So, after I (and a few other sports pundits who can claim a lot more expertise than I ever could) went and wrote them off at the end of Game 6 of the Western Conference semis, the L.A. Lakers went 9-3, and closed out both the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals on the other guys’ floor.
Nicely done to all in the purple and gold. Kobe has his Shaq-less ring (complete with compliments from the big guy himself – ESPN), and Phil Jackson has his tenth ring. Unlike most NBA fans, I genuinely believe Jackson earned every one. In this era, massaging egos is a huge part of the game – and no one’s better at it than Jackson is.
I still feel bad for Patrick Ewing (ex-Knick center and current Magic assistant coach) who was denied a ring once more – although unless I miss my guess, only Larry Bird has come closer to a championship in his post-player career.
Still, today is the Lakers’ day. They proved a lot of nay-sayers wrong. Kudos to them.
