Lakers Can’t Find True Identity From LBJ-Kobe Duel

The audience erupted in roars, primal screams that rattled the arena in South Beach and, when all the folks were seen in seas of black cheering on LeBron James, it was obvious he suddenly was the rising star on this night. It’s a glaring notion that we are witnesses of two megastars that occupy our own consciousness as we are brainwashed by those Nike advertisements.


If he wants to settle an overexposed debate, in the meantime, Kobe Bryant must outscore James in a star-studded duel, but he’s not focused on outshining his nemesis and too busy promoting the Kobesystem, another illuminati commercial to endorse his product. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes easy for Bryant, who finds himself in a debate even though he owns five rings – more than the average player in this generation. He’s not, however, the most likable player as some disbelievers prefer to applaud James when he give up his claim to all-time greatness, crowning him prematurely as if he wears a ring.

So now what? It was a hideous shooting night for Bryant, and then the Kobe Lakeshow wasn’t on its regularly scheduled program or never aired in Miami, where James grabbed all the attention and showboated as usual, settling for 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and three blocks to dominate the Lakers single-handedly. Maybe he doesn’t show it by his facial expressions – but he still, in his heart, hates losing to James.

The Lakers and Heat meeting in the NBA Finals?

It’s a possibility, a large possibility.

As much as the Lakers often lose to the Heat, Bryant normally becomes frustrated or petulant following a disappointing letdown on the national stage that centers two megastars, maybe even the greatest NBA entertainers in such a captivating show business – and cannot ever beat James to mute an endless Kobe vs. LeBron discussion. This 98-87 anticlimax on Thursday was a sign that the Lakers are still a work in progress, not equipped to strive for another title, seeking for an identity with new head coach Mike Brown and younger role players.

The evolution of this team couldn’t have been more than dire straits when the Lakers had no ferocity, no mental toughness, no heart or fight to slow down James. The night revolved around James, and there he was, flying past everyone in gold uniforms, while fighting flu-like symptoms. It means we’re seeing a sudden rise in James’ performance, putting on a show for fans in Miami and outplaying his childhood idol in every meeting to cap an NBA masterpiece almost like no other. It also means, on the flip side of things, that the Lakers are NOT competent or moxie to battle for the gleaming hardware, with many flaws to still fix within a fluctuant offense.

This promises to be an excruciating marathon of the Lakers’ erratic season, when the front office can relieve a tremendous amount of pressure off Bryant by trading Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace in exchange for Dwight Howard as the team can use another star player hungry enough and willing to team up with the Black Mamba and meet the challenge for the run at a title. It took an embarrassing loss to the Heat for the Lakers to determine certainly that their offense is inconsistent, weakened and soft.

It’s one thing to assume the Lakers are vehement, potent and built with the most talent in the NBA, which we began to discover weak spots as now would be a good time for resurrecting the frailty within a languid offense. But it’s another to witness them relapse already in such a young season because of injuries or either softness, to see a noteworthy pro basketball team in shambles that has become the hottest storyline.

The ending to this horror night in South Beach, where life for the Lakers turned pitch black as the weather forecast near the shores of Biscayne Bay called for strong winds from a wicked tropical storm, was frightful and painful as Kobe and his ineffective troops descended. That dreaded storm was James and the Heat. It’s usually a tough pill to swallow for Bryant, even more so when he loses to James over and over, unable to survive in a one-on-one duel as both players clash at center court, only to present an entertaining display on the NBA floor.

It hasn’t taken much to understand that Kobe and LeBron are the social fabric of basketball, an integral part of the economic and popularity in a growing enterprise, given that the NBA market is selling jerseys and tickets at most venues. It’s now easy to take in that James, in retrospect, doesn’t want to just fit in as an NBA star but also has the ambition to be a world-class athlete globally and market himself as an entrepreneur. Everyone knows when James and Bryant squares off — two of the NBA’s greatest — James always has the edge as his nemesis rashly backs down from the challenge, and so he continuously beats Bryant.

The Heat, for example, intimidated and terrified the Lakers to give us a clue on what they’ll be like the next few months, plainly not built for a championship run, suffering to make baskets and tighten up on defense, a number of troubles that has defaced L.A. for a long time. It’s almost foreshadowing to think that the Lakers are in a heap of trouble with this current roster, and refuse to entertain trade offers for Howard or another star player.

This was the moment for the Lakers to walk away with a victory against a championship-built team that was missing top guard Dwyane Wade because of an ankle injury. This was the moment for the Lakers to win without a healthy Miami Thrice unit on the floor that would have definitely presented more problems. It’s never good to see Chris Bosh, the tall, lanky inconsistent forward, cobbler the softest giant Andrew Bynum, who was blocked by James late in the game.

