CELTICS -at- LAKERS - 6/17 - Thoughts and 8-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

(Note: A little music to go with this one -- Link -- after you sit through a commercial.)


Redemption for Death and All His Friends... Like a moment captured upon canvas, the scene is set before you. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and all the Death Riders sit atop their mounts. In the distance, a massive green army. And glimmering in the center of this masterpiece is the Golden Child, Little Larry O'Brien, carried by missionaries and placed in the battlefield between both sides.

You step into this painting to stand side by side with the Horsemen. You do this for glory. You do this to know greatness and what it feels like to rule the world. You do this for love...

Before you know what has happened, the charge of the Leprechauns has the Horsemen scrambled. They are confused and lost. They stumble and stagger. This can't be happening!

One Death Rider holds strong against all the pressure. The bodies of Leprechauns are sent flying in all directions -- it is TruWarier. He feels the fear in the enemy's eyes and swings away.

The Horsemen rally. The screams of Leprechauns grow louder, but you hear a voice in your head -- a voice you haven't heard for some time. It is Little Larry calling for you. Amid a frenzy of violence and fallen bodies, he seems impossibly far away. But a moment happens that clears the path for you.

The Man Who Can Kill You in 0.4 delivers a staggering blow. The Spaniard and Death pounce. Now is your moment.

You charge for Little Larry only to be tripped by a Leprechaun known as "Wheelchair." He grins above you and he starts to raise his weapon. That grin turns into a pained grimace. He drops to his knees. TruWarier stands behind him. He has delivered a fatal blow.

You don't hesitate. You dive and seize Little Larry with both hands. Bells ring out near and far, one for each victory in the field of battle. With each bell a flood of memories flash through your head: Thunderdome burning to the ground; statues frozen in salt in front of a similar white palace all going up in bright flames; the final, smoldering ashes from which no Phoenix would rise; and, now, the bodies of Dead Leprechauns scattered amid the battlefield.

You count them. Sixteen bells ring throughout the city. There has never been a more beautiful sound.

The Horsemen jump into each other's arms. The city roars around you.

Beneath you, the dying Leprechaun lets out a wheeze. Some distant vision sparks the glazed look from his eyes. It is as if this very moment is being forever seared into the depths of his soul. He cries out in a last, failing whisper. It is a cry that is no more than a breath -- "The horror... The horror!"

Death takes him. In his hand, he still clinches a piece of purple and gold paper. You pry it out. The note from DancingBarry is simple, but better words you have not heard in a long while:

"The Reign of the Four Horsemen continues.

I will continue to follow them..."


Game seven of the NBA Finals -- where dreams are made and shattered. For the Lakers, this game was not only about a championship but Redemption.

Redemption for the 2008 loss to the Celtics. "We hadn't stopped thinking about it," said Derek Fisher.

Redemption for Ron Artest. At the start of this season, it was written here, "This is a title defense. This is a volatile player. Can those two coexist? The answer to this question won't be found in the first game, but rather the last." And, indeed, we waited until the very last. Artest's storied past has now added a new chapter, that of champion.

They don't win this ring without Ron Artest. They don't win this game without him.

Kobe had just 8 points on 3-14 shooting in the first half. The offense was struggling. The refs were "letting them play" and the contact allowed Kobe's defenders to stay in front of him more effectively. Offensive boards and Ron's 12 points in the second quarter kept the Lakers afloat, and they trailed by 6 at the half despite the team shooting 26 percent.

To start the third, the Celtic lead ballooned to 13 points. The Lakers never gave in. They chipped away with everyone contributing to eventually win the third by 2 points.

Cue the fourth where the Lakers have struggled offensively all series. They kept attacking. They began to trust each other more. They caught the Celtics midway through the quarter. Fisher swished a three from the wing to help start a 9-0 run that would finally give the Lakers a lead.

The Kobe/Pau one-two punch put the Celtics into the freethrow grinder. Boston wouldn't go away. Rasheed Wallace hit a three. Artest would answer it with a three of his own with a minute left -- his 20th point of the game. With the game on the line, he teammates trusted him and he answered the call. The Lakers would hold off the Celtics for an 83-79 victory.

