The Los Angeles Lakers bested their biggest rival, the Boston Celtics, to claim their 16th ring. The 83-79 final score is a good indication of how the game was played.
At one point during the game, one of the announcers claimed that the Lakers were playing their best defense of the season. It would be hard to find a better defensive effort from the Lakers this season.
Ron Artest was the unlikely hero. He got out of his shooting slump in Game Six and continued to score the ball efficiently in Game Seven.
He scored 20 points on seven for 18 shooting. He also hit a huge three pointer late in the game. It's safe the say that the Lakers made the right decision by signing Ron-Ron.
A lot of people will criticize Kobe Bryant for his performance. It took him 24 shots to make six field goals.
However, he did get to the line 15 times and ended with a tough 23 points. His biggest contribution was his rebounding. He pulled in 15 boards which helped the Lakers have a +13 rebounding margin over the Celtics.
Kobe's game reminded me a lot of Kevin Durant's Game Three against the Lakers in the first round.
Durant might be the best pure scorer in the game right now. He is the only sure thing on the Thunder offense.
In Game Three he struggled from the field, but still made an impact by rebounding and playing shut down defense on Kobe in the fourth quarter. Great players find ways to help their team, regardless of if they're feeling it or not.
The Celtics missed their starting center, Kendrick Perkins. Rebounding was difficult for Boston. They allowed 23 offensive rebounds. Great defense is wasted if you don't rebound the ball.
It seemed to me that Celtics had not yet solved their alpha dog issues. Earlier in the postseason, it looked like the Big Three had embraced the fact that Rajon Rondo was the best player on...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
