Game 7 of 2010 NBA Finals: For All the Marbles

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers took part in the very final game of the 2009-2010 NBA season. This series was truly spectacular. The Lakers ended up on top with a come-from-behind win. The final score was 83-79. At one point, the Celtics had a thirteen point lead in the third quarter. The Lakers constantly chipped away at their deficit. They took their first lead in the second half when Kobe Bryant made a couple of free throws in the middle of the fourth quarter to make it 63-61. After that, the Lakers did not look back. Bryant struggled shooting the ball, but he had help from Ron Artest who finished with twenty points. The Celtics were without starting center, Kendrick Perkins, who injured his knee in game six. Kobe led all scorers in game seven with twenty-three points, and without a doubt, he took home the MVP trophy of the series by averaging nearly thirty points a game. Paul Pierce led Boston with eighteen points, and Garnett had another good night with seventeen. Ever since his Jordan-like performance in game two, Ray Allen has been basically ice cold from the floor. Rasheed Wallace took Perkins' spot in the starting lineup. He played excellent defense and provided some much needed offense to start. However, he took himself out of the game in the fourth from being winded. This might be if for Wallace who is thinking about a possible retirement. Some say age is catching up to the Boston Celtics. No one expected them to make it this far. They finished the regular season very sloppy. They suffered many injuries throughout the season. No one gave them a chance against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the players of the Celtics came together ready to play at the right time. They entered into the 2010 playoffs as a four seed in the East, and made it all the way to the finals. Celtics went home without a championship, but their season was not a disappointment or a failure. It was a great success. Head coach Doc Rivers expects to take some time off to spend time with his family. The Celtics have a strong team. Despite age, they are going to be top contenders in the NBA for the next few years. The Celtics gave the Lakers a finals to remember. Yesterday marked the first time the Lakers beat the Celtics in a game seven. Bryant won his fifth ring (his second without Shaq), and Phil Jackson won his eleventh (six with the Bulls, five with the Lakers). Phil Jackson is going to go down as the best coach in NBA history whether he coaches next year or retires. Kobe Bryant is clearly the best player in the NBA, and he added to his legacy. After the Lakers' game seven victory, some consider Bryant to be the best Laker of all time. Bryant now has the same number of rings as Magic Johnson has (another Laker great). This series did not end the way I wanted it to finish, but both teams put on amazing displays of individual talent and teamwork. It just so happened that the team that won the rebounding battle each game end up winning the game in the end. The Lakers out rebounded the Celtics in game seven, and they came away with the victory. The Celtics played like the better team, but the individual effort of Kobe Bryant somehow prevailed. Congratulations to both teams on such marvelous seasons. Hopefully, the greatest rivalry in basketball will produce another exciting NBA finals in the near future. Los Angeles Lakers. Boston Celtics. Best NBA Finals I have witnessed.