Lakers 99, Magic 86: Lakers Win 15th Championship

by Josh Tucker on Jun 15, 2009 3:34 AM PDT in Game Recaps Comment 38 comments

More photos » David J. Phillip - AP

That's four cookies, Kobe. Four delicious cookies that represent four equally delicious N-B-A Championship Rings, that you have. Somehow, "You earned it," feels completely inadequate.

Browse more photos »

This one is for the fans, who were reminded countless times that no team had lost the Finals and then won a championship the next year since the Detroit Pistons did it in 1989.

This one is for the players, who tasted the promised land only to be pushed back into the desert, and have since worked so hard to succeed where they failed a year ago.

This one is for Phil Jackson, who won his tenth ring as a coach to break his tie with Red Auerbach and take his rightful place as the greatest coach ever, not only in NBA basketball, but in all of the major American sports.

This one is for Kobe Bryant, who finally got that "big old monkey" off his back by leading his Lakers to his first championship as the unquestioned team leader and best player. For Bryant, who now has one more cookie to satisfy his tremendous hunger (if only temporarily).

This one is for you; keep reading...

This one is for Pau Gasol, who was once labeled "soft," but is now clearly one of the toughest ~~scrawny~~ big men in the league. For Gasol, who was snubbed with his placement on only the 3rd Team All-NBA, but surely has a lot of voters wishing for a do-over.

This one is for Trevor Ariza, who was called "delusional" and tossed aside by Orlando, only to become a vital cog in the Lakers' championship machine, punishing team after team for disregarding him – not the least of which was the very team that foolishly let him go.

This one is for Lamar "Candyman" Odom, the magician without an assistant, who has been criticized for all of eternity for his disappearing acts, but delivered in a big way throughout the later stages of the 2009 Playoffs.

This one is for Derek Fisher, who struggled throughout the playoffs and took a lot of grief for his poor play, only to make two of the biggest shots of the entire season.

This one is for Luke Walton, who arrived on the scene just in time to lose in the Finals in 2004, and then again in 2008, but finally got his first postseason victory – and a well-earned one it was. For Josh Powell, who was told he would never play in this league, only to find his place as a solid bench player on one of the best championship teams ever. For Shannon Brown, a seemingly irrelevant afterthought in a trade made primarily to dump salary, who now shows tremendous promise as a point guard for a team whose only true weakness is the point guard position. For the first-timers, winning not their fourth or tenth championship rings, but their first.

This one is for the fans, who stuck with Kobe Bryant through thick and thin – through Shaq, Colorado, Bynum, Phoenix, and of course, Kwame Brown, Smush Parker, and Brian Cook – and who have waited with him for what felt like an eternity, longing only for a championship that none could take away from him, and one that, at the same time, would validate all the others.

This one is for all of Laker Nation, which suffered the heart-wrenching loss in the 2008 Finals, and can now bask in the glory of a truly dominant victory in five games over a formidable opponent.

This one is for you. Enjoy it; bask in the glory of the Lakers' 15th championship, Phil Jackson's 10th, Kobe and Fish's fourth, and Pau Gasol's first. Soak in this moment. And stick with us – we're going to ride this high (as I've been known to say, a better high than any drug could ever provide) as far as it will take us, and we've only just begun. Plenty of in-depth analysis of Game 5, the Finals, the Playoffs, and the Season to come.

And for now, I believe I speak for all Lakers fans when I say, "Thank you, Lakers, for an unbelievable season, and for the opportunity to share this journey with you as fans. The experience has been richly rewarding, and the result, of course, is a tremendous joy to participate in."

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Comments

Nicely done, Josh.

Bravo.

by DexterFishmore on Jun 15, 2009 4:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

thank you

this post means so much for all the lakers fans out there that was ridiculed, harassed, and maked fun of through out the year for supporting the purple and gold. all i got to say now is: shaq, tell me how does kobe’s 2009 finals MVP trophy taste?

by xMUx on Jun 15, 2009 4:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Dear Josh Tucker

You do a great job in this site. Your posts rebuke all the Laker Haters out there. They rebuke the Kobe Haters even more.

Now… All you hear is the sweet sound of Laker Hater silence.

This one is for you too.