It’s never good to see James stealing a pass from Fisher, and running off in transition for a slam dunk that capped a 31-point performance. At the end of the game, Gasol rendered his emotions, covering his eyes and leaving the floor speechless. It’s apparent that a disconcerted Derek Fisher, sitting with two bags of ice on each knee while soaking his feet in a bucket after the game, is aging and closing in on his retirement to call it an accomplished career.

It’s apparent that Bryant is alone in acting as the aggressor and facilitator that provides not even enough energy or firmness to dominate at a high. The temptation to increasingly step up the intensity hasn’t been seen from the Lakers, a disengaged team with apathy and lethargy, struggling to find ways to win on the road where they are 1-5. If they have every desire to play for a championship, the Lakers must win in other territories and defeat decisive contenders, without losing to teams such as Chicago, Miami or the L.A. Clippers.

And so, as of now, the struggles continue.

Wake Up Busses: Harsh Reality Is, Lakers’ Era No More

Much as I try to respect the Buss family, for assembling star power and consistent winners in the past to own the well-known, beloved pro sports franchise in town, Jim Buss – the son of self-serving owner Jerry Buss – recently perceived as one of the inept co-chairmen in the NBA, is destroying the personality of his franchise.

It seems as if the Los Angeles Lakers, once a smart-minded organization primarily because the Busses opened their wallets to spend wisely and lavished star players, are turning into egomaniacs and dummies who are foolish enough to withdraw the effects of ascendancy for the foreseeable future.

From now on, it’s about revamping and hopes in returning to prominence, and even if the Lakers era unquestionably has come to an end, the storied franchise won’t ever win another championship with the current roster. If you expect the Lakers to win it all, shimmer under the bright lights on center stage in Hollywood, please realize that the team needs to acquire another skilled player or invest in supplementary pieces to dismiss the misfortunes and restore an engaged roster by surrounding Kobe Bryant with a dimensional supporting cast.

Until then, while sitting around waiting for the Lakers to conduct business by their considerable diplomacy in maybe pulling off a blockbuster deal for Dwight Howard –Orlando’s kryptonite center — they won’t have a profound foundation of winners. For one dreary afternoon at Staples Center, another Christmas Day that wasn’t so merry or cheerful in Los Angeles, a dispirited crowd seated in the building suddenly worried about the flaws seen after the Lakers had blown an 11-point lead in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.


The wasted opportunity, frighteningly enough, besieged what almost capped the nicest moment and the finest victory. And maybe now the Lakers became conscious of the missing pieces to reform an optimal team. There’s no joy in the City of Angels, a fear of failures and long-suffering droughts with expectations and pressure because of bloated egos, because the team arguably has the best closer in the game and, well, because the Lakers are widely considered one of the world-famous franchises in NBA history. The demise of the Lakers, suppressed by the mediocrity and infirmity, is oddly sweeping over purple and gold, and then evokes plenty of horror.

Bryant, playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist, is unhappy that his bosses traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2012 first-round draft pick. The loss of Odom, probably the best sixth man in the NBA, sends off a bad vibe as the Lakers are weaker and not favorites to win another championship, falling behind the Clippers in a town where they’ve rained on their neighbor’s parade – the in-town rivals in purple and gold.

Given that he’s a clutch performer of this generation, it’s bad not to surround, maybe the best entertainer in basketball, with a reliable supporter, such as those tough ballplayers on the streets – which would be physically built men with bruises and scratches to their faces and maybe even a Band-Aid seen on their forehead. This isn’t a team that plays aggressive like the rough boys from And1 mixtapes — but suddenly soft and passive, so the Lakers are not even close to being destined to winning a championship.

His challenge just became harder, and the circumstances of uncertainty have visited L.A.’s beloved sports team, as the burdens of mental toughness and urgency lies on the shoulders of Kobe, not yet requesting for a trade to play elsewhere when he is maligned by the front office boneheaded moves. Last time this happened, Bryant, unsatisfied and livid with the direction the team was headed, demanded a trade because the Lakers weren’t seeking to hire Jerry West as general manager, the former team executive who traded for Kobe in 1996.

It’s not surprising that he reportedly requested a trade out of Los Angeles and whined bitterly, after the front office’s aggressive pursuit of Chris Paul was a failed attempt to halt much promise in a deal that would have sent Pau Gasol to Houston and Odom to New Orleans. Having seen this episode before, I know the fluctuations of his mind: Satisfy Kobe “Bean” Bryant as much as possible. The Lakers, the most enigmatic, culture-riddled NBA team this season, barely seem like they are positioned to dominate in a condensed season, much less a franchise that can bring in a star player to share the ball with Bryant.