With Kendrick Perkins out, Doc Rivers told his team afterward that their staring lineup never lost. That same tired line again. Guess what, Doc? The Four Horsemen -- Kobe, Pau, Bynum and Lamar -- have never lost either. They had to endure this myth about a "fake ring" and that worn-out line from Doc and the media. If anyone should question a ring now, it might as well be the Celtics one in 2008. A healthy Bynum and Ariza and you might be looking at a Laker three-peat right now. That's the way it goes, so save the tired lines, Doc. The Four Horsemen have never been beaten either.

The Celtics just lost their first Finals game seven in franchise history. "It's the biggest game of your life right here," a dejected Paul Pierce said afterward. Indeed it was.

Two years ago, Ron went to Kobe in showers after the Lakers loss to the Celtics. He told him he wouldn't let that happen again. He could help them get a championship. The Lakers signed him a year later and Ron's prophesy has come true.

Kobe took the Finals MVP. If there was a game seven MVP, it was Artest. The basketball gods love a good story.


Kobe -- -- For Kobe, this is the missing piece. There will be no ghost haunting him like Jerry West. Like Magic Johnson, he has overcome the greatest of Laker foes, the Celtics. "This one by far is the sweetest," Kobe said. He said it was the toughest of his five championships. Early on, Kobe was struggling. The Celtics were allowed to hand check, body check and even trip at times with no whistle. This made it difficult for him to get into the paint cleanly. He settled for jumpers at times, even forcing some bad ones and not trusting teammates. Kobe said he wanted it so bad that it affected his game. He could not stop attacking. The Lakers had to get that penetration and stay aggressive. He kept at it, started getting to the line. The Celtics got into the freethrow grinder in the fourth. Defensively, he went after the boards like a madman again, knowing that if you control the boards, you control the game. He was simply a rebounding machine. When he wants a board, it is his. He came up with a number of key boards to get the all-important one-and-out stops the Lakers needed. Late in the game, he trusted his teammates to step up. He gave up the ball to Ron for a critical three. He let the ball work through the post to Pau. And when the Lakers needed big FTs, Kobe hit them. They did it together, overcame a rough start. When the moment was there in the fourth, he helped seize it. All the talk about Kobe prior to the playoffs was about how old he was, how LeBron was the best player. Now, all the talking heads suddenly jump on the bandwagon. The draining of Kobe's knee in the first round changed the fate for the Lakers. His jumper returned. The bounce in his step returned. Kobe could play through the finger and make it look easy (despite Kevin McHale thinking after looking at Kobe's finger before the playoffs, that this injury would be the Lakers downfall). He had high praise for his teammates afterward. Asked what this one meant individually, "I got one more than Shaq. So you can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything." The Stats: He scored 23 points on 6-24 shooting (0-6 shooting, 11-15 from the line) to go with 15 boards (4 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 44 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He took contact in the paint on a drive, lost it, then tripped on a loose ball with no call (right in front of the ref, wow). He missed a forced jumper from the corner, all kinds of contact and no call on the play before he settled for the jumper. He missed a turnaround in the paint. He scored a layup on the lob from Pau. He posted up Allen and drew FTs, he made one. He missed a long jumper. He airballed a long jumper in the corner over a double team when Lamar was wide open next to him. He had 3 points on 1-7 shooting. He attacked, pumped and hit the short jumper in the lane. He hit Pau under the hoop for a layup. He missed a long jumper with the shotclock low. He missed a layup on an inbounds (totally mugged while getting free). He attacked and was bounced to the floor by KG (picking up his third foul), he made just one FT. He missed a tough spinning jumphook. He sank a pull-up from the top of the key. He missed a wide open three. He swung through, drew contact on Ray Allen on a three with no call and missed, crazy. He had 8 points on 3-14 shooting (0-4 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 7 boards (4 offensive). Second Half: He missed a long three. He missed a long jumper. He missed another long jumper out of a timeout. He ball-watched and gave up a putback. He attacked, took hard contact and drew FTs, he made just one again. He was tripped with no call. He sank a 16-footer off a screen out of a timeout. He threw a pass away. He missed a jumper taking contact. He attacked and hit a short one in the paint. His pass was picked off, FTs the other way. He missed a pull-up from the wing. He fumbled a ball away, unforced error. He was called for a block, that was close to a charge. He caught Ray Allen on a swing through from the sideline, three FTs, he made all three. Up high for a defensive board and he was fouled, dumped to the floor, he made both FTs to give the Lakers the lead. He drained the pull-up 17-footer next time down to give L.A. a 4-point lead. He missed a fading wing jumper on iso. He was fouled on a throwdown attempt at the rim, he made one with 3:21 left, leading by 5. He drew the double, hit Ron and Ron hit the three (trust and win). He missed a long three, but Pau got it. He attacked off that and drew FTs fouling out Sheed, he made both with 25.7 left to lead by 5.

