As a special award for the NBA champions, they get to visit the White House and gets to award the president with a commemorative jersey and the autographed ball that was used in the last game of the championship. This year, the Los Angeles Lakers would have another trip to President Barack Obama's suite.
This year the Lakers met their arch rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the finals. The Celtics, lead by the fantastic four (K. Garnet, R. Allen, P. Pierce and R. Rondo), dismantled 3 championship contending teams namely, D.Wade's Miami Heat, L,James' Cleavland Cavaliers, D.Howard's Orlando Magic. After these impressive wins, the world was pretty convinced that maybe they can beat the Lakers once again. Stellar play from Rajon Rondo made him a very good contender for Final's MVP if ever they would win. With a Bunch of tripple-doubles here and there, Rondo was a perfect fit for the aging Celtics. But after a grueling 7-game series, the Lakers rule the basketball world once again.
The Lakers' season started with a surprising twist. Ron Artest, from the Houston Rockets, was signed by the team to help them in achieving their back to back championship. Ron, origanally from the Rockets and considered one of the toughest defenders in the world, made life difficult for Bryant during the 2009 playoffs. Who could ever forget that playoff match-up that lead to Artest getting on Bryants grill and share some sweet nothings(which Bryant allegedly didn't understand)? But this year was different. He would play side by side with the Black Mamba and would provide a prison-like defense against the leagues top athletes which what he clearly did in the Final's. He made life difficult for 2008 finals MVP Paul Pierce which made the Celtics look for another option for scoring. His admirable Game 7 performance was capped off by the dagger 3-pointer he hit late in the game.
The Laker playoff run was very far from a walk in the park. They had to contend with the fiery Oklahoma City Thunder team which was lead by the NBA scoring champion, Kevin Durant. Durant was only the beginning of their problems, they had the handle players like Russel Westbrook and Jeff Green. The run-and-gun team stretched the Laker defense to the limit but the big guys held them down and proceeded to the round. The next round wasn't any different because the boys had to contend with the tandem of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer and the well coached Utah Jazz. The Lakers are now up against a different threat because this team had an inside outside threat much like them. In the western conference finals, they faced the Phoenix Suns. A team which was lead by 2003 Rookie of the Year, Amare Stoudemireand 2-time MVP Steve Nash. Nash and Stoudemire were supported by a team filled with effective veterans, like Grant Hill and Jason Richardson, and and energetic young players, like Louis Amundson and Robin Lopez. These match-ups would toughen-up the Lakers before they get to the finals and claim their back to back titles.
For most of the Lakers, this was redemption for their 2008 loss to the Celtics. Many have said that maybe Pau Gasol wasn't very well equipped that first time he was matched up with Garnet during that time, which wasn't really the case this season. Many have considered him to be the finals MVP. Andrew Bynum, though injury ridden in the finals, provided that inside presence in the middle which the Lakers needed during that 2008 match-up. Lamar Odom once again proved that he was one of the most effective 6-men in the league and proved that if he played well, then the Lakers win. With a Scottie Pippen-like effort in both ends of the court, he made sure that the starting unit had all the help they can get. Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic played little because of a certain high-flying guard which we will be talking about later, but nonetheless performed admirably once called upon. Shannon Brown wasn't only a spark of the bench, he was also the provider of many momentum changing plays which enabled the Lakers to get back from small deficits or fire-up both the players and the crowd. This Michigan State stand-out proved that he was more than great dunks.
Derek Fisher has won his 5th championship. Nobody can hit a dagger-three better than this guy. He may shoot 0 for 5 from rainbow country but that wouldn't stop him from hitting you in the chest with one of his specialties. Many fans have considered the fact that maybe he was to play as back up point guard behind Farmar or Brown but he silenced them by playing steadily in the season and superbly in the playoffs. This guy clearly has a lot more to give to this team. His number isn't really a candidate for retiring but he can be considered on of the top Laker point guards of all time.
Phil Jackson for me is the greatest Laker Coach. Here's a guy that has an amazing 13 championships under his belt (11 as a coach, 2 as a player). This guys what to say to his players and when to say it. It most be really hard handling all those egos in one locker room, from Ron's craziness to Lamar's candy eating antics, Coach Phil really glued this team into one mindset and that is to win the championship again. Like a great general the knows his weapons well, he knows when to tell his great player to take over the game. With championships won in both the east and the west of the NBA, he seems to have perfected the recipe for a championship worthy team. He normally wins championships in 3s so it's not a surprise for me if he gets his 4th 3-peat next year.
Last but not the least, Kobe Bryant can now be considered the Greatest Laker of all time. With more championships than Shaq and now leveled with a certain guy named Magic Johnson, he certainly silenced any doubters that he can achieve a back-to-back championship for his team. Now the cornerstone of the team, Kobe knows when to go for the home run and when to pass it to his teammates. Much like the savvy of his coach, he know his weapons really well. He knows that he may be arguably the best player in the world today but he knows that he deadlier when he uses his teammates to beat the opposition. Whether it be a drop pass to Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum in the middle, or a weak side 3-pointer for Derek Fisher or Ron Artest, or a sweet dime to a cutting Lamar Odom, he knows that he may be the Black Mamba but he is more poisonous when he becomes a decoy for their offense. Not only does he perform admirably in the offensive end of the court but also on the defensive side. When Ron sits down for a quick breather, he takes on the job of defending the best player in the other team. The amazing thing is that he is already compared to Michael Jordan though his supreme dominance may be far from over.
All in all, the Lakers won this championship not just because of Kobe but rather because of each and every guy in that locker room that sacrificed their egos and playing styles. Another 3-peat may be coming our way, we'll just have to wait and see.