But now, as we often see the Kobe Lakeshow, an extravaganza on center stage that absorbs the spotlight in Hollywood, Bryant is worried about what direction the team is headed. What’s fascinating about a well-known L.A. spectacle, which happens at a lively venue, is that his show on the court entertains and entices the audience enough to awe true fans sitting courtside, including Lakers’ mascot Jack Nicholson. Seems he and his team, with sudden mortality, watches an era come to an end as common L.A. folks regularly scheduled program has been canceled for the time being.

Sure NBA commissioner David Stern, acting as the powerful owner of the Hornets, if not the mighty god of the NBA, blocked a megatrade for the all-star point guard. But what I dislike about Jim, the witless and dumbfounded co-owner of the Lakers, is that he’s dismantled the franchise to the point where it has become the least polished and interesting team in pro basketball. The first sign that the Lakers’ woes are far from over was a bit startling in recent weeks. It would be appropriate to realize that the Lakers had set their sights on acquiring Howard from Orlando and were in prime position to trade for him, but the Magic abruptly pulled the marketable sensation off the trade market.

There’s a feeling as of now, in contrary to the Buss family sending Odom to Dallas when he pouted and asked for a trade, that they are proposing a deal to trade both Andrew Bynum and Gasol. Mad with the world, turning an overblown situation into a soap opera, Odom boycotted the Lakers’ practice facility where he was a no-show on the first day of practice and asked for a trade. It isn’t the most satisfying moment for a high-market franchise with much tradition, wins and championships. Nor is life glamorous in Lakerland.

It’s always nice to have the best player in the game if this generation, if not on the planet in the midst of a foreign period for the Lakers. The distractions, in a town commonly badgered by the Hollywood drama and celebrity gossip, are swirling around Bryant in the aftermath of his wife Vanessa Bryant filing for divorce from the Lakers star player. The world was as shock as they are now, seeing the Lakers take a 0-2 skid to begin the season.

Is it time to panic in L.A.? Is this the time when Dr. Jerry Buss takes a few shots of Whiskey? Is this the time Kobe will request a trade out of town? Is this the time Kobe pisses off Jim and is foolishly granted his wish?

One has to wonder, not too sure what direction the Lakers are headed, as the front office made a few head-scratching moves. Not much in life, unless the Buss family conducts business by making poor alterations as the franchise become worse, upsets the minds of Lakers’ supporters. He prayed that he’d still lead the Lakers, knowing that he has enough in him, even if he’s getting old. Each time, Bryant is exhausted by a grueling shooting spectacle, hogging the ball to save his team from itself, to rescue the Lakers from hell. Such was his ability, finesse to score at will one night, when he compiled 81 points in a historic performance at Staples Center, or when he promoted the “Where Amazing Happens” NBA theme and wore the most intimidating expression. This was Bryant nearly three years ago, when he startled the world with his scowl game face.

While his eyes were possessed and focused heavily on his prey, as if he was a vampire ready to devour anyone’s blood, Kobe scored 40 points and single-handedly pummeled Orlando 100-75 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But the Lakers right now are nearing the end of an era, and indelible moments are not logical in duplicating at this point. If you care about the Lakers, a share of your soul is gone begging for the franchise to end a turbulent relationship and dump Gasol, even when he contributed to the team’s two recent titles, even when he was an x-factor in playoff games in the past.


And now, after two seasons with the Lakers where he’s been a four-time All-Star and entrenched as one of the star players, his reign in a purple and gold uniform has come to an end, washed up, useless, like an old dishrag. When it comes time to play, Gasol is a fearless, harmless tall lanky guy with a reputation of being lazy and soft, and has taken much criticism. Sorry, if he doesn’t have “Toughness” anywhere in his name, because in reality he’s softer than a marshmallow and will probably be on the trading block real soon.

His softness shows on the court, and opposing players have called him soft in the past, maybe the softest player in the NBA. At 37-years-old – or 37-years-young – for some who believe he’s still ageless, Derek Fisher is far from ageless but the oldest player on the court, certainly in the starting lineup – mind you. It sounds like he should be close to signing his retirement documents, too slow to keep his feet in front of younger point guards in the game and losing his lateral quickness for which he can’t defend.

The car flags’ are probably lowered at half-mast on many vehicles, and as much as life is dreary from Orange County to Santa Monica, it feels almost like the Lakers perished.