Gasol -- -- The Spaniard. One of the best in the world. He set the tone on the offensive glass early. All game long he battled. Controlling the glass was such a key all series. We had to win it today and he fought like a madman in the trenches. A 19-point, 18-board performance in game seven of the finals. Nothing soft about that. Way to man up. "We've definitely grown. We've grown as a team. We've grown as individuals," Pau said afterward. He came up with a number of big plays down the stretch. "Late in the fourth quarter when we needed a stop, Pau gets another offensive rebound," a dejected Paul Pierce said afterward. Pau just scrapped. He struggled a bit from the line, but in the fourth he started to knock them down. He was aggressive when we needed it and came up with a huge post score with 1:30 left. All series we struggled with our fourth-quarter execution. Tonight, they got it right to the tune of 30 points. The difference between the two teams in this series was the Lakers ability to dump the ball into the post. The Celtics were good, but ultimately having no real post presence hurt them. "It's very sweet. It feels amazing to win a championship. It definitely adds up when you beat Boston," Pau said. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 6-16 shooting (7-13 from the line) to go with 18 boards (9 offensive), 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 42 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a shot in the lane, battled, missed a tip, got it back and scored. He missed a jumper, got it back and drew FTs, he missed both. He attacked, put on the breaks, spun and hit the jumphook. He attacked baseline and was tied up. He was held by KG with no call on a screen. He was blocked on a jumphook. He lobbed to Kobe for a layup. He cut across the lane and Pierce drew a charge, Pau had to sit with 2 minutes left in the first. He had 4 points on 2-8 shooting (5 offensive boards, lots of tips). He reversed on the Kobe pass under the hoop. He missed an open FT jumper. He overpassed while under the hoop instead of going up strong. He attacked strong on a spin next time and couldn't finish against Sheed, looking for the foul. He had 6 points on 3-12 shooting and 10 boards (6 offensive). Second Half: Bad front on KG when Kobe was able to sag off Rondo to deny an entry to KG, he gave up an And-1. He hit his lefty jumphook on the baseline. KG scored a layup past him. He swatted KG's drive. He was fouled in the post on the other end, he made both. He hit an And-1 jumper in the post to start the fourth, he missed the FT. He fronted the post again and gave up a layup when Rondo made the over-the-top pass (you can't do that!) He was blocked on a drive. He drew FTs on the offensive glass, he missed both with 6:45 left. He posted up next time down, drew the D and kicked to Fish who hit the huge three. He drew FTs with a second on the shotclock getting hit by KG, he made both. He was hammered with 2:47 left off the Kobe feed, he made both. He advanced the ball, Pierce tried to take the charge at midcourt, he made one FT. He swatted Pierce's drive from behind. He backed down his man, drew a crowd and powered in a layup to take a lead by 6 with 1:30 left.

