By now, we know the story, the Los Angeles Lakers win their sweet 16th championship over their archrivals the Boston Celtics. We know their history, as both teams have combined to win 33 out of the 63 NBA Championships. We know the subplots, the Celtics dominance of the Lakers in past Finals and Lakers wanting revenge after what happened in 2008 (I never bought the statement made by the current Lakers, before the Finals started, that they didn’t see it as a chance for redemption after the Celtics used them to mop the floor of the TD Garden, by closing out the championship round with a game 6, 131-92 Boston massacre, two years ago.) We know the past and present matchups, Wilt, West, Baylor vs. Russ, Cousy, Hondo to Magic, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar vs. Bird, McHale, Parish, and now Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Artest, and Fisher vs. KG, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo. This was Showtime vs. Celtic Pride part 12, and for a basketball junkie like me to be able to experience this in the flesh was indeed a dream come true.
This story actually started back in 1988, when I was with my family vacationing in Disney World, in Orlando FL We were having dinner in one of the restaurants and they were showing the NBA Finals match up between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons, I was still too young to really understand the game (no one in my family actually cared the game was on, we were just there to eat), but for some reason, I was attracted to the Purple and Gold colors of the Lakers (maybe the creators of Barney knew how influential the color purple can be.) Anyway, facing elimination, the Lakers were back home in the Forum needing a win to extend the series and keep their back-to-back, championship hopes alive (of course I didn’t know that back then, but I have done extensive research through the years.) I remember one play, one moment that perhaps, is what sparked my interest in basketball. Magic Johnson was close to the top of the key and Byron Scott cut baseline, caught a perfect alley-oop pass and crams one on Joe Dumars’ grill BAM!! All you NBA fanatics know that play, as it is one of the clips immortalized on NBA highlight shows, if you don’t know it, youtube it, its sic, up to today! The Lakers managed to win the title in the next game and my curiosity grew more and more, however it was difficult to follow the NBA in the Philippines during those days, as we had to rely on this thing called F.E.N, which broadcasted perhaps one game a week or so and was as reliable as Lindsay Lohan staying out of rehab. I also remember my cousin renting out betamax tapes of games (betamax are not those gross black things, that’s called a ‘delicacy’ you see on sticks that they sell in Boracay choriburger stands, its actually something we used back in the day like VHS tapes, or Laserdiscs, or, ok I’ll stop, I’m dating myself too much, I’m sure you get the point.)
When 1991 strolled along, I was back in the States for summer vacation (my summer vacation was between June and July, just incase you guys are wondering), this time in Hawaii, and I was treated to another Finals series between my now beloved Lakers and the Chicago Bulls, lead by some guy named Michael Jordan, by this time, I had picked up the game and actually started playing, so I knew what was actually going on when I was watching. I was happy to finally see games live on TV again and not have to rely on those silly tapes. As fate would have it, the torch of greatness was passed in this series and Magic handed it over to Michael (or maybe it was more like Michael taking it away from Magic like a bully taking candy from a little kid, Magic couldn’t do anything to stop the shift of power.)
As the 1991-1992 season started, Magic missed the first few games of the season, and on Nov. 7 (Nov. 8 Manila time) the person who I considered my hero, Magic Johnson, retired due to the HIV virus. This was a big deal to me, the magnitude of the tragedy was so large that I remember where I was and what I was doing when I saw it unfolding on TV, much like how many remember where they were and what they were doing when 9/11 happened or when they found out Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, or when Ricky Martin announced he was gay, ok maybe that last one wasn’t a good example. With Magic gone, the Lakers would go through years of rebuilding and it wasn’t until 1996 when a glimmer of hope was felt in Lala Land, as 2 players joined the Lakers in one summer, which propelled them back to the limelight. When Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant started their Laker careers, the future looked bright for the Lakeshow. 1996 was also the year I moved to Boston to go to school. Yes the same city, which the hated Celtics called home.
I always knew about the Laker-Celtic rivalry but it wasn’t until I moved to Boston when I felt it, literally and figuratively. Walking into my dorm room for the first time, I noticed my roommate, who I hadn’t met yet, had moved in before me. He had settled in already, arranging his stuff in places of the room I would’ve preferred, but since he got there first, I had no choice. Among the things he had arranged was a Reggie Lewis Boston Celtic jersey hanging on the wall. First thing I did, was hang up my Magic Johnson, Laker Jersey on my side of the room. When we finally met, we laughed about the irony of the situation, but it was great having a roommate that was into hoops as much as I was, it was just that we were on opposite sides of the fence. My roommate Pete, was actually one of the reasons why I made it as a walk-on player on the Emerson College men’s basketball team, where I later teamed up with current Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti (ok I know, not part of the story, but I just wanted to share that little tid bit.) One day, Pete, myself, and our friend Bob went to play basketball in a nearby park from our dorm, and I had the bright idea of wearing Laker shorts, playing in a Boston park. I don’t recommend doing this, if you value your health and wellness. We were able to get a game of 3 on 3 with some of the guys who were there, one of which was a big black guy wearing a Kevin McHale jersey (I thought that was kinda funny.) Let’s just say that McHale’s classic clothesline on Kurt Rambis back in the 80’s was the kind of treatment I got from him, like I mentioned, if you value your life, don’t ever wear Laker shorts or jerseys playing ball in Boston, EVER!