The challenge, meanwhile, is larger and more compelling. It’s time that the Buss family wake up and surround Bryant with a reliable supporting cast. And, just show you know, the Lakers have been to 32 NBA Finals and won 16 championships, but triumph has sadly culminated in a dying era. And a long the way, the Lakers are about to embark on a sizable rebuilding project -- at least that’s what is needed if they want to stay on top in the west and return to championship form. We now know for certain that the Lakers era ended, and it’s time to declare that triumph is over for Team Hollywood, one franchise that leaves us guessing and wondering strongly about any future plans.

When NBA legend Phil Jackson retired, the winningest coach in NBA history, it was a new tale for Jim and the Busses and at level of understanding the significance of replacing a legend – he brought in new Lakers head coach Mike Brown to begin a new coaching regime. When the front office failed to trade for two prime targets -- such as Howard -- general manager Mitch Kupchak, who is suffering from headaches amid potentially a lengthy transition period, the team couldn't rebuild talent, aura and reliance with all the agonizing pitfalls to become a below-average franchise.

But mainly, the pedigree and aspirations are lost, and the result is that the Lakers are a long ways from being a consistent winner, as vulnerable to losing against any team. The franchise has failed to retool, missing on big-name players once available on the trade market. That’s what happens with bad personnel decisions, the Lakers never had an opportunity to revamp. Ask Magic Johnson. Even he knows this current team doesn’t have enough to win a championship.

Are the Lakers the Colts of the NBA? You often wonder.

Kobe can’t do it alone. And Buss doesn’t realize it.

Lakers Fail to Give Fans Holiday Cheer

As a flurry of games were on the slate to begin the NBA season on Christmas Day, ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the city, die-hard, cheery fans were excited and the streets were quite festive near Staples Center – the house that Kobe built.

The lights were bright in the building for the city’s regularly scheduled program, and the Kobe Lakeshow absorbed much publicity from a torn ligament in Kobe Bryant’s right wrist that would require the star guard to undergo surgery, but he opted to play through the injury. The fans awaited the season opener, though the Los Angeles Lakers were hit by misfortunes.

The truth is, however, the Lakers need an instrumental piece. Primarily because the Lakers are on a mission to contend for another title, and yet again raise another championship banner to the rafters at Staples Center.

Considering that the Lakers are a long ways from returning to prominence without a reliable star that could fittingly play alongside Bryant, only validates what direction the franchise is headed.

But here’s hoping the Lakers aren’t in ruins, especially when dumbfounded Jim Buss, the man responsible for dismantling a championship-caliber team, says the Lakers have the pieces to be crowned world champions – without trading for Dwight Howard or after sending Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for nothing and a trade exception from a dizzying turning point of recent events.

Known as the Slam Dunk King early in his career, one of the most decorated players of his generation, Bryant is definitely the star of the Lakers as the burdens lie heavily on his shoulders.

The fact is, it seems he and his team are getting older, slower and more sluggish, incapable of playing a full 48 minutes without showing signs of tiredness in the first game of a shortened 66-game season.

So what we have is a pro basketball franchise harder to understand than a jigsaw puzzle, equivalent to the mystic of connecting dots on dot-to-dot puzzles, the team of all riddles that have the Lakers in much uncertainty.

If I were the Buss Family about now, I’d be propounding a deal that sends Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to Orlando in exchange for Howard. The expiration date on the Lakers' triumphant days are on the verge of a gloomy ending to what was a glamorous Hollywood script. But now the Lakers are a melting mess, all while they are close to returning to playoff form if they acquire a fixture and get rid of soft and feeble-minded players.

As he settled for 28 points, despite his eight turnovers from his poor ball-handling -- in a grueling, nail-biting, tight, heartbreaking 88-87 loss to the Chicago Bulls – Bryant’s scoring masterpiece wasn’t enough. The game never had a dull moment, and Bryant never slowed down.

Not once in the game did he grimace in pain, not once was he weary. As seen so often, watching the Kobe Lakeshow under the bright lights in Hollywood, the Lakers heard swish after the swish, and Bryant was the hottest shooter on the floor.

For Bryant, a five-time world champion, a future Hall of Famer, he drove right, drew three defenders and had his shot blocked by Luol Deng. The ending was so heart-shattering, so gut-wrenching that the game’s best closer boldly attacked the rim and tried to finish on a game-winning layup.

But while he was double teamed near mid-court after an inbounds pass and after trying to distribute the ball, generally a play the Lakers execute brilliantly, Deng was pesky and stepped in the way of an errant pass.

It was a pass intended for Gasol, a play created to score easily in the paint, but Deng stole the ball and delivered it to Derrick Rose that set up the game-winner.

The moment finally arrived that Rose drove the lane and heaved a floating shot, scoring 22 points and helping the Bulls rally from an 11-point deficit late in the fourth quarter.

You can say the Lakers gave this one away. You can say they blew it. You can say, yet they lost it in the final minutes, that the Lakers are a team to be reckoned with, but only a fool would believe they are dominant.