Bynum -- -- Phil said prior to the game, he expected Bynum to go about 10 minutes per half. Pau got into early foul trouble and Phil had to scratch that plan despite the warnings from the medical staff. Not spectacular numbers from Drew, but they needed whatever he could give them. Bynum put the pressure on the Celtics early. He pushed through his injury for 16 minutes. He's done that two straight finals and given just enough to help the Lakers to two straight rings. Had he been healthy the first time the Lakers met the Celtics, we might be looking at a three-peat right now. His size helps Pau by not having him bang against the heavyweights all game. That's huge on the boards and huge in the wear and tear factor. Get your surgery, Drew. Get your rest. Get healthy and stay healthy! Good job gutting through the injury. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting to go with 6 boards (4 offensive) and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He missed a short jumphook on the first possession. He lost the ball on a drive shortly later on the same possession. He kept a Gasol miss alive and it led to Pau FTs. Low position and he scored easily over Sheed. He forced KG into an airball. He had 2 points on 1-5 shooting and 5 boards in 14 minutes. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Artest -- -- Game seven. One minute left. Ron Artest with the clutchest shot of the game -- a huge three on a kickout by Kobe. His coaches gave him confidence before that set. Kobe trusted him. "Kobe passed me the ball! I'm like 'Kobe give me chance!'" he joked afterward. He came through on both ends. In 45 minutes, he led the team with 5 steals and was second in scoring. One of his best games of the year in a sure-to-be ESPN Classic. He was humbled afterward. Phil on Ron: "Ron Artest is the most valuable player tonight. He brought life to our team and life to our crowd," Phil said. Ron kept the Lakers in the game in the first half. He was battling on D, but his offense manufactured points when the team was struggling. "Artest was unbelievable," Doc Rivers said. Ron has been seeing a sport pyschologist. He said he wasn't ashamed to get help and she helped him stay calm in this series and before this game. "So many emotions go through my body and she helps me relax," he said. He was one of the few who didn't look affected by the pressure all game. He outscored Pierce for the second game in a row (that's astonishing). Pierce got his 18 points today on 5-15 shooting. In 2008, Pierce averaged 21.8 points and 6.3 assists. He collapsed the D again and again and caused the Lakers all kinds of issues. In the Finals against Artest, he averaged 18 points a game and 2.7 assists. That's about 10 points less total production for the Celtics when you tally in the assists (not to mention however many FTs those passes probably also led to). The Lakers D simply wasn't getting abused. Big impact all series and that's what the team was hoping Artest would bring. Ron was religious afterward. He talked about how embarrased he was with his "huge ego" in Indy and how God put him in this position now. "He blessed me. I don't know why he blessed me with this." Ron said he hasn't had a drink in six or seven months. You have a formula for success now in your life Ron, stick to it. From the lowest of lows with his ego to, now, the highest of highs with humility and discipline. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 7-18 shooting (2-7 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 5 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 5 steals, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 45 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He missed a jumper from 19 feet. He missed an open three. He lost the ball off the dribble, but hounded his man until he stripped him and got it back. He outmuscled Pierce for a putback layup off a Sasha miss. He missed an open corner three. He stole a pass to Allen on a rotation and took it for a layup. He snagged a tough board between two Celtics and scored a layup. He missed a three he had to take with the shotclock low. He missed a short baseline jumper. He banged down a corner three next time down. He posted up Pierce and drew FTs, the two then got face to face and a double tech as Pierce held Ron's arm (Ron didn't deserve that T), he made both FTs. He posted up Ray Allen next time down and drew a foul on Sheed, he made one FT. He led all Lakers with 12 points on 4-9 shooting and 3 steals. Second Half: He attacked, was blocked, got it back and scored a layup. He missed a wing three. He was called for a charge. He missed a layup in transition, but Lamar followed it up for a score. He stripped a rebound right out of Baby's hands. He was called for stepping out of bounds on a drive. He missed a big wing three that could have cut it to 1. Nice D to force Pierce into a turnover on a cross-court heave. He scooped up a pass, pushed it out and was stripped, but still Laker ball (should have been a foul on KG and FTs). He missed a wing jumper when left alone. He cut off Pau, Pierce left him to double, and Ron hit an And-1 on him on the pass in the paint, he made the FT to tie it up (big play). He got called for a weak foul away from the hoop giving up FTs. He sank a huge three with a minute left on a kickout from Kobe.

