Tonight’s pic of the day is Hedo Turkoblu blocking Kobe Bryant’s last second shot. 

Yeah, we know.  The Lakers would end up winning the game 101-96 to take a 2-0 lead in the 2009 NBA Finals, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t great defense, and a great picture.  It’s just tough getting a block in such a crucial moment in such a crucial game against such a great player like Kobe Bryant. 

The block occured with the game tied at 88 and Kobe Bryant heading to the basket.  And not only did Turkoglu block the shot, but he would recover the possession with 0.6 seconds remaning on the clock, giving Orlando a last second attempt. Courtney Lee would miss an alley oop at the basket to send it into overtime.

The block couldn’t have happened without the looming presence of Dwight Howard closing in quickly.  As Kobe went up, he was a bit off balance, and he laid back a bit to create space for his shot against Howard.  When he did, Bryant put the ball in perfect position for Turkoglu to block the shot clean.  As evidenced by ABC showing the slow-motion replay roughly a thousand times afterward. 

Kobe would end up with 24 points, 8 assists and 7 turnovers.  Turkoglu had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 turnovers.  The series turns to Orlando Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 for Game three.