The epic battle in the NBA Finals is finally over. And the Los Angeles Lakers retained their lofty position in the planet’s greatest basketball league.
Kobe Bryant remains at the forefront of the Lakers’ championship run, their 16th title chalked up today following their 83-79 come-from-behind win against the gritty but road-weary Boston Celtics.
Pau Gasol was phenomenal in the season’s final game, finishing with 19 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and two shot blocks, almost single-handedly bringing the Lakers back to life with his hustle on both ends of the floor.
But the biggest plays for Game 7 belong to none other than the veterans–Derek Fisher and Ron Artest.
Fisher, the 14-year-veteran guard, delivered the game-tying three-pointer for a 64-all count during the fourth period, complementing Artest’s game-long brilliance, who finished with 20 points, five rebounds and a huge five steals.
Artest’s sticky defense made Paul Pierce bleed for every point. Pierce did lead the Celtics with 18 points but he was just 5-of-15 from the field.
The 6′7″ stocky LA defender wasn’t just a defensive ace because he also rained down the crucial three-point baskets that sustained the Lakers’ fourth-quarter explosion.
Well, Game 7 easily erased the Lakers’ humiliating 39-point series-closing Finals defeat to the Celtics two years ago.
What’s more, the Lakers have proven that they have transformed and matured a lot mentally and physically this year after climbing out of a 2-3 deficit to register the back-to-back championships.
Congratulations to the Lakers!