Fisher -- -- He hadn't hit a three all series. Of course, he was just saving it for game seven. He hit one early for the Lakers first score. He later brought rain on a huge three in the middle of the fourth that helped the Lakers finally catch the Celtics. Both Doc and Phil said this was the play that changed the complexity of the game. They had caught the Celtics. They got an inside-out possession. Then Pau was able to give them some impact in the post. Pressure, game sevens, whatever... This is DFish. He eats "pressure" for breakfast. "We just had to keep believing in each other. I know our fans were nervous and some of our guys were nervous, but we just kept hanging in there." You got to have leaders who don't fold when you are under the gun. Kobe on Fish heading into the fourth: "He's our emotional leader and our verbal leader. He just said 'guys, we got 12 minutes -- 12 minutes to dig down and get back into this game. Everything that we worked hard for, we got 12 minutes to put it together.' And we followed suit." It was a rough regular season. It was a very rough first round until we pulled him off Westbrook. When asked what he said to people who have said he was too old, he looked at the camera and said, "Thank you. Thank you very much." Excellent post season for DFish. Let's get him some more help this offseason! Defensively, Fish held Ray Allen to 36.6 percent shooting in the series (despite the crazy game two shooting). The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He stripped a ball off Rondo's leg. He swished a three for the Lakers first score. He barely got rim on a corner jumper. He sank a baseline pull-up jumper. He attacked and missed a runner in the paint. He stripped Pierce, went to the floor for a loose ball and Pierce was given FTs, unbelievable call. He had 5 points and 2 fouls in 14 minutes. Second Half: He got a wing jumper to drop, working off the screens. He went to the locker room after stretching his groin with 3 minutes left in the third. He later returned and swished a huge, huge, huge three to tie it up with 6 minutes left on a Pau kickout.

Lamar -- -- He grabbed a loose ball and chucked it down court to a streaking Kobe as the clock expired. This will be one of the iconic moments of this championship run. You will see it again and again. History right there. Lamar led the team with a +13 tonight. Lamar helped the Lakers to a 53-40 rebounding advantage. Some big offensive putbacks by Lamar that saved Laker offensive possessions. Good job pushing the ball up court at times. Fans were on the edge of their seats on Lamar's long-range attempts, but like Kobe, he came up empty. The Lakers got two wins in the last two games scoring in the 80s. They dominated game six, they won game seven ugly. Defense wins championships. Lamar and Pau's mobility kept the Celtics two-man games from serious damage. They could show, trap, recover, rotate in time to thwart the offensive possessions again and again. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-8 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 32 minutes. The Action: He blocked Sheed under the hoop. He grabbed a board, pushed it up, attacked and drew FTs, he made one. He had 1 points on 0-1 shooting and 2 boards. Second Half: He followed Ron on the break and scored a putback layup (big score that forced a timeout). He attacked with speed and scored a layup past KG. He grabbed a miss by Shannon and put it back in. He missed a three with the clock low. He missed a corner three.

Brown -- -- Shannon had his highlights and spectular plays in game six. Phil didn't go to him as much in this game. When he was out there he played some scrappy D and helped DFish and Kobe keep Ray Allen to a miserable 3-14 shooting. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting to go with 1 board and 1 foul in 4 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He couldn't get off a three at the end of the half. Second Half: He stripped Rondo on the break. Good challenge on Allen's jumper. He missed layup on the dirve, but Lamar cleaned it up.

Farmar -- -- Like Shannon, his game six was his biggest effort and showing of the series. The bench did a good job in not letting Nate Robinson do anything crazy. He's had some good games against the Lakers in the past couple years, but really only had one x-factor game for them in the Shrek/Donkey game. The Lakers have a lot of question marks at point guard. Who knows whether this will be Farmar's last game in the purple and gold. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a drive with the shotclock low. He missed a wing three. He couldn't finish a layup over Wallace on the break. Second Half: He threw a bounce pass away, trying to work the screen-roll with Pau.

Vujacic -- -- "One thing about Sasha is that he doesn't lack confidence," Kobe said. "He's not afraid of pressure situations at all." He added that after DFish, he trusts Sasha the most on a jumper. Phil trusts Sasha to hit his FTs when called upon. With 11 seconds left and the game still in the balance, Sasha came in, took a pass and an intentional foul. He drilled both clutch FTs. Ice water. Sasha hadn't worn green since the Celtics took the Lakers out a couple years ago. He got his revenge tonight with those last two that helped seal the deal. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board and 2 fouls in 5 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed an open corner three (was hit on the follow through with no call). Second Half: He scooped up a loose ball and missed in the paint. He came in with 11 seconds left and was fouled up by 2, he made both clutch ones.

