Los Angeles 99, Orlando 86
The 16-0 run in the second quarter was the beginning of the end. The shot clock violation with three seconds left in the game signaled the end of the end. The Los Angeles Lakers are your 2009 NBA Champions. A historic title in three dimensions: title number 15 for the Lakers organization, title number 10 for Phil Jackson, passing Red Auerbach for No.1 on the coaches list, and title number 4 for Kobe Bryant.
Bryant capped off the series with another great all around game in which he scored 30 and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He led the Lakers in scoring and assists in each game of the final series. He won his first Bill Russell Award for Finals MVP averaging 32.4 points, 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Yeah he shot a lot (avg. 27 shots per game for the finals), but he also passed a lot and boarded a lot. He did everything a lot this postseason. Now he's won championships a lot. He ties Tim Duncan and Shaquille O' Neal (and teammate Derek Fisher) as the only active players with four titles.
Is this a new dynasty in the making or is this the end of an era? Phil Jackson is likely going to retire after suffering through the year with a bad hip and various ailments. He has nothing left to prove and all signs point to Kurt Rambis inheriting the team. Role players Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza who made invaluable contributions are both free agen
ts. The Lakers will likely have to decide between re-signing either the inconsistent 30 year old power forward or the 23 year old hustling swingman who will make substantially more than the 3.1 million he was paid in 08-09. My preference would be Odom but only because he is likely to take an LA discount and some GM will overpay Ariza and try to make him an offensive focus which he never had to do on this team. Speedy point guard Shannon Brown is also a restricted free agent but I can't imagine LA letting him go after his impressive bench play in the western conference playoffs.
ts. The Lakers will likely have to decide between re-signing either the inconsistent 30 year old power forward or the 23 year old hustling swingman who will make substantially more than the 3.1 million he was paid in 08-09. My preference would be Odom but only because he is likely to take an LA discount and some GM will overpay Ariza and try to make him an offensive focus which he never had to do on this team. Speedy point guard Shannon Brown is also a restricted free agent but I can't imagine LA letting him go after his impressive bench play in the western conference playoffs.There is also this comforting certainty. Kobe Bryant isn't going anywhere after finally stepping out of Shaq's enormous shadow and claiming his place in history. Assuming Kobe won't exercise his player option this offseason, the core of this team remains locked up past 2011. The huge post presence of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will be in the paint into the foreseeable future and that should be enough to keep Kobe a Laker into 2010 (when he'll become the organization's all time leading scorer) and hopefully up until his induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
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