Kobe, unselfish Lakers punch their ticket to Finals by impressively taking down Spurs

SCOTT JACOBS

Kobe Bryant strutted over to the bench, calm, cool, and completely stoppable. He was anything but stoppable on the court though in Los Angeles’ game five series clinching win over the now ex-champion San Antonio Spurs. Hand over the Larry O’Brien trophy San Antonio, the Lakers got next.

“Is there a better conditioned player in the NBA?” asked soon-to-be Chicago Bulls head Coach Doug Collins, referring to Bryant’s sheer will to take over games. With the Lakers up seven, and 33.4 seconds left, Marv Albert was emphatic about this being a done deal. “The Lakers are going to the NBA Finals!”

Indeed they are. And if you could have predicted a Boston-LA championship at the beginning of not this past season, but the season before for 2008, boy were you in the minority. The Celtics are one win away from completing an epic fairy tale for the NBA, a ratings bonanza not seen by the league since… well, Jordan?

A year ago the Lakers were shrugging off a disappointing first round exit, their second in a row to the Suns, and Kobe wanted out. Now Kobe is in. Way in. And the Lakers are four wins away from completing a stunning fall from grace back to glory conquest.

What’s next for the Spurs? Well, they are a great franchise. Four titles in nine years is impressive. But the one gap on their resume is never going back to back. And it won’t happen this year either.

Their bench is the oldest in basketball, and Manu Ginobili disappeared in this series.

The Lakers, took a few years off after dealing Shaq, and now they’ve reappeared as Western Conference champs.

A series that had all the makings of seven games, ended in just five.

Pau Gasol was great. Lamar Odom was clutch. The Lakers are going to the NBA Finals, and the scariest part: they look like they might be a fixture.

After they made that much disputed Gasol trade early in the year, the Lakers were deemed the favorites to win the West. Nah, I thought, this is not going to happen that fast. Sure enough, I was wrong. Really, really wrong. Like hit me over the head and throw rocks at me wrong. And all this was without center Andrew Bynum.

Boy do the Lakers look special. Their bench is young. Their starting lineup is fantastic from 1-5. And o yeah, they got that guy Kobe.

He’s pretty good. And he may be six or seven games away from adding another MVP to his repertoire. This one is looking like an MVP trophy. Not just any MVP trophy, how about an NBA Finals MVP trophy.

Bryant smiled in the background as the Lakers stood on the champions’ podium. The only time this post-season he hasn’t been the center of attention. He did it without Shaq. Shaq did it without Kobe. Consider that Miami-Los Angeles trade that sent Shaq to Miami and Lamar Odom to Los Angeles a smashing success for both and a closed case. Miami got their title, now it looks like its LA’s turn. Again.

Apparently, great basketball in Hollywood never gets old. It takes its breaks every now and then. The natural cycle has to take its course. But now the Lake Show is back.

“This is a dream come true,” said a beaming Bryant. No controversy about the alpha dog. That was Bryant. His brilliant team-mates were thrilled to oblige. Everyone knew their roles.

The Lakers have a new role: West champs.

“We ain’t done yet,” said Bryant, as his team-mates rubbed the shoulders that helped carry them to this impressive Finals appearance.

Few would disagree. Not with the way these Lakers are playing.

There’s no “I” in team, and now there’s no “I” in Bryant.

Lakers vs. Celtics/Pistons in one week. It’s safe to say the NBA league office isn’t complaining.

Popularity: 3% [?]