Los Angeles Lakers 2009 NBA Champions

The Lakers are the 2009 NBA Champions, winning their 15th title with a 99-86 win over the Orlando Magic.

The Magic trying to extend the series was aggressive at the start of the game, hustling, defending and forcing
Lakers to take bad shot selections which resulted in a nine point lead on 6-15 score early in the first quarter.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson didn’t want the lead to increase and called a timeout. LA went out on a 5 point run via Kobe Bryant which fueled the entire team to narrow the gap until the first quarter ended with Orlando only having a 2 point lead, 28-26.

Dwight Howard started the second quarter with back to back baskets, trying to will his team to victory giving the Magic a 6 point lead, 34-28. Kobe, the man on a mission, scored a reverse dunk, to start a Lakers run. The former MVP did everything – running the floor, dishing out assists, calling out plays, rebounding the ball, which resulted in Fisher, Odom and Ariza scoring three point shots in the second quarter and the game suddenly turned in favor of the Lakers getting a lead as high as 12 points. The quarter ended with Lakers leading by 10 points, 56-46. Kobe finished the half with 15 points while Trevor Ariza had 12 points. Trevor who was once a Magic, made his former team pay by making big baskets after another before halftime.

During Kobe’s halftime interview, he noted that the Lakers focused on defense to force turnovers when Orlando raced to a 9 point lead.

Lakers wanted to send a message that the Magic are not getting back on the game at the start of the 3rd quarter committing 2 quick fouls in the first minute of the game, asserting that no easy basket or plays are coming to Orlando. The Lakers were on fire early on with Odom scoring back to back 3 point shots. This is a big problem for Orlando because whenever Odom scores big, it’s almost impossible to beat the Los Angeles. Kobe, Fisher, Ariza, Gasol, Odom were in synch defending, passing, scoring as they kicked the lead to 16 points. Kobe Dwight Howard has shown his inexperience in this game as he committed his 5th foul with 1:14 seconds remaining in the third quarter. At this point, it seems that Lakers are on their way to winning the title.

Throughout the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Magic never had a run and the Lakers never slept on defense and continued to cramp down on Howard and the rest of the Magic. With 1:15 second remaining the Lakers leading by 11, Gasol blocked a driving layup by Lewis which is perhaps the defining moment on why the Lakers have come this far -- Defense. Offense is not an argument for the purple and gold team, but the way they cramped down the lanes until the last moments of the game makes this team deserving to win the series with a 4-1 score.

Congratulations to Kobe Bryant for finally winning a championship without Shaq. Congratulations to Phil Jackson for winning his 10th title and becoming the winningest coach in history. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers for winning their 15th title as the 2009 NBA Champions.

Image from NBA.

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