VS.
Posted Jun 14, 2009 10:55PM By Tim Povtak
ORLANDO – This NBA championship run for the Los Angeles Lakers didn't start when they opened training camp back in October. It started a year ago with the embarrassment of a 39-point, Finals-ending loss in Boston when they trudged off the famed parquet floor while being taunted by Celtics fans.
From the depths of that humiliating defeat came the single-minded determination to make things right.The Lakers culminated that quest Sunday night in Orlando when they pummeled the Magic, 99-86, to capture the 15th title in franchise history, winning the series 4-1.
The Lakers, who won 65 games during the regular season, used the Magic like they were movie extras, just there to help with the rightful coronation. They beat the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets on their way to this final stop.They crushed the Magic in Game 1, much like they crushed them in Game 5. There were three close games in the middle, but rarely did this title run ever seem in doubt."We used last season's finish as motivation. This year we just worked so hard, as a team, as a group, as individuals to make it happen. It's such a great feeling now."-- Pau Gasol
Kobe Bryant was the ringleader from start to finish through the playoffs, getting 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots, making sure he brought everyone along for the ride.It was the 15th NBA title in franchise history. For Bryant and point guard Derek Fisher, it was the fourth, tying them with Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal for the most since the Michael Jordan era.
For coach Phil Jackson, it was his 10th championship, making him the winningest coach in league history."We used last season's finish as motivation,'' said Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who had 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. "This year we just worked so hard, as a team, as a group, as individuals to make it happen. It's such a great feeling now.''
For the Magic, it was a cruel ending to their finest season in history. Although they fought through the middle three games of these Finals, they stopped playing long before the last one was over, giving up to the strength of the Lakers, on their home court.It was never close in the second half. Magic center Dwight Howard left with his fifth foul late in the third period, but the Magic already were beaten. He returned in the fourth, but he didn't change a thing. He finished with just 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Read more:
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/06/14/lakers-crush-magic-for-15th-nba-title/