The reality is, after losing in the closing minutes and blowing a lead, the Lakers have no fighting chance, committing costly mistakes and missing half of their jump shots. The fact that Kobe is surrounded by players with many personalities plays a critical role as well.

Looking more like a confused nut -- especially if you change your birth name to some peculiar name – Metta World Peace has a few marbles missing in his brain cells, he can’t shoot the ball effectively and is expendable for the $22 million price tag remaining on his deal over the next three years. It’s time, it really is, that we come to our senses and understand that Gasol is soft, maybe even the softest player in the league.

For the presence of Steve Blake, he has bricked more threes than he has made them. Matt Barnes doesn’t have that firepower or mental toughness he once had when he played in Orlando. Where it stands with Derek Fisher is that he’s not quick enough to keep pace with the younger and speedy legs as an aging point guard. Without Odom, the Lakers are weaker, missing arguably the best sixth man in the NBA.

At the age 33, Bryant is still the Lakers superstar, as painful as it is to perform efficiently with an injured right wrist. But the Lakers gave away a game they could have won, losing to the vintage Bulls. The Lakers, wearing their Sunday white jerseys and playing in front of a national audience, squandered an opportunity to prevail on center stage and appease L.A. sports fans.

The dreaded lockout is over, at last, and folks in town witnessed the No. 1 pro franchise in Los Angeles. This was supposed to be the prefect Christmas gift, but more than anything it was a heartbreaker. It was as if Mr. Grinch had stolen Christmas from the Lakers, as if Old St. Nick had marked them on his naughty list, as if you were reading a Charles Dickens tale.

It’s quite easy to figure out where the Lakers stand at this point, blowing an 11-point lead that eclipsed new head coach Mike Brown's debut and crushed the team's momentum. Among all things, the Lakers would miss free throws, commit clumsy turnovers and fouls with a few blown defensive assignments.

After all, it was never pretty. The Lakers never played well. They played much like no one expected, because of all their disadvantages on a Sunday afternoon at home.

What a stunning turn of events at Staples Center, where a disillusioned sellout crowd left early. If the Lakers had handled business by reconfiguring a deal for Chris Paul, after the deal was hopeful two weeks ago that they had agreed to send Gasol to Houston and Odom to New Orleans in exchange for Paul until NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal, Paul would have joined forces with Kobe and maybe even Howard to keep the franchise on top in the future.

The flirtation with Paul was the talk of the town, and now everyone is chatting about the final seconds of the first game that the Lakers gave away, after solely relying on Bryant and turning complacent and lackadaisical in critical moments.

The best player of this generation, if not on the planet – held the ball to take the final shot and clinch the game-winner, but he was shut down, trapped and smothered tightly.

The growth of the kids Devin Ebanks and Andrew Goudelock was impressive, a pair of young players shooting a combined six for eight. The inside presence of Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy was astonishing, two new players combining for 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.

But late in the game, as they were weary and lazy, the Lakers unraveled and lost touch. And then, Gasol and McRoberts each missed two free throws as the Bulls scored to cut the deficit to one.

If the Christmas Day opener told us something, it told us that the Lakers need to address any team flaws. It all starts by making one more move, which would be a trade for a quality star.

I hope it’s a New Year’s resolution.

Basketball Is Back? NBA Parties Finally Compromise, Cede Egos

The labor talks no longer echo through our minds, sweeter than ever, as the players are back to the hardwood already to save half of the NBA season possibly and, you know, maybe even stand as a purpose in humankind. It took a 15-hour negotiation between NBA and player representatives in New York that lingered into early Saturday morning to end the long-suffering of an impasse.

This was, the work stoppage that is, enough to postpone half of the season, enough to spawn reactions of fans, exasperated and indifferent by a lockout in an age of the most fragile economic downturn. If this is finally over and concludes a preposterous 149-day work stoppage that subverted the competitive nature and the integrity of the game, then we’ll probably see exhibitions or Christmas Day games for season-openers. It’s all resolved in time before the cancellation of games had torpedoed and depreciated over time to further reduce earnings, downsizing jobs amid a recession with all the devoted attention on amortization for every franchise.

And although it took long enough, by now thousands of ushers are relieved to finally assist visitors in venues to their seats. Thank goodness concession stand workers can breathe a sigh of relief, whereas bartenders can serve drinks at the local bars and grills. The desperate fans, at long last, can buy unsold tickets from scalpers standing outside of events, often reselling them from brokers’ offices at extravagant prices.

