Back-to-Back Champs

Kobe Bryant said, "It's the sweetest one." New-age Lakers fans would agree. They still haven't forgotten about the '08 Finals. The 24-point collapse. The 39-point blowout. The "Anything is Possible!!!" fiasco that followed.

Using a complete team effort and a defensive effort that surpassed anything they did all year, the Lakers raised up banner #16. Number 5 for Kobe. And 11 for Phil.

The Lakers had the best team all year. They didn't have the best record during the season, but they also weren't playing in the Eastern Conference. Boston was the team they wanted to beat for the championship. Not LeBron. Not a rematch with Stan Van Jeremy and SuperDork aka Dwight Howard. Beating Boston would be prove to be much tougher than any other team, but that's why is means more. No risk, no reward.

Kobe Bryant: Won his second Finals MVP. Certainly didn't play like he wanted to or like many expected him to play in Game 7, shooting a horrid 6 for 24 including multiple head-scratching, awful shots. But he hit the boards (15) and picked up the defense. The Finals MVP is about the entire series and you can't really argue with his series, other than his shooting percentage. Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were calling for him to win the MVP if they had lost Game 6 so you can't take it away just because he shot poorly in the last game. He was great in Game 5 and they lost so, like Ron Ron said, "it's about the total points." 28.6 ppg, 8.0 reb, 3.9 ast, 2.1 stl, 40.1% fg.

Pau Gasol: Great series from Pau, who had the most to prove. After the last series against Boston, everyone called him "soft." It was eating him alive and he came out in Game 1 and dominated. His game tailed off slightly in Boston, but still got five double-doubles in the series. He came the strongest in Games 1 and 7. 19 and 18 in a very physical Game 7, including a huge bucket to put them up six with 1:30 left. The nine offensive rebounds were a major factor, especially with :30 seconds left, which set up two Kobe free throws to put them up five.18.6 ppg, 11.6 reb, 2.5 blk, 3.1 ast, 47.8% fg.

Phil Jackson: The Zen Master was as calm as ever during this series, and the whole playoffs. He didn't even get loose in the pressers much this year. Probably because he wasn't asked if he was embarrassed. The in-game interviews with Sager were classic. But more importantly, Phil was once again able to juggle personalities and make adjustments as the series went forward. There were games that the offense looked like crap, and credit Boston's defense, but Phil went to the film and got it back on track. And the Lakers were playing its best defense the last two games of the season.

Derek Fisher:  If you're a casual fan you would wonder why the Lakers keep Derek Fisher around. But those who follow know his shot-making ability is second to none. He's not going to be there every game. He's going to be in foul trouble some games. But once or twice a series, he's going to win a game with clutch shots. Game 3 was a classic Derek Fisher game. He took over in the fourth quarter when Kobe was struggling and sealed the game with a tough coast-to-coast lay-in. And there he was in Game 7. Hadn't made a three all series and goes 2 for 2 including one to tie the game at 64 with 6:12 left. The Lakers never trailed after that three.

Ron Artest: You can't possibly describe Ron Ron. The guy has been taking heat much of the series for his offensive production, and even for his defense, which Paul Pierce took advantage of in Game 5. But as out there as Ron is, he came up huge in the biggest game of the year. His 20 points and defense kept the struggling Lakers in the game. The post game press conference and interviews were as impressive as anything he did on the court. Ron Ron being Ron Ron. And now no one can say the Ariza/Artest trade was a bad move. They each won one, and they both deserved it. Let's all thank Ron's psychiatrist.

Andrew Bynum: Shout out to Bynum for battling through a knee injury that limited his mobility. He had it drained twice during the series, and a couple more times during the playoffs. His presence was missed in 2008, and having him in the middle helped tremendously versus Boston this year. It allowed Gasol to not be covered by Perkins, who can physically push Gasol around. Bynum's inside game proved pivotal throughout this championship run. Despite the trick knee, he was able contribute in every game, including 21 points in 39 minutes in a tough Game 2 loss.

Lamar Odom: Lamar didn't have a great series. He was splitting time with Bynum so, at times, he didn't get much going. He did play well in a critical Game 3 win on the road, scoring 12 points without missing a shot. In some games in didn't even play 15 minutes, so his numbers aren't going to be there, but he did enough for the Lakers to get it done.

Bench: Not a ton of production from the Lakers bench, but some spectacular plays and clutch free throws. The bench play was a major factor in the Lakers ability to blow out the Celtics in Game 6. Shannon Brown threw down the two most spectacular dunks of the series. Sasha Vujacic came into Game 7 to hit two free throws with 11.7 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Could have used more production from them, but again, they gave just enough to get another ring.

Congratulations to the 2009-10 Lakers on a great year, great playoffs and great Finals. The repeat title is always harder than the first. Kobe also said it was the hardest one. And that makes it all the more sweet.

Rivalry Rematch

You wanted it, you got it. Celtics-Lakers. This match-up has been beat to death since the '60s, but you still love it. Everyone does. People like history, rivalry, prestigious franchises.

All that stuff is great, but it's been done. Everyone should have gotten their fill before the last time they met up. This year's all about the 2008 rematch. The beatdown Boston put on the Lakers is all the backdrop needed this time around.

In 2008, Boston's physicality was the determining factor. They dominated the Lakers in the paint and on defense. Boston came back to win from 24 points down in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead, and closed out the Lakers by 39 points in one of the worst drubbings in Finals history.

The Lakers used that as motivation to capture the title last year against Orlando, but have always wanted to get back at Boston. If KG had been healthy last year, we could be looking at a third installment right now.

The wait has been worth it. Both teams have pretty much the same lineups as two years ago. Boston's "Big 3" are two years older, but haven't shown that much drop-off. Rondo has emerged as a star, and Perkins continues to improve. Los Angeles will have Bynum this year, and Artest to cover Pierce. Both will help with the physical play that is featured in the Finals.

Boston's bench is different. Eddie House, James Posey and Leon Powe have been replaced by Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen and Nate Robinson. The 2008 group played a large role, and bench play is way to gain an advantage against the Lakers. It will be interesting to see how the benches match up this year.

Los Angeles has the critical home-court advantage this year. Always a big factor in the NBA Playoffs.

We're in a "golden age" of NBA basketball right now. All-time great players on legendary franchises competing for the ultimate prize. Thursday can't get here quick enough.