[/caption]In a night when the sting of the Black Mamba seemed less than lethal, Kobe Bryant still managed to secure another championship for his Lakers. This was a night when both Boston and the Lakers struggled offensively, so much so that this championship will go down as one of the lowest scoring finals. The battle of the traditional enemies, though lacking championship offense, lived up to the hype.
Ron Artest earned his first championship by surprising scoring twenty points, including a timely three-pointer and playing his vaunted defense. This latest championship for the Lakers underscored again why Kobe is a special player like Michael Jordan; he didn’t have the stellar scoring outburst he is accustomed to, but contributed in other ways like garnering over a dozen rebounds. Kobe’s defense of Ray Allen was like a glove… preventing the Boston gunslinger from knocking down the threes he is known for.
Let the debates continue about the comparison between Kobe and Jordan or where the latter stands in the pantheons of champions. Kobe is a polarized athlete and I don’t know if it is because of his past run in with the law in Colorado or his tendency for being curt with the press… but whatever it is, it is of no consequence because this man is at the top of his game… even though he is almost in his mid-thirties.
For me Kobe doesn’t need to match the greats’ numbers in championships or the like – he has already proved that he is objectively among the greats. The Lakers did a very good job of neutralizing Rondo… preventing from slicing and dicing in and out of the paint where he is lethal. I may dare say that Kobe may win a couple more championships because I do not see anyone challenging them in the West. I will wait until next year… to see if the Black Mamba sting is still lethal. Congratulations Ron Artest, we all love redemption; congratulations Kobe for your fifth championship and the Lakers for number sixteen.
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