This puts everyone back in business, a better strategic position for gaining profit – and potentially, all people are winning now that the parties have resolved their differences. The basketball season is upon us, and right on time, the sides came to their senses and realized the repercussions had they not acted proactively. The loss of 16 regular-season games and the preseason cost the owners and players about $400 million.

After nearly four months in rejecting the estimate 50-50 revenue split that owners and players reached a tentative deal on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, ultimately the NBA made progress to avoid the shame of becoming the second North American sports league to forfeit an entire season. The lack of movement from owners for months, many of whom were stubborn and reluctant in compromising, was for the sake of a better league and owners weren’t afraid to cancel a season. Like most owners, they were selfishly manipulated by their huge egos.

It’s folly to suggest that owners’ wallets had began to shrink all for greed and ego, an issue that has ruined the integrity and goodwill, not recognizing that a canceled season would have taken years for the league to recover and restore a damaged image. The parties knew it was imperative to curtail the nonsense, greediness and selfishness, and nobody really knows whether a 66-game schedule that begins with three eventful games on Christmas will actually bring more titillation.

And unlike most, Derek Fisher, the players’ union president, came to his senses at last, so the league can salvage what is left of the season – or at least protect the association from an absolute collapse. Suppose it could have been worse. If so, the game could have been ruined by finances and egos, but then the parties decided to ratify a deal before it was too late. The man also behind this has been Billy Hunter, the union’s executive director. The other man behind this has been commissioner David Stern, an unrelenting and disciplinary overseer, who might have fortified his mystified legacy.

Get this, the NBA is back.

This is all fine and dandy, especially when each week left us guessing the fate of the season. There was a time, of course, when it seemed that the ultimate Christmas gift was never on the list until the NBA made a list and checked it twice, eradicating fuss and bloated egos. And to see as the players and owners kissed and compromised, putting aside an endless fight essentially settling a deal that includes rougher luxury taxes, shorter guaranteed contracts and reduced mid-level exception to as a few as three years, it was understanding the two sides ceded ego and selfishness.

Suffice to say that they were more attentive as they exercised the significance of growth. And, really, Fisher and Hunter were responsible for getting the deal done, well, most of it anyway. The NBA season, once in shambles and under attack by raging fans, is lifted from the lockout and scheduled to begin on the next holiday, suddenly the industry distinguished for handling business timely.

The fear and anxiety has been released, finally, removing the bleakness – though Fisher requested to take the 50/50 split of basketball related income while Hunter insisted on rejecting the propose deal. Furthermore, when the time was right, they both reached a settlement in the best interest of the league, not only for themselves. There will always be plenty of blame on Fisher and Hunter, but after all each of them were fully alert and reached an agreement. There won’t be a missed season and $2 billion is sitting on the table for players, along with the highest average salary in North American sports history.

If not for Hunter, the union would have spent millions on lawyers involved in litigation. This league has competitive balance for the NBA, and now LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony among them are smiling.

David Stern Dismantles NBA, As We Laugh

His legacy is forever tarnished, NBA commissioner David Stern, simply for poisoning the association that he has not overseen too well, sabotaging the integrity of the sport, when he is most famous for the globalization in basketball, and lastly, losing power in his vision for the league.

The NBA recently undermined its brand and dismantled its product by the apathy and its unwillingness to save the league, secure the wealthy enterprise from harm in the decrease in revenue. It was no surprise not to hear much noise on 63rd street, one of the busiest streets in New York, where Billy Hunter walked into view as cameramen swarmed around him to capture the best possible photo shot.

When he walked and stood on the sidewalk, tired of the madness from the prolonged lockout that has created chaos more than peace, reporters gathered to interview Hunter, who is beyond petulant and fatigue.

The more ridiculous notion is that Stern is humiliated when he announced the NBA cancelled the first two weeks of the season Monday night. The cancellation of the season for the industry is absurd and has gotten to the point when both sides are far apart in a unanimous agreement to end the labor fuss.

"It goes back to a comment that David said to me several years ago, when he said this is what my owners have to have," Hunter said Monday night. "And I said, 'Well, the only way you're going to get that is, you prepare to lock us out for a year or two.' And he's indicated to me that they're willing to do it. So my belief and contention is that everything that he's done has demonstrated that he's following that script."

The script, however, is destroying his legacy -- a reputation that never really existed for a man who never had control of his own business as team owners dictated how the business is ran. The clock was ticking for the two sides to place a deal on the table, but the stupidity and greed defaced the beauty of pro basketball and exasperated a handful of disgruntled fans.

It's one of the craziest scenarios in NBA history, and Stern is highly responsible for the corruption, with basketball destroyed in the bleak era of labor talks. For all the commotion that has forestalled the season, thus the whole season may not be lost unless the two sides cannot end the ugliness of labor disputes -- as advertised -- he is after all revealing to fans that he is the worst commissioner in sports.