Powell -- -- Brief stint as Phil made some situational subs. Nothing to report. LeBron, have you seen Josh Powell's two championship rings? The Stats: He was a -1 in under a minute of action. The Action: Brief stint in the first half. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Luke -- -- No minutes from Luke tonight. See you at the Parade, Luke. The Stats: No stats. The Action: He did not play.

Mbenga -- -- Just one appearance in the finals for him. Glad he got in during the previous game. Give the man another ring. The Stats: No stats. The Action: He did not play.

Morrison -- -- Two rings for Ammo. Maybe he's a good luck charm. Apparently, we can win without Sun Yue. The Stats: No stats. The Action: He did not play.

Phil -- -- The team that stays in character is going to win, Phil said prior to the game. He wanted the team to be the first to the ball... The Lakers were dominating on the offensive glass early, but still trailed. A lot of contact not being called... Phil brought in Lamar for Bynum down 17-13 with 3 minutes left in the first... Pau picked up his second foul with 2 minutes left in the first and had to sit. Phil brought in Bynum. KG joined him a minute later... The Lakers trailed 23-14 after the first quarter. They made just 6-27 of their shots but had a 10-0 advantage on the offensive glass... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Kobe, Sasha, Farmar lineup... He sat Kobe after a minute for Artest when Pierce came in... Phil brought back in Pau after 3 minutes... The score was tied 23-23 after 4 minutes... Phil brought in Shannon for Fisher who had picked up a bogus foul with 2:48 left and had to sit. The Lakers trailed 33-29... The Lakers won the second quarter 20-17 despite foul trouble to Pau and some very weak whistles going against them... The Lakers trailed 40-34 at the half. The Lakers shot 26.5 percent (13-49, 2-11 from three, 6-12 from the line). The Celtics shot 44 percent (15-34, 2-8 from three, 8-8 from the line). The Lakers had a 15-2 advantage on the offensive glass and just 3 turnovers to the Celtics 8... "Come on, relax. Get into the game. Use your ball fakes, use ball movement," Phil said at the half... The Lakers trailed 47-36 after just two minutes and Phil called a timeout... The Lakers chipped the lead down to 51-45, forcing a couple timeouts in the process... It wasn't pretty, but they won the third quarter 19-17 and avoided getting into foul trouble. The Lakers had a 20-5 advantage on the offensive glass after three quarters... The Lakers trailed 57-53 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Artest, Sasha, Farmar lineup... Phil wanted Kobe to do more off the ball and less off the dribble... Phil sat Ron after a minute when Artest needed a rest (he would ride Ron for a team-high 45 minutes). He brought Artest back in a possession later for Sasha... The Lakers tied it up 61-61 with over 7 minutes left... Kobe gave the Lakers their first lead of the half with 2 FTs off a defensive board, then he hit a wing jumper to force a timeout leading by 4... The Lakers led by 6 with 1:30 left and the Celtics called a timeout... The Lakers led 81-76 with 24 seconds left. They had given up two big threes and needed a stop. Rondo hit a three after we couldn't hold a bricked shot. The Lakers led by 2 with 13 seconds left... Phil brought in Sasha who was fouled, he made both with 11 seconds left... The Celtics had hit three threes in a row. The Lakers needed to get the stop. Switch on everything. They got it. Ball game... Lakers were pouring champagne. The Celtics: "A lot of crying in that locker room," Doc said... Once again, despite all the folks calling for Phil's retirement, he brought home another ring. No one in this league is as good at repeating championships as Phil. No one knows three-peats like Phil. Think he'll be back? Yep...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Three unanswered runs in the second half by the Lakers. That was defense. The moment where the Lakers turned the tables was a 9-0 fourth quarter run. Killer Instinct.

Mrs. DB and the Little DBs -- -- Another long season has come to a finish. These write-ups typically run into about the length of a 600-page novel every year. Their support and sacrifice for all the time I indulge in my dear Lakers is never taken for granted. Thank you for every day. I love you all.

