Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers, your 2008-2009 NBA Champions. It's no secret I had my doubts as to the mental toughness and group cohesion of the Lakers. Following a match-up against the Houston Rockets that unexpectedly went a thrilling seven games. Houston was, at the time, missing Tracy McGrady due to injury and lost their superstar center Yao Ming just games into the series, but, in true underdog fashion, pushed the West's #1 seed to the max. Kobe Bryant was held to pedestrian numbers (by his standards) and Pau Gasol had moments of embarrassment when defending opposing big, Luis Scola.
They did manage to win game-7 rather convincingly at home behind a ruckus Staples Center Crowd.
This led to the Western Conference Finals where they met up with a familiar foe - Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets (formerly of the Detroit Pistons, the team he spearheaded when, in 2003-2004, the Pistons upset the Lakers to win the NBA championship). Denver would get strong performances from both Billups and Anthony and managed to make the series more than interesting through the first few games, tying the series at 1-1 and stealing a game in Los Angeles. But the Lakers proved why they were the best in the West as they were too much for a Nuggets team that was simply over-matched. The defining moment, perhaps, was Kobe Bryant's game-3 heroics in which he nailed a critical crunch-time 3 that practically won the game for L.A. They wrapped up the series in six games and were Western Conference Champs yet again.
All of that led us to the 2009 NBA Finals that pitted Kobe and company against the under-dog Orlando Magic who just came off an impressive series win against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Much like the Denver match-up, Los Angeles was pushed to the limits early on. They won game-one easily but when game-two came around, Orlando made it clear that they weren't going to back down. But despite their greatest efforts, including 34 points from Rashard Lewis, Kobe Bryant had the last laugh and closed the game as he does so often. As the series shifted to Orlando, so too did the momentum. Suddenly, the Magic were the ones looking to make some noise and quickly took the first game at their house. As game-four rolled around, Orlando was looking to tie the series and looked as if they were about to do so. They captured a comfortable 3-point lead with just seconds remaining and had the ball. Dwight Howard was promptly fouled and sent to the line. A poor free throw shooter throughout his entire career, Howard clanked both and Los Angeles quickly called timeout. At this point, all the Magic had to do was not give up a 3-pointer and they'd surely win. But with time ticking down and Derek Fisher dribbling up the court, the unthinkable happened - Jameer Nelson gave Fish just enough room to get off a clear look and to the dismay of 20,000+ at Amway Arena, the shot was money.
The Lakers captured a 3-1 lead and never looked back. The title-clinching win came in game-5 and despite Dwight Howard's pre-game promise of a win (a "guaransheed" of sorts), Kobe Bryant turned out a simply phenomenal performance as the win was at no point in doubt.
They did what I thought they couldn't do - beat their opponents not just physically but mentally. The Lakers proved that they could get a lead in a series and not feel like it was in the bag, but keep on pushing. This was no more evident than on the face of their team, Kobe Bryant, who in numerous post-game press conferences had a one-track mind and singular focus - winning at all costs. That's what it takes to be a champion.
Of course it would be wrong to go through an entire blog post and not congratulate the other members of the Lakers, not just Kobe Bryant. Namely, Pau Gasol who was Pippen-esque in his excellence as a 2nd-option. His numbers were on par with most teams' first-options. Also of note, Trevor Ariza who was the stabling force for Los Angeles. Timely steals, big defensive plays, clutch 3's - you need it, Ariza delivered. And lastly, Derek Fisher who had the defining moment of the NBA Finals - his shot that sent game-4 into overtime, where Los Angeles took a commanding lead in the series.
So many times, we get too caught up in the star power of a particular team or series and put everyone else to the side. While Kobe Bryant was fantastic throughout, he'll be the first to admit that he never could have gotten to that point without the help of his supporting cast.
Once again, congratulations to the Lakers and their fans - a well-deserved championship.
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