This is for all the Laker Fans out there!

by pinoyballer on Jun 15, 2009 4:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

im drawing a blank

im that happy

by dodgers2009 on Jun 15, 2009 4:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This one is for you Josh Tucker

Who runs the s**t out of this site, and turned it from a fledgling new addition to SB Nation into the go-to stop for Lakers Playoff action. It has been a pleasure to come here every day to read your perspective on the Purple and Gold.

You know what I’m most excited about… FINALLY when SportsCenter begins their “Presented in ESPNHD” teaser, and they show all of the championship teams, I can stop looking at Kevin Garnett screaming and bouncing like a raging fool, and I can see Kobe hoisting a trophy in each hand.

How sweet it is

Blind devotion.

by ProfessorBigelow on Jun 15, 2009 5:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

0 = The number of Super Bowls the Eagles have won.

by gee-roj on Jun 15, 2009 6:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

+2

I would love to see them face each other again. After this win, with no more pressure on Kobe, it would be very exciting next season. Go Lakers!!!!!

by altree on Jun 15, 2009 7:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Congrats Laker fans.

Rockets fan here, just wanted to congratulate the Lakers and their fans on winning the NBA championship.

by erod on Jun 15, 2009 6:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

I believe without the Rocket’s series testing the Lakers, we might not have made it past Denver.

by 99bc99 on Jun 15, 2009 8:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good call

I was thinking about that last night. They seemed to be a different team after the Rockets series. They learned how to punch back after getting knocked down.

by illcowboy on Jun 16, 2009 12:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks

for being classy, unlike Ron…

RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09

by vlad IS my man on Jun 15, 2009 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ron has some funny (and weird) video blogs

"Oh, get a job? Just get a job? Why don't I strap on my job helmet, and squeeze down into a job cannon and fire off into job land, where jobs grow on jobbies!"

by Marie on Jun 15, 2009 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah. Great site Josh! Keep it up!!!!

by altree on Jun 15, 2009 7:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am so glad to see Kobe win the MVP OF THE finals, he should have won the regular season MVP as well! Great Job to all the Laker players and coaches, you earned it!!!!

by Beltwayboy on Jun 15, 2009 8:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Congrats to former Mavs Mbenga and Powell

And to Pau, who I’ve liked since his Memphis days.

"Oh, get a job? Just get a job? Why don't I strap on my job helmet, and squeeze down into a job cannon and fire off into job land, where jobs grow on jobbies!"

by Marie on Jun 15, 2009 8:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Mbenga: "The Best Moment of My Life"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Ilf8GUGus

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fan point of view of the final seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=045xnuZlkAM

And no, that is not me.

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 9:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Amazing

What a wait huh sir? 7 years and several blogs later…

by Charles Y on Jun 15, 2009 9:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep yep

It’s been a long time coming …

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

keep the Core players that got you there!

The Lakers need to keep Odom, Ariza, Walton, and Brown. They should trade Sasha, Morrison, and Sun to keep them!

by Juneau Chargers Fan on Jun 15, 2009 9:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Keepers

Sun should not be resigned. We have him for a year and that’s it. I would love to find a way to use Sasha’s and Adam’s contract in order to keep LO and TA. Spoke to Josh about this during one of the gatherings.

by Charles Y on Jun 15, 2009 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And what about the fans, who, after any little loss would say something like

“This is not a championship caliber team”?

WRONG.

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 9:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

congrats to every guy here

we worked hard, and did the WHOLE thing

RIP Nick Adenhart 4/9/09

by vlad IS my man on Jun 15, 2009 9:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wrote this in the comments section over at 24/8 blog, but I wanted to share with you my fiction

He sank into the cushions of his couch with a barely audible sigh. The Laker had just won the title a mere two hours ago, and throughout that time he was busy scribbling notes, keeping mental messages to re-visit this moment or that moment, and now he knew his most difficult work was just ahead. Simmons would stay up all night, carefully dissecting the Lakers’ celebration on his DVR, finding visual clues like a forensic detective. Wherever a high-five was ignored, whenever a hug was not met with equal enthusiasm, whenever a subtle glance was transmitting disdain for Kobe Bryant, he would sniff it out, and document it for the world to see, so that they would know the “real” Kobe Bryant.