Living in Boston for 3 years and hearing everyone tell me I was crazy for being a Laker fan, made me realize how heated the rivalry really was, that’s why the 2008 Finals was such a big deal, as the two teams faced each other for the first time in over a decade. I painfully watched my team go down in flames that year and I remember thinking how great it would be to actually witness that match up in person. Little did I know that in two years time, that dream would turn into a reality.
I was still in the airport in New York (for a different event) when game one took place, and it took about 27 seconds for things to get a little physical as Ron Artest and Paul Pierce went down to the ground. Just when I thought Pierce was going to request a wheelchair and be brought to the locker room, the two got up like nothing happened. This game is supposed to be physical, this is the NBA Finals featuring the Lakers and the Celtics. The opening quarter was perhaps the most entertaining part of this game, as the Lakers walked away with a 102-89 win. Right after the game, some people were saying that the Celtics didn’t even belong in the Finals, I on the other hand knew otherwise.
June 2, 2010, my dream, of being able to witness a Lakers Celtics Finals became a reality. When I got to Los Angeles, I went straight to Staples Center to get my all access pass for all games of the Finals, it was almost like I had just hooked up with the woman of my dreams, although Megan Fox was nowhere in sight, I couldn’t help the ear to ear smile on my face. A homeless man in downtown LA asked me for some spare change and I slipped him $10. I was so happy, you could’ve told me that I had 1 month to live and I would’ve not cared. My first taste of the Finals atmosphere was at the practice of both the Lakes and the Celtics at El Segundo.
Lakers were first. Since they had just played game one the night before, the practice was a little light. Warm up drills, a scrimmage, ironing out the triangle offense before braking up into different groups to work on position specific drills. After the shoot around, we had the chance to talk to some of the players, including, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Kobe Bryant, together with coach Phil Jackson.
“That is a proud team, we expect them (Celtics) to be ready tomorrow.” –Derek Fisher
“Game 2 will probably be a little more physical, we’re ready for it” –Lamar Odom.
As the Celtics came out and shot around, their practice seemed lighter, then I found out they actually went pretty hard in the morning before the Lakers took the court. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnet, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and coach Doc Rivers were available to the media.
“I need to be ready and contribute tomorrow. I’m sure we will bounce back.” –Ray Allen
“It’s the Finals, we know it will be more physical. My back is fine, I’m good to go.” –Rajon Rondo
I was so excited to go to game two I was probably the first person in Staples Center. Not even the people who open the souvenir shop were there. I walked around the building to soak up the atmosphere and chat with fellow Laker fans. To my amazement, there were a bunch of Celtics fans as well. As the gates opened I went down to the media center to get coffee and a bagel, there was a big black man standing in front of me wearing a gray pinstripe suit, he turned around and asked me to pass him the brown sugar. I looked up at him and realized it was none other than Laker legend, Big Game James Worthy, who has been doing TV work for the Lakers for the passed few years. As I was handing him the packets of brown sugar, I almost tried sneaking in a photo with him, but didn’t want to look like such a fan, besides now we were actually peers. As I made my way to the floor area to watch both teams warm up, I noticed the normally fashionably late A-Listers of LA already making their way to their seats, with still a lot of time before the game starts.
I had to go back to New York, for a Nike event as they announced the World Basketball Festival, while game 3 and 4 took place. Game 3 was the Derek Fisher game, as the veteran proved to his doubters that his value to a team shows the most when the stakes are at its highest. The 15-year veteran took over the 4th quarter and propelled the Lakers to the win giving them the 2 games to 1 lead in the series. Game 4 saw 2 unlikely heroes rise for the Celtics. The Lakers had no answer for Boston subs, Glen Davis and Nate Robinson or Shrek and Donkey, as they were called by the media. The back up players came from nowhere to score 18 and 12 points respectively and lead a late charge to even the series at 2 games apiece. As the Nike event in New York came to a close, I finally had the chance to drive up to Boston for the pivotal game 5. The winner of which would need one more game to win the title.
