Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol (R) of Spain celebrates in front of Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce (2nd L), Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace (L) during the fourth quarter in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California, June 17, 2010.LUCY NICHOLSON/Reuters
It was a classic matchup if not a classic contest: Los Angeles Lakers v. Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and because of the teams involved, for a place in the game's lore.
But legacies defy details.
Fifty years from now they'll look at Los Angeles' 83-79 win and put it into context - Kobe Bryant put himself into the conversation as one of the NBA's all-time greats by winning his fifth championship with one of the NBA's glamour franchises, one behind Michael Jordan and tying him with Lakers' legend Magic Johnson. Bryant was also the most valuable player in the series.
The pesky statistics - a woeful 6-of-24 shooting night by Bryant - will be obscured by the most important detail of all: The Lakers came back from a 13-point third-quarter hole to send the Celtics back east empty-handed, denying them their 18th championship and second in the past three years while avenging their loss to Boston in 2008. It was the Lakers' 16th championship and second straight.
Bryant made his presence felt, pulling himself together in the late minutes of a slugfest to score 10 fourth-quarter points, including a pair of with 25.7 seconds left that sealed the game after Boston had pulled within three with late triples from Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace. They needed them all as Boston lasted to the final seconds before finally being put to rest.
Before the game, Bryant had resisted being drawn into any discussions about his place in the game, allowing only: "If you don't win a championship, it's a failure, It's as simple as that."
After the game relief: "This is the sweetest one," said Bryant who was named the Finals most valuable player. "Because it was against them and it was the hardest one."
The Celtics pushed the Lakers to the edge, but Bryant helped pull them back, grabbing 15 rebounds in a tireless effort, if not an artistic one.
Boston battled, holding Los Angeles to 32.5-per-cent shooting, but shot just 40.8 per cent themselves, though Kevin Garnett did manage 17 points and Rajon Rondo had a near triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
In 2008 the Celtics downed the Lakers by being tougher, pushing them around. Thursday the Lakers held off Boston with a display of tenacity they may not have had in them two years ago, as they chased down 23 offensive rebounds and won the battle of the glass 53-40.
"We've definitely grown," said Pau Gasol, who had 19 points and 18 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end.
Hours before the tip, the electricity was not working well in the building. The lights were barely on. But a few fans finally began leaking into the Staples Center, Lakers fans, already geered up for a winner-take-all showdown with their arch-enemy.
On the floor was Paul Pierce of the Celtics, born in Los Angeles, pulling a pay cheque in Boston. The enemy, in other words.
"You suck, Boston," came the holler from the rafters, throwing down a leather-lunged gauntlet. "You suck, Pierce!"
By the time the game started, the lights were definitely on, the celebrities in place, the hype machine blowing. But for all of what everyone wanted it to be, the game itself was, early on, hardly a classic as nerves showed through. Bryant was being forced into tough shots and took them, however unwisely, finishing the opening quarter with a fading, baseline jumper with three Celtics covering him, typical of his 1-of-7 start. Garnett, 3-0 in Game 7s in his career, rushed up an air ball and heard it from the Lakers' crowd; Pierce made a brilliant move in transition for a layup, but missed the layup.
"I just wanted it so, so, bad," said Bryant of his poor start. "And I was on E, I was really, really tired."
The Celtics found their legs first, getting some useful minutes from Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace, filling in for an injured Kendrick Perkins (knee) and helping Boston to a 23-14 lead after 12 minutes. The Lakers avoided falling victim to a Game 7 blowout by holding Boston to 5-of-17 shooting in the second quarter and getting an unlikely spark from Ron Artest, who led the Lakers by scoring 12 of his 20 points in the second quarter.
The Lakers trailed 40-34 at the half, but gained momentum against a tiring Celtics team in the third quarter after Boston led by as many as 13 points. The biggest moment might have been a three-pointer by Lakers stalwart Derek Fisher who stepped into a pass-out by Pau Gasol that tied the game 64-64 with 6:12 to play, a shot that Jackson said renewed his team.
It got scrambly near the end with a sudden flurry of three pointers. A desperation three by Rondo with 16 seconds left pulled Boston within two points but the Lakers got a pair of free throws by Sasha Vujacic, on the floor for just that purpose, ito blunt Boston for good.
For Boston the loss has all kinds of implications. Ray Allen is a free agent and may not return to the club; Wallace is expected to retire and head coach Doc Rivers may step down as well, meaning it could be a while before the league sees another Lakers-Celtics NBA Final.
"It's the tightest, craziest, most emotional group I've ever been around," said Rivers. "That's what makes [losing]so tough…I don't think there was a dry eye in there."
The Lakers remain a young core - even Bryant is just 31 years old, Their biggest question mark is whether Jackson will return for his fourth set of three consecutive championships, having done it twice with Chicago and once previously with the Lakers. Jackson refused to tip his hand about his plans, but acknowledged that winning improves the chances of his return.
Bryant certainly sounded like someone ready to make more history. He acknowledged after the game that he knew exactly what the Lakers and Celtics means to NBA history and was merely pretending otherwise when he downplayed it during the series. "It means the world to me [beating the Celtics]" he said. "But I couldn't focus on that."
He knows all about traditions and legacies though. What does five championships mean to him? "One more than Shaq," he said with a smile, digging against his former teammate. Shaquille O'Neal. "Take that to the bank."
There is more to come. Another title pulls him even with Jordan and would pull the Lakers even with Boston, a fact Bryant knows and will use for motivation as he tries to cement his place in the sport.
Last night was not a pretty game, but tradition and legacies were well served in the end. History will provide all the aesthetic augmentation required.