Actually, it played like a WNBA game.
Or as Bill Simmons described from his courtside seat, it was "a cross between a rugby match and a rockfight."
The Lakers finally beat the Boston Celtics, and they did it in Game Seven, something that Magic and Jerry's Lakers never could.
And because of that, Kobe Bryant (who had the most on the line out of anyone in Staples Center tonight) called it "the sweetest one, by far."
His postgame media session was his most entertaining in months, overflowing with jokes and constant smiles, finally shedding his heartless Tin Man routine and admitting that beating the Celtics meant "everything" and that it's "very important" to him to be the greatest Laker of all time.
No, he's still not that. But that's more a reflection on the fantastic heritage that comes with donning the purple and gold than a slight to his virtually unparalleled resume.
What he is now, indisputably, is the greatest player of the decade. Look at the numbers from 2000-2010: Five NBA Championships, two Finals MVPs, seven Finals appearances, one MVP, eight All-NBA First Team, eight All-Defensive First Teams, 11 All-Star appearances.
And if there is any room for his legend to grow in Los Angeles, it's been filled by the personal vindication that comes with a championship over the Celtics. Yes, this game meant so much to Kobe because it meant so much for his legacy.
But on a night when Kobe's jumper deserted him, it was his supporting cast who out-defended and out-rebounded the Celtics and exorcised ghosts of their own.
First, "The Spaniard," as Bryant affectionately calls him, has now and forever purged the "soft" label. In fact, if a reporter ever asks Gasol an "s word" question again, he should immediately be suffocated by pillow...by Gasol himself.
With the game on the line tonight, Pau w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