After 10 years of being away from Beantown I was welcomed by a very gloomy sky, it was as if Mother Nature was warning me of what was to come. The TD Garden security check area was a tighter than most airports. Instead of smiles greeting you as you enter the building, the security guards had the Kevin Garnet scowl on their faces, and didn’t say a word to you as you entered the building. Once I finally got to my seat, I’ll admit all the retired numbers and championship banners hanging from the rafters intimidated me. It was as if I felt the ghosts of Celtics past in the corridors lurking for unsuspecting first timers. As the game went along the Lakers tried their best to hang tight with the Celtics, but none of them outside of their leader could buy a basket. Despite 38 points from Bryant, no other Laker could contribute consistently and the Lakers fell to a 3-2 series deficit, one game away from having the Celtics defeat them on the sport’s biggest stage yet again.
After the game, I met up with some friends in a local sports pub, and was reminded how much I missed and loved the city of Boston, but hated the arrogance of the sports fans that inhabit the place. I’m sure they say the same about us Lakers fans, so lets call it even, or mutual respect, similar to the characters of Al Pacino and Robert De Nero in the movie Heat.
As I went back to sunny Los Angeles for game 6, I promised a former PBA reporter, Jannelle So, I would guest on her show, to discuss the chances of the Lakers extending the series. We took on a few callers, and one person, who sounded like an old lady, asked me if I believed the Lakers were still going to win the championship despite being one game away from being eliminated. I told her, before the series began I predicted the Lakers would win it in 7 games. I also said that the most difficult thing to do in a series is to close it out, especially on the road, which is what the Celtics had to do, if they wanted to raise another banner. After the show I rushed to Staples, getting there just before tip-off. I couldn’t help but think to myself that every game I had watched live so far, the Lakers lost, crazy ideas were popping into my head that maybe I should just watch the game in ESPN Zone across the street, I just couldn’t bare seeing the Lakers lose in the Finals. Good thing I didn’t go with my initial instinct, as the Lakeshow showcased a balanced attack to demolish the Celtics 102-89.
The stage was set, Lakers vs. Celtics, game 7, the season, the championship was down to one game. 48 minutes for the ultimate goal and history about to be made. With all the pressure surrounding this game, the Celtics looked composed while the Lakers looked tight playing in front of their home crowd. Garnett, Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace, who took the starting spot from the injured Kendrick Perkins, looked sharp in the first quarter, while the Lakers, outside of the volatile Ron Artest, looked lost. Bryant especially seemed like he was trying to do too much and probably hurt the Lakers more than helped in the first half, which saw the Lakers down 34-40 at the end of 2. The Staples Center crowd was in shock, only 2 days removed from a dominant Laker performance, this Laker team looked more like the LA Defenders, their D League counterpart. I for one, had a difficult time taking notes, all it kept saying, Rondo steal, Kobe turnover, Odom miss, Allen 3. I couldn’t believe this was how my dream was going to end, shades of the 2008 Finals was starting to show. The Lakers tried valiantly to make a comeback in the 3rd but the Celtics had an answer for everything the guys in yellow threw at them. When the 4th started, the Lakers knew, the crowd knew, that this was it. The season was down to 12 minutes and if this current Laker squad didn’t want to make their mark in history as another Laker team that couldn’t beat the Celtics in the Finals, it had to start now. Pau Gasol, forgot how Garnett dominated him before and played like he had did when he was wearing Espana on his chest and started to dominate in the low block. Fisher found his rhythm, Artest continued to hit big baskets, Odom hit timely shots, and Bryant, who couldn’t hit the ocean if he tried in the first half finally let the game come to him and started to find his stroke. The future hall of fame guard used his quickness to inhale big rebounds to keep the Celtics with only one shot during their offensive sets. Slowly but surely the Lakers run chipped away at the Celtic lead, and the guys in green suddenly looked old and tired. With the game on the balance, cold off the bench, little used guard Sasha Vujacic trooped to the free-throw line to hit the biggest free throws of his career and showed the world why Maria Sharapova is marrying him. On the final possession of the Celtics, Odom corralled the ball and flung it down the court, Bryant chased it down and grabbed it just as the clock expired, with the Lakers on top 83-79. Confetti started falling down and Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” started playing on the PA system, and I along with the thousands in attendance sang along with it, as if we all rehearsed it together. 16 was finally ours, and it made it extra sweet that it came in the expense of the Celtics.
The final game of the season was ugly, although the championship more than made up for it, plus we got to see Ron Artest’s post game interview, perhaps the best of all time. The series however was a thing of beauty. One that will go down in history as perhaps the grittiest win for the franchise. Phil Jackson put it best by saying after the game "It wasn't well done, but it was done. And we did it with perseverance."
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