Ron-Ron Earns His Bling-Bling

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Say it slowly, “2010 NBA World Champions.” And then in a booming voice similar to that of Lawrence Tanter, proudly announce, “your Los Angeles Lakers.” Game 7 at Staples Center was billed as the renewed rivalry between two storied franchises. With Boston taking the title against LA in 2008, then the Lakers claiming the top prize in 2009, to today, where the Los Angeles Lakers made it a repeat performance, defending their title en route to their 16th overall championship with a 83-79 win over the resilient Boston Celtics. Game 7 had all the makings of a high drama, full of subplots, untimely injuries, redemption, and in the end, a win for the good guys. And on a night when the biggest stars had a difficult time shining through, the newest member of the Lakers came through big-time.

Boston, put away the champagne, and break out the bottled water, because that’s all you’ll be drinking on your way home.

Ron Artest’s (20 points on 7-18, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals) 3-pointer with 1:00 to play all but guaranteed the win, pushing the lead to 79-73. Free throws down the stretch sealed the deal as confetti floated down from the ceilings and the players celebrated wildly on the court. Kobe Bryant (23 points on 6-24, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) was named the Finals MVP, but he had a difficult time trying to find the bottom of the basket. Credit a stingy and determined Celtics defense, as they constantly double- and triple-teamed Kobe. But in the end, Kobe made enough free throws and secured a handful of rebounds to claim the title. Pau Gasol (19 points on 6-16, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocked shots), also found the going tough on the offensive side of things, but his double-pump baseline jumper after blocking Paul Pierce’s shot at the other end, was huge. Every single play in the 4th quarter was huge because the Lakers had suffered through a terrible three quarters of play.

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Boston’s strength and perseverance immediately pushed the Lakers back on their heels. Even without injured big man, Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics defense was much improved over their Game 6 blowout loss. The Lakers had problems just getting a decent look at the basket and from the get-go, this game was ugly. The Lakers managed only 14-points in the 1st quarter, shooting a horrid 6-27 (22.2%) from the field. But they did manage to control the boards, out-rebounding the Celtics, 15-10 (10 offensive). Meanwhile, the Celtics shot a decent 10-17 (58.8%) but only led 23-14 at the end of one. Glen Davis (6 points on 2-4, 9 rebounds, 1 steal) recorded all 6 of his points in the opening stanza, while Rajon Rondo (14 points on 6-13, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal), Kevin Garnett (17 points on 8-13, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocked shots) and Rasheed Wallace (11 points on 5-11, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) all chipped in with 4-points apiece.

The 2nd period started much better for the Lakers although missed free throws would be a constant theme throughout the game. They were displaying good energy, and this was rewarded in the number of offensive rebounds that they were grabbing. The Lakers rolled to an 11-0 run to open the quarter, giving them their first lead at 25-23 since early in the game. And in the center of it all was Artest, making steals, grabbing rebounds and hitting his shots. While Gasol and Kobe were putting up blanks, Artest was the only reliable source for any offense. Rondo and KG would score to give the lead back to the Celtics, but Artest’s 3-pointer knotted the score at 29-29 with 3:57 left in the half. Paul Pierce (18 points on 5-15, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) would score 7-points the rest of the way, securing a 40-34 lead at the conclusion of the first half. Artest led the way for the Lakers with 12-points, all in the 2nd quarter, followed by Kobe with 8-points and 7 rebounds. Pierce led Boston with 11-points and 6 rebounds. The Lakers ended the half with a miserable 13-50 (26%) and only 6-12 (50%) from the free throw line. Boston recorded 15-34 (44.1%) and 8-8 (100%) from the line, but committed 8 turnovers and trailed in the rebounding battle 29-23.
With the Lakers seemingly lost and confused on offense, Boston pounced at the opportunity to start the 3rd quarter. A 9-2 run catapulted the Celtics to a 49-36 lead, forcing Phil Jackson to call a time-out 9:45 into the period. Kobe continued to clank away from outside, unable to find any rhythm on his shot. And as the Staples Center crowd moaned with each miss, the Celtics grew more and more confident. But a 9-2 run the other way found the Lakers narrowing the lead back down to 51-45, forcing Doc Rivers to call his own time-out. Pierce’s 3-pointer pushed the lead back up to nine as the Lakers tried to stay within striking distance with multiple trips to the charity stripe. Lamar Odom’s (7 points on 3-8, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot) follow-up of a missed Artest layup drew the Lakers to within 57-53 at the end of three. But the Lakers were still shooting a paltry 31.3% and only 9-16 (56.3%) from the line. Rebounding remained the only bright spot with the Lakers holding a 43-31 (20 offensive) advantage while Boston’s defense completely shut down their ability to attack. Both Kobe and Pau were having little success generating any type of sustained offensive firepower. But for all of their difficulties, the Celtics had yet to run away with the lead or the game.

