Phil Jackson said it after the game: “The game was won by Ron’s effort.” Ron Artest was the MVP of game 7 of the NBA Finals - he carried the offense, played physical defense, and brought energy to the team. But two guys that quietly got it done were Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher.
Odom only had 7 points and 7 boards, but he was instrumental in keeping the Lakers in the game. When Odom stepped on the floor in the third quarter, the Celtics were up 49-37. After that point, seven field goals were made in the quarter – Odom created two of those shots by dishing out two assists, and made three shots, two of which were made after he grabbed offensive rebounds. By the end of the quarter, the Lakers were only down four, putting them in a position to take the lead in the fourth. The Lakers were +13 with Odom in the game – the largest point differential of his teammates.
Then Fisher made the play that was the turning point of the game – a three point shot that tied the game at 64. While it was only three points in the box score, it made the crowd erupt and brought confidence to the team. After that point, the Lakers took their first lead since the first quarter of the game and they never looked back.
Congratulations to the Lakers for winning a hard fought battle in a grind it out game 7. Kobe Bryant said this championship was the sweetest of his five because it was the hardest one – a huge testament to the toughness of the Celtics. If Jackson stays with the Lakers next season, he has the chance to complete his fourth set of back-to-back-to-back championships, an astonishing feat.
Who would have thought Artest would save us?
ReplyDeleteEvery team that wins a championship needs to have a great guard and a good big man with a post-up game. The Celtics are not such a team because Garnett no longer has the offensive game he once had (though Paul Pierce does qualify as a great guard). The Celtics are a great TEAM, the play together better than the Lakers do; their pieces fit perfectly. I was surprised to see that the best TEAM went so far--it's an ideal that never happens. At the end, the Lakers showed us that you do, in fact, need two great individual players. Pau stepped with 6 minutes to go, Garnett could not. NBA is an individuals league, not a team league.
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