his tremendous play in the first half was the only reason they were even within a stone’s throw of the lead.

Either the Lakers took Orlando’s best shot and nearly survived to go up 3-0, or the Magic ceased back full momentum of the series.

Yes, in sports we love to approach our analysis as a matter of binary opposition. In the world where we all have to have a strong take and a definite answer for the whys and the hows in the breaks of a game, it becomes all too easy to focus on black and white. We remove the gray area and make our reviews akin to a coin flip.

That is the dualism we expect in 2009: quick hit blog posts that pay no mind to the potential that the reason for a win or loss isn’t always as cut-and-dry as one shot, one player, or one deciding factor.

The Lakers blew a golden opportunity, a clear opening to put their opponent away completely, but at the same time the Magic refused to roll over at home. What if that says more about Orlando’s resilience than it does Los Angeles’ complacency?

The Lakers shot a terrific 53% from the field Tuesday night. Surely this is sign that, even in hostile territory, their offensive skills are momentous. But can it really be that simple considering they also missed open three after open three at the end of the game?

Likewise, the Laker defense must have been putrid. They allowing the Magic to shoot Finals record 62.5% from the field, including 75% in a single half. The credit for that failing is solely on Los Angeles.

Unless of course it is on Orlando, a team that deserves a massive praise for having connected on 35 of 50 two-point field-goal attempts, good for 70% on two-pointers and the second-best shooting performance in NBA Playoff history.

So did Orlando win this game, or did Los Angeles lose it?

Unfortunately, the answer is a bit messier than that. It is harder to extract cleanly, to define with such clarity and assurance. The answer seems to fall into a bit of column A and a bit of column B really, because the nuisances of what wins or loses a game at this high of a level of basketball shouldn’t be reduced to a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

For proof of that, have a look at Kobe Bryant’s evening, as well as Bryant’s NBA Finals in general.

Bryant made critical mental mistakes down the stretch in the fourth quarter. He missed 11 of his last 14 shots from the floor and half his free throws during the game despite being a 84% career foul shooter. He was too exhausted to execute down the stretch and it cost the Lakers a shot at stealing this game. He must be to blame and out and out the reason for the Laker loss, right?

Well, sort of. Remember at the same time though that Bryant made eight of his first 11 attempts on similar looks to those he missed late and still finished with 31 points. He was only as tired as he was in the fourth quarter because of the absurd amount of energy he had to exert on both offense and defense just to keep the Lakers close. Further, he now has 100 points and 24 assists over three games, so it is hard to point a finger in his direction as the reason his team failed. Or at least it should be.

Heading into Game 4 on Thursday, we will want to revert back to our unconditional and unambiguous mindset.

If the Lakers play better defense than they did tonight, they will surely win. If they Magic shoot as well as they did tonight, they too will surely win.

But what if the Lakers still play lousy defense, but get Gasol more involved on offense and Bryant makes better plays late? Can they win then?

What if the Magic can’t hit shots at a record-setting pace, but Howard continues to make free throws and they keep scoring in bunches? Will that be enough.

The great part of these questions is that even if they don’t have black and white answers, tuning in on Thursday night will certainly give us a bit more clarity, just as we’d hope.

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