"When we have this starting five, we have never been beat in a series," Boston Coach Doc Rivers stated as he addressed the capacity crowd. The team screamed with excitement while wearing their Eastern Conference Champions shirts and hats. The entire city of Boston was in an uproar with parties and chants of "beat L.A." reported throughout the city.
The same could not be said for the Western Conference Champion Los Angeles Lakers after surviving a near-fatal fourth quarter comeback by the Phoenix Suns. Dominating most the way through the game, a flagrant one foul against Sasha Vujacic against Goran Dragic in the fourth quarter seemed to alter the games momentum. L.A. was able to recover and put the Suns out with a 111-103 victory.
Shortly afterward, the presentation of the Western Conference Trophy was awarded to the Lakers by former five-time Laker Champion Michael "Coop" Cooper. While the trophy was awarded, not a Western Conference Champions shirt, hat, or smile was worn by any of the members of the Lakers staff or its players.
Coach Phil Jackson was interviewed, followed by Laker team co-captain Derek Fisher. Neither individual talked about the team’s excitement about winning the title for the third year in a row. Neither discussed the honor it was to be officially advancing to the NBA Finals for the 31st time in team history. The focus was squarely on knowing they had lost to the Celtics two years earlier and how they would not let it happen again.
Michael Cooper (who faced Boston three times in the '80s as a ShowTime Laker, losing only once in the 1984 finals), was quoted as saying, "Boston you want us? Well here we come!" Which was followed by no...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