This is how it is for Stern, and secured with the knowledge of understanding the anger from fans, he fled the hotel and wisely left on 63rd Street and the corner of Lexington Avenue. He fought off a multitude of reporters at the NBA labor meetings and hastily left the hotel by walking through an empty lobby.

And near the end of his news conference, in denial and refusing to acknowledge the truth in regards to the hideous lockout, not only reducing businesses' revenue in cities but also crushing the credibility of the well-respected league other than football, he avoided the media.

It's a trend that should continue for quite some time, and everywhere he goes until the lockout comes to an end, he'll be ashamed of showing his face in the public and frightened over the possibility of hacklers. The confusion of his lockout that cost regular-season games was the result for Stern having uneasiness. It was, of all things, a moment that fended off the madness when he walked under the hotel canopy to issue his announcement.

The labor dispute will forever smudge his legacy, and in his regime, he's never ruled as commissioner but failed by his poor judgment. If he wants to stay in power, after everybody have suggested that he cannot give the owners hegemony to manipulate the process of labor talks.

In the midst of the contentious stupidity between NBA players and owners, Stern has lost support, he's not the unrelenting, he's not the disciplinary head honcho and he's listening to the owners, falling into their deceptive trap of disingenuous games. As the most hated commissioner in pro sports, he notoriously has lost not only prestige in his tenure but he lost power with his owners, and doesn't even have the voice to stand up to their nonsense.

If he ever wants the regards of as commissioner in this generation, he'd have to heel the woes and undo his failures, engaged in his pride and legacy more than he is in restoring order for basketball. It figures, given that the owners manipulated the cancellation because they truly believe they can obtain a stiffer luxury tax to provide competitive balance.

The owners are asking for the league the sport to uphold financial losses, but the stubborn businessmen haven't seen progress so are willing to waste an entire season. It's the second half-season NBA lockout under Stern, and here he is again getting pushed around by the richest owners. He's in the toughest position, and has decided to cancel the regular-season games until further notice, refusing to give his effort in encouraging players in discussion for a new collective bargaining agreement.

With the cancellation of games, having gotten uglier and more chaotic, the league lost an estimate $200 million from the two weeks of cancelled games. In the meantime, owners will attempt to regain the money with another proposal to make matters worse for a league of selfish team owners and a powerless commissioner in a volatile and unbalanced business.

It's a lingering fuss over money, a convoluted ordeal that has become grotesque and presents the lack of professionalism, integrity and dignity. It's a shame both sides, including Stern as well in these dire situations, act like children unable to have successful negotiations to stop the endless dispute. Fans are upset. Owners are selfish. And Stern is impotent. It almost reached the point that some players’ agents were in agreement to decertify the union a couple of weeks ago.

More than anything, it was a fray between Stern and fans, more than it was a fight between Stern and the players or which ever position the dispute has taken. What it is, of course, is Stern wants to be the important one in all of this mess, he wants to speak for everyone, and risk his sport in a courtroom.

Has it ever dawn on him, with two weeks of the regular season lost and the shortage of profit, that he is publicly humiliating his own association, destroying a game with an influx of star players and instead minding his owners? He's not a winner, but his owners are winners. He doesn't feel sorry for fans, and couldn't care less about NBA fans.

All he cares about his earning his fair share of bonuses. In this case, the NBA is beyond repair and the images are washed away by the failures and ineptitude. The public has lost respect for Stern, refusing to hear apologies and realizes he's in the business for himself. Aiming to earn his huge salary, his bonus money, he's not focused on finding a cure for the corroded business he poorly runs.

The politics are trivial to fans, and the fans shouldn't find the fuss important. Amid all this silliness, Stern has been on the owners’ side and the players offered givebacks, but Stern and his owners mocked them and disapproved it. For years now, the owners were confident Stern would be on the same level as the players. When there is billions involved, the last thing the agents want is a loss in the war.

The harsh reality is that Stern is not a manipulator, but a damn crook in it for the money, if nothing else. A few years ago he called ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who was banned from the league for his point-shaving scandal, a "rogue, isolated criminal," but we're not too sure whether he's a rogue as well. His agenda, as it turns out, is making more money, not revitalizing the game when players have been contacted to meet in Miami and Los Angeles to resolve the disparity.

The worst of all is Stern lagging in negotiations, pushing back deadlines with his self-imposed meetings, but then the union promptly cancels the player meetings and return to the cureless negotiations that have no point. The talks never resolved anything on Monday and a deal wasn't put into order in a timely fashion. It's quite simply owners are asking the players to take cuts in their salaries in an awful business, losing profit with the fragile economy that is a mean recession.