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Greatest defensive battle by both teams in a NBA Finals game in a long time.
The defensive effort caused offence troubles for the stars - and required others to step up.
Big props to KB24, Pau, AB, LO, Ron Ron, Dfish and the rest of the Lakers team.
PJax with ring #11, and Lakers with #16.
The road was tough at the end, but he Lakers came out victorious.
Great season, and great ending.
Thanks again for all the hard work DB, and thanks to LakersGround and their members.

Lakers 2010 NBA Champions, #16 is SO SWEET!
_________________
"Just show up ready to work, ready to play, Have your big boy pants on, leave your diaper at home." Kobe Bryant
Anything less than a championship is a failure. Period.

[mhan00]

we are the champions!!!!!

[k9cane]

Barry, if you were a rapper, you'd be Nas on Illmatic

Gracias, for your efforts

[TheBlackMamba]

Another year in the books...thanks, DB, for all you do throughout the season!

[hoopschick29]

Barry,

As if it hasn't been said a gazillion times...

You are the man.

Thank you for your dedication to crystallizing our season one game at a time.

Back2Back
_________________
So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.

[City_Dawg]

DB, thank you so much for your effort for every game, every half every minute, your insight and gift of prose is appreciated and certainly, win or lose, is the highlight of every laker game this season.

So much pride for our boys, they played a gutty gritty game, a game that so many said they couldn't play. The old saying goes "He who laughs last, laughs longest", Lakers are laughing all the way to the bank.
_________________
*sighs*

!...

[heatseeker08]

[kobeyashi]

Thanks Barry! Appreciated your post game write ups all year. What a great win!!!!!

[DancingBarry]

Thanks, guys.

I popped the cork on some champagne earlier.

Pounded this out.

Think it's time for a beer.

[mhan00]

thank you dancingbarry for another great year of ratings. i hope you have the energy and motivation to keep doing it next year for our next championship run.

[8750]

DB, thanks for your inestimable work, your knowledge, your dedication, your brilliant writing. You're definitely our mvp.

[lakersflambe]

you are just as much a biting, scratching, clawing champion as the lakers, db. great job all year long.

[Qsmiff]

This was an excruciatingly painful game......but it hurt so good
Ron Ron...MVP of the night a huge game, seemed like he had a hand on every loose ball
Kobe...Whew!!! he was trying to squeeze the proverbial oiled pig;he never quit
Drew was strong in the first quarter
Sasha.....Sick Free Throws of Death
Pau....huge everywhere
Fish....as clutch as ever
LO..active like we needed him to be
Phil...the Zen allowed the team to not lose sight of the prize
the fourth quarter defense was everywhere
The Staples Crowd was off the chain
NUMBER 16 is home


Thanks for everything DB----another great season in the books.... GOT 'ER DONE!!!!

[Luca Brasi]

every laker got one of these

dancingberry deserves one of these:
_________________
"i was born down in the valley where the sun refused to shine, but i'm climbin' up to the highlands, goin' to make that mountain mine" ~ Lakers, 2011

[jsi106]

[DancingBarry]

[Nobody]

[DancingBarry]

[Qsmiff]

[Vicky T]

Thank you DB for your season long recaps. This has truly been a memorable year. Full of drama. Full of highs and lows. And we all stood through it together.


LAKERS CHAMPIONS 2010


_________________
Macho Men:
http://tinyurl.com/2ajhhov

[IPK]

[MedRomLaker]

DB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU BROTHER FOR A YEAR OF GREAT REVIEWS, HAD TO USE AN ALTERNATE LISTENING THOUGH, KING NOTHING - METALLICA

, THOUGHT OF PAULINA'S "WE AREN'T COMING BACK TO LA" AND THOUGHT OF THE LINE FROM THE SONG "CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH YOU MAY REGRET IT." I KNOW HE REGRETS IT NOW!!!!! WHERE'S YOUR CROWN KING NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!! SUCK IT BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
_________________
11/9/12 the day the brown was flushed down!!!!!!

4/30/14 the day the ant left the building!!!!!!

[Addicus]

Awesome!
_________________
Stop crying and start doing.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/addicusbrown

[Paillard]