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 9:28 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

HA

Priceless

Blind devotion.

by ProfessorBigelow on Jun 15, 2009 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And let's not forget...

… As always………… THIS ONE IS FOR THE HATERSSSSSSSSSSSS! KEEP HATIN.

by billyknight on Jun 15, 2009 9:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Like the Lakers...truly Excellent

I loved the article. It sent shout outs to all of the key players and especially the most important folk…….we the fans. I applaud your addition to cap off hat was a wonderful season, by a group of men who were called “soft” and “finesse”. But, in crunch time this yeare, they showed grit, determination and toughness. Thank you Lakers. Thank you J.Tuck. Now…..let’s do it again!

K.C.Edwards -AKA- "THE" DarkkStarr

by DarkkStarr1 on Jun 15, 2009 10:35 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!! LA LAKERS, from the lows of last year to the INCREDIBLE HIGH OF D. FISH DOUBLE DAGGER THREE POINTER, to a continuous drone of KOBE BRYANT GREATNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. A SHOUT OUT TO THE LA TIMES TRUE BLOG CREW FOR PROVIDING OUR MUTUAL SUPPORT FOR THE RIDE. It was a rough ride, BUT ITS ALL SMOOTH SAILN’ from here.

AND TO THE LA LAKERS, what can we say? OUR MEN GOT THE JOB DONE.

HOW MUCH HEART DO YOU HAVE NOW????

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. SO MUCH HEART YOU Can’t even BEGIN TO BELIEVE THIS. Media Hacks, start getting your CLICHES ready about the CHARACTER OF THE WORLD CHAMPION LA LAKERS!!!! Magic Johnson already knows his wallet is lighter because THERE IS NO WAY THIS TEAM IS GOING ANYWHERE. THIS TEAM IS A DYNASTY!!

KOBE “I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW AMAZING THIS GUY IS EVERY SINGLE NIGHT” BRYANT, PAU GASOL, “EL CONQUISTADOR” dominating the fringes of the paint no like other player in the NBA, LAMAR “SWISS ARMY KNIFE, what do you need I’ve GOT IT” ODUM, D. “DOUBLE DAGGER HEART BREAKER PALPITATION MAKER” FISH, TREVOR “AMAZING, I got hustle, I got steels, I got steels, I got rebounds, I got TO THE RIM WITH AUTHORITY, and HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS THREE POINTER?” ARRIZA, ANDREW “BIG MAN, I’ll give you the depth to get you through the rough spots to the championship” BYNUM, LUKE “WANNA see my MICHAEL JORDAN FINALS IMPRESSION for FIVE STRAIGHT GAMES PLAYING OUT OF MY MIND (and you thought I sucked)” WALTON, JORDAN “QUICK CATALST, GONNA GET ME THAT BUCKET” FARMAR, SHANNON “SPARK AND SLAM” BROWN, SASHA “HEY MOM, I LEARNED D so when the O went he didn’t hurt the team” Vujacic, DJ “I WILL BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED ME” BENGA, and JOSH “GONNA HELP OUT and going to get a jumper” POWELL.

THESE MEN DID IT AND THE SIZE OF THEIR BLOOD PUMPING ORGANS IS SWELLING TO NATIONAL HEIGHTS!

WE ARE CHAMPIONS. WE GOT THIS DONE!

LA ENJOY.

I LOVE THE SMELL OF SMOLDERING CARS IN THE MORNING . . . IT SMELLS LIKE . . . VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Cool Dudes on Jun 15, 2009 10:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

MESSAGE TO HOME BASE, 6/14/09,19:39 PST, FROM ORLANDO, FL

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 11:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Must read from Kevin Ding about Kobe's coaching

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-ariza-gasol-2464110-lakers-jackson

And if anyone knows what shooting drill Kobe gave Ariza, I would love to know, because he could sell that now and make a fortune.

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Jun 15, 2009 11:50 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

that is a great article

"Elvis Andrus has just preformed a MIRACLE!"
-Eric Nadel, 5/4/09

by Mizzou12 on Jun 15, 2009 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This might have left out one important figure

and that would be Craig Hodges. He’s the shooting coach that Ariza worked with last year when he was out with the injury and just helped him hone his form.

So let’s give some credit to Mr. Hodges too.

by hertagnism on Jun 15, 2009 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs