Lakers win second straight NBA title: What a long, strange trip it was

If there was one consistent theme of the just-completed Lakers-Celtics seven-game series for the NBA championship it was its inconsistencies.

Kobe Bryant, the man who makes most of the impossible shots and all of the easy ones, couldn't hit water from a boat in last night's finale. The sweet-shooting Ray Allen, who set an NBA record for the Celtics with his three-point shooting in Game 3, couldn't produce again for the rest of the series. Boston's Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett looked like world beaters in some games, spectators in others. The Lakers Lamar Odom faded in an out. The Celtics won one game strictly because of their bench, the Lakers won one through the will-power and determination of the largely forgotten Derek Fisher.

I had a difficult time determining if last night's finale was poorly played offensively or brilliantly played defensively, although the Lakers' abysmal showing at the free-throw line through the first three quarters suggests the former. It was, however, a nail-biter and a fitting climax to the back-and-forth series.

But what I found most enjoyable were the post-game comments from the Lakers. When asked what this championship meant to him personally, Bryant was blunt: “Just got one more than Shaq,” he said, finally allowing himself to relax and smile. “You know how I am — I don’t forget anything.”

For Ron Artest, this was his first championship victory and he was absolutely giddy after it was over. After Rasheed Wallace hit a three pointer late in the game to make the score 76-73 Lakers, Bryant had the ball at the top of the arc with a chance to shoot a three-pointer. But Bryant was only six for 24 from the field and had missed all six of his three-point attempts, so instead of taking the shot himself, he passed the ball to his most enigmatic teammate, an open Artest, who sunk the three-pointer. Surrounded by family after the game, Artest said of Bryant: “He trusted us and made us feel so good, and he passed me the ball. He never passes me the ball, and he passed me the ball. Kobe passed me the ball, and I shot a 3.”


One thing changed in game seven: The previous six games were won by the team leading after the first quarter and, in the finale, Boston was ahead after the first 12 minutes. One thing didn't change: All the games were won by the team with the most rebounds and last night the Lakers out-rebounded the Celtics 53-40.

Now the melancholy sets in because there's no NBA basketball until sometime in late October, unless you count the summer's free-agent circus and the upcoming draft. I imagine the Lakers will be the favorites in the West again, what with the essential core of their team returning. The only significant contributor who is questionable is coach Phil Jackson, although he said winning another title last night "does improve my chances" of coming back for a possible three-peat.

As for the East, who knows. A lot will depend on where LaBron James winds up. But the Celtics' prospects don't look all that great, what with Allen becoming a free agent, Wallace contemplating retirement because of his chronic back problems and coach Doc Rivers's expressed desire to spend more time with his family.