Like the swallows returning to Capistrano....the Larry O'Brien trophy comes home to roost...where it belongs, in Laker Land. Tina Turner, said it well...."Simply the Best." The Lakers proved they are as they roughed up the Magic to take their 15th NBA Title with a 4-1 series victory and served notice to fans, GM's and players around the league. This team is not going anywhere and the core will remain intact. Think 3 out of the next 5 Titles. Think 6 or 7 Rings for Kobe and D-Swish (2 years away from player/coach title). Phil may be gone after next year with eleven rings...numerology teachings on the Number 11 not lost on him or me ("You possess an inordinate amount of energy and intuition. Many inventors, artists, religious leaders, prophets, and leading figures in history have had the 11 prominent in their chart). Phil will be gone after next year, but sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Kobe will be mucho hambre for more rings. Seven total, or one more than Michael Jordan, will be the goal. 3 more titles also passes the Celtics (assuming the don't win anymore anytime soon-they won't) on the all time list. Why Dream Big? Because you can and they do and He does.

The Magic, clearly reeling from the The Superman Choke Job in Game 4, came out early and hit a few shots to take a temporary lead. Then....the Lakers rain came and it did not stop (like young Andrew Bynum on his recent 21st birthday celebration). The Lakers made it rain and the Magic said, "forget the umbrellas, I'm going inside." They were beaten by the 2nd quarter and blown off the court in the 3rd. Shoulders slumped, eyes dazed and hearts heavy....they wanted to pack it in but still had almost an entire half to play. Million dollar salaries be damned, these dudes were hurting and had to "fight" for another hour at home in front of their fans.

After the Magic took a 2 point lead into the second quarter, the Lakers started to wear the Magic down. Bynum was going right at Howard on both ends of the floor and although he was missing shots, he was putting pressure on Dwight Howard....and it showed. The Finals, seen in 215 countries in 42 languages, highlighted the universal language of basketball bliss as the Champs went on a tide turning, series clinching 16-0 run in the 2nd quarter. Good night Stan, Dwight, and Rashard....this game was over with a hour of TV coverage left. The pressure Bynum, the Lakers D and the big stage put on Dwight was evident as he committed an offensive foul on D-Swish to go into the half with 3 fouls. The Magic's hopes of winning this game were slim and none and slim left the building when Dwight picked up that cheap foul. Lakers go into the half rolling downhill with the Magic tasked with stopping a runaway train.

The 3rd quarter saw Kobe, the maestro, painting with bold and aggressive strokes like Game 1 of the Finals. He seizes the moment like few athletes/artists have or ever will. Dwight commits another cheap offensive foul on Pau and the rout is undeniably on. Lamar Odom then hits 3 pointers on consecutive possessions and the Lakers take a 15 point lead into the 4th. Kobe is using oil, watercolors, pencils, crayons and magic markers..... using all the colors of the rainbow to finish off a masterpiece that was the 2009 NBA Finals. He finished with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks to take home the NBA Finals MVP Trophy (sorry Bill Russell) that sure is a lot sweeter than the regular season version that LeBron got a month ago. The quarter ended with Superman taking a horrible foul on a driving to the hoop Kobe and went to the bench with 5 fouls...it was the basketball version of crying uncle or tapping out.

The 4th quarter was more of the same. Lakers were cruising and the Magic organ player was feebly attempting to lead the crowd in a "Let's Go Magic chant." He literally go one chant out of the crowd and then the crowd went silent. The organ player reportedly left early to beat traffic. The Lakers did what we all thought they would do....they buried their opponent with superior talent, better execution and a great game plan....oh yeah, and the best player in the Universe. Like I wrote after game 1 of The Finals, we are watching a master at work when we watch Kobe play basketball. Whether you spend all year following hoops or just tune in for the Finals, you all saw what greatness in mind and body gets you....it gets you to the top. Even better....we have yet to see his entire collection.
Stay tuned for the coronation and for many more ring-sizings. Lakers Fans....the best is yet to come. The Trophy is back hope and all is right in the universe.    

Brian Silver
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