Firstly and formostly, the Lakers rule. Out of the 32 or however many teams there are in the NBA only one team rules and that is the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. They whupped the Boston Celtics. They did it with half an Andrew Bynum too. I am so happy for those guys who deserve every ounce of whatever metallurgy makes up that trophy and all those gaudy rings they are gonna be handing out. When the going got rough in that Game 7, when the lakers were down by 13, when they were down a few in the fourth quarter, at a certain point one thing was crystal
clear: whoever had the bigger heart was gonna win that game. And the bigger heart won.
After the game was over, when the Staples Center center was gone bonkers in a state of ecstatic delirium, all I could think was DEREK FISHER HAS 5 RINGS!!!!!! THE BEAUTIFUL DEREK FISHER HAS 5 RINGS HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!! And then of course there were a multitude of celebratory thoughts, but man I felt so happy for Fish.
Everybody knows that Kobe Bryant is the leader of the Laker players, if you have half a brain you know he is the best player on earth (LeBron is not a winner) but man, Ron Artest in that Game 7 was one of the most thrilling things I have ever seen in my basketball watching life. I couldn't take my eyes off him, the intensity he was playing with, the way he stuck Paul Pierce, it was breathtaking. It was the only time I can remember watching a game and focusing on a guy who wasn't directly involved in a play, because he was channeling energy from the center of the earth and was on fire like nothing I have ever seen. Hats off to Ron Artest for willing the Lakers to victory in that Game 7.
And let it be known, in '08 the Lakers had no Bynum and no Trevor Ariza, two key pieces, and had they had them in '08 things would have turned out differently. All the Lakers stepped up, Sasha came in at crunch time and drained those freebies like the coolest man alive, and even though Kobe had an off shooting night, he also was burning with an intensity that would not be denied, 14 boards! When was the last time a shooting guard got 14 boards? Even though he missed a lot of shots he still commanded as much energy from the green defense which freed up the others to make it happen. Kobe played smart .... He might have needed to relax a little bit for his offense to click better, but he played smart and the Lakers are repeat champs and rule the NBA.
Pau played with poise and intensity all through the series, never shaken by the dynamics of the series, he is so crucial to the Lakers success and is the best power forward in the game. Brains and skill and a heart in the right place, Pau Gasol is a champion. I could go on and on and on and on and on about the virtues of the laker players, all who played a crucial part of the repeat championship run.
Now that summer is upon us and all eyes are glued and all breath is bated as to where LeBron James might play next year (King? If he ever wins a championship then maybe he deserves some title in the pantheon of royalty, for now he's another good regular season player with astounding skills, I'd rather have 38 year old D Fish in crunch time when all the marbles are in play), let me ponder the most crucial issue facing the purple and gold grand champeens.
Phil Jackson.
To all my comrades in Laker fandom out there let me say this. Trust Phil. He can do whatever he wants to do. He is by no means hanging the Lakers or the city out to dry and killing the championship celebration while he decides whether or not to retire. He has earned our trust repeatedly throughout his time in L.A., not only by winning us 5 championships, but in all the minutia of the season, all those times we all question his substitution patterns, his not calling timeouts when we are down, his lack of demonstrative acts during emotionally charged games, his seeming lack of communication with the players during games .... etc ..... etc ..... He is always getting a bigger and more clear picture than any of us, knows when a player or a team need to see and feel the error of their ways in order to grow, in order to truly understand what it takes to be a great basketball team. He has proven his integrity and earned our trust again and again, even when we cant see it at the time from our armchair coaching position. And believe me I love armchair coaching almost as much as I love armchair GM-ing (even for other players and teams ..... if Chris Bosh was smart he's go straight to the Oklahoma Thunder and be part of something organically important and cool in the NBA). When Phil says it's not about the money, it's about his health and emotional/spiritual happiness in the final third of his life, then we need to trust him, be grateful for all he has done for our city, and recognize all the focus, hard work, and diligence he has given to his job as Laker Coach. This is not a lazy man, this is an extremely honest, hard working man who is the best at what he does. Look around the NBA .... can you name me another coach for whom the players have as much respect? The closest is Gregg Popovich, but I bet, if players were to be honest despite their current loyalties, they would, by and large, all choose to play for Phil more than any other coach in the NBA. And this is not just a matter of the players respecting him it is a matter of the players loving him. After a few years players begin to chafe under even the best coaches. Under Phil the players seem only to grow closer to him. Ask Michael Jordan, ask Kobe Bryant. This is an amazing thing, and a great gift Phil has given to us. So lets give him time to make a thoughtful decision on what is best for him and be grateful no matter the outcome.
That said ......... please come back Phil! One more ring for D Fish!
Another matter i would like to address. Just a recap for some of the employees at the Boston Logan airport. Remember after Game 5?
Remember when I was coming through security on my way home from my trip to Boston for Game 5 and you berated me, talking about the Lakers stink? Insulting my Magic Johnson shirt? Celtics in 6? Talking about the Lakers weren't tough enough? Asking me if we had the balloons in the rafters? Remember the yelling back and forth argument we had which alway ended with me saying "Lakers in 7!" It got a little ugly that spirited conversation we had .......... Well i just wanted to tell ya
one more time Lakers in 7!!!!!!!!! Whoop WHoop!!!
Flea's laker wish list:
Keep D Fish
Don't trade Lamar
Don't let Kobe play in the worlds, Kobe! Let it all heal up brother!
Enjoy the summer! Family style! Take it easy then gear up for preseason in September or so! You deserve it!
One thing I would like to say about Kobe Bryant. Man, it was so great to see him relax after the Lakers won it. Someone like Kobe with that incredible gift of focus, the ability to truly give his all and not be distracted, to see him let go after they won and just enjoy it .... hahahaha that was so great! Like a storm abating and leaving a nice beautiful sunny day with a happy glassy perfect ocean to play in!
I wasn't even the one who got to let go and enjoy and it felt so great to me just to see him do it! Kobe you're the best man!
