Kobe Bryant sprinted the ball which Lamar Odom joyously flung downcourt to burn the remaining seconds in Game 7 of the NBA finals. While the celebration started behind him, Bryant chased it down and then held it aloft to his teammates.
His legs were dead. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 16th championship was secure in a supremely gritty 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics. And Bryant still wouldn’t stop running until the buzzer.The two-time finals MVP has a ring for every finger on one hand precisely because he never slows down, even with injuries, the Celtics’ defense and his own erratic shot conspiring against him. That’s why this ring will have a special place in his collection, and this banner in the Staples Center rafters will loom a little larger than the rest to Kobe.
Lakers edge Celtics in Game 7, win 16th title
Out of an unsightly 6-for-24 shooting performance, Bryant led the Lakers to a sweet repeat with 23 points and 15 rebounds Thursday night. While he could barely make a shot or even hold onto the ball at times, Bryant relentlessly drove the lane to earn nine free throws in the fourth quarter while Los Angeles erased a 13-point second-half deficit.
The Lakers earned their rings by winning a gritty, grind-it-out Game 7 for the first time in their franchises’ history.
“This one is by far the sweetest, because it’s them,” Bryant said after the Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7. “This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up.”
While the basketball in Game 7 wasn’t terribly attractive, as evidenced by the Lakers’ 32.5 percent shooting and 12 missed free throws alongside the Celtics’ 15 turnovers and 53-40 rebounding disadvantage, the teams’ collective will and determination still were stirring—and they’ll only get more beautiful with age.
“Close is not enough,” said Glen Davis(notes), whose six points and nine rebounds were the Celtics’ only contributions from their bench. “You’ve got to win it. I don’t know what’s going on with who’s coming back, but I’ll be ready when training camp comes around.”
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