Pau started the 4th with a 9-footer and drew the foul. But he missed his free throw, leaving the Lakers tantalizingly close at 57-55. The Lakers would then go the next 3-minutes without registering a point. Fortunately, the Celtics could muster little offense themselves as both teams stopped the other from scoring. KG’s layup around Gasol made it 59-55 with 9:00 left in regulation. Kobe got Allen to bite on a 3-point attempt and sank all three free throws but Allen responded at the other end with an 8-footer. Artest’s 3-point play tied the game at 61-all as the crowd erupted in pandemonium. But it was short-lived as Allen would convert 3-4 free throws to give the lead right back to the Celtics. Derek Fisher (10 points on 4-6, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal) made his presence felt with a 26-foot, 3-pointer for the 64-64 tie. After a Rondo miss, Kobe was fouled and sank both free throws for the 66-64 lead with 5:56 left in the game. Allen missed an open 18-footer, then Kobe came upcourt, made a quick dash to the right, pulled up and drained a 17-footer for the 68-64 lead. Boston was forced to take a time-out to set-up a play. Pierce was forced into a poor 3-point attempt as Kobe secured the rebound. Pau drew KG into a foul and he finally made both free throws for the six-point lead.
Pierce would connect on a mid-range jumper but the Lakers continued to march to the free throw line. Kobe and Pau would combine for 4-6 leading up to Gasol’s big double-pump shot over KG and Wallace. With the game drawing to a dramatic close, Sheed would connect on a 3-pointer to bring the Celtics to within 76-73. Artest’s 3-pointer would push the lead back up to 79-73, but Allen responded with a trey of his own to make it 79-76. Kobe’s two free throws made it a 5-point lead, but Boston got lucky as Allen’s 3-point attempt went long, falling into Rondo’s hands. Rondo would pull back and nail another 3-pointer for the Celtics, trimming the lead down to 81-79 with 0:13 to go. The Lakers called time-out to set-up a play to make sure the ball got into the hands of a decent free throw shooter. Sasha Vujacic (2 points on 0-2, 1 rebound in 5-minutes) got the inbounds pass and was promptly fouled by Allen. Sasha calmly drained both free throws for the 83-79 advantage with only 0:11 to play. Boston set-up their play for Pierce in the time-out, but the Lakers defense switched on everything, forcing him to pass off to Rondo in the corner. His 3-point attempt fell well short as Gasol plucked the rebound and passed out to Odom. LO heaved the ball the length of the court and Kobe chased it down as time expired off the clock.

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The Lakers won the battle of the boards, 53-40 with 23 coming off the offensive glass. They narrowly outscored the Celtics, 38-36 in points-in-the-paint, while shooting only 32.5% for the game. But the Lakers enjoyed a 25-37 (67.6%) compared to 15-17 (88.2%) advantage at the free throw line. In the 4th quarter, the Lakers registered 30-points, almost surpassing their entire first half performance. Boston managed only 6-points from their bench, while the Lakers could only provide 9 themselves. But it was the play of Artest throughout the game that gave Kobe and Pau the opportunity to close it out at the end. The championship parade is set for Monday morning at 11:00 am where we can all thank Ron Artest and the rest of the squad personally.

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