Derek Fisher, Players Association president, is trying to resolve the issue and suggested that players post inspirational words on Twitter. The truth is players in defense have every right to battle in the war, particularly because the players are those who bring the revenue and excitement which lure fans to brace the sport. But it's believable to assume that the players will become involve in the tussle, confident the fight will soon end.

It's hard to imagine with Stern in the commissioner's chair.

Lakers Need to Revamp, After Embarrassing Downfall

Together, they were soft, feeble and spongy, whether it was overconfidence or tiredness, ignoring Andrew Bynum's insightful remarks on the lack of chemistry, cohesiveness and trust after Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. What's so easy to forget, when blinded by the invincibility as if the Los Angeles Lakers weren't vulnerable for attack and couldn't collapse in the postseason, a season featuring much unpredictability and astonishing events, is that the Lakers were on decline and requires an extreme makeover.


It's vital to the Lakers' stagnant personality that the front office handles the offseason with urgency and revamps the roster for the betterment of the future, within a franchise built with mystique and megastars. What did Kobe Bryant think of the fatality, an embarrassing demolition, which clinched the series for the Dallas Mavericks and ended the triumph for the Lakers to remind the Los Angeles' folks of the latest demise pulverizing a storied franchise?

It marked the first time in quite a while, wearing a towel with a depressing gaze on his face not having his usual intimidating facial features, that Bryant walked out of the shower dazed and frustrated, stepped onto the podium in the conference room somberly and walked off in tremendous shock. He was stronger and matured in a way, loaded with five championship rings in an era the Lakers preserved triumphant feats. While before the press, addressing a swarm of reporters sitting cramped in the room, he did not whine about the loss and acknowledged the winners, discussing the lack of dominance and effort to crowd and disrupt the Mavs.

Either Dallas was too much to disrupt or either the Lakers were too apathetic, lethargic and doltish. Seems it's clearly hard to intrude the minds of the erratic Lakers, a perplexing riddle in the NBA as the majority try to figure out what happened with the defending champs, collapsing in the postseason by not fighting efficiently or playing as a composed unit. So what's the problem for a team that cannot defy the odds of defending its title when the team isn't fierce or intimidating for the opposing opponent?

Nobody is afraid of the two-time defending champs with the intangibles to match the Lakers' firepower, durability and strength, unevenly outplaying and bullying Team Hollywood. But for some reason, probably because the Lakers were too pompous and comfortable as L.A. continued to reign as the most prominent franchise in the NBA, the well-respected basketball team in Los Angeles wasn't focused and failed to fiercely battle and allowed the Mavs to slaughter them. The face of the Lakers, for the rare defeat that sent a wakeup call to the Busses, is anything but flawless and hopeful. It would be convenient for the Lakers to clean house and seek a rebuilding plan to rebuild by surrounding Bryant with youth and athleticism.

This offseason, the Busses need to bring in explosive guards and a physique seven-foot center. So now, the Lakers should have Orlando's potent seven-footer Dwight Howard in mind and target Superman, given his maximized skills and capacity to rule the paint with his tallness that creates a sublime post presence. That's all the more reason the Lakers must consider proposing a trade offer, a package deal sending Pau Gasol aka Paula Gasoft and Ron Artest to Orlando for Howard and Jason Richardson.

It's not such a bad suggestion, but a shrewd conception for a franchise in desperate need of a severe transition to inevitably bypass the torture of staggering postseason debacles that produces horror with all the misgivings. No matter what, in retrospect, the NBA is a business and it is cruel at times, compelling a legion of teams to listen to trade offers and reach a consensus for a player that blends in with the rest of the players and its depleted roster. And so it should come as no surprise that the Lakers could send Steve Blake, Derek Fisher, Matt Barnes, Shannon Brown and Artest packing.

For that matter, any player other than Kobe, the centerpiece in the Lakers future. Meanwhile, for the most accomplished coach all-time, Phil Jackson can drift into the sunset on strong terms, despite a heartbreaking exit in the semifinals of the weirdest postseason seen in a long time. In his glamorous coaching career, he migrated from New York where he was a hippie in the 70s and played ball, then fled to the Windy City in Chicago where he was fortunate in mentoring arguably the greatest player all-time Michael Jordan and then left for the beaches in Southern California to guide Kobe and the Lakers to five NBA titles.


The perfect ending for a historic legacy would be this summer after he earned his 11th title last June when the Lakers won back-to-back titles in his spectacular career, cemented by Los Angeles' wonderful journey before the era approached a rare closure. In his tenure, he established a legacy in L.A. and had been the proudest symbol of modern coaches in pro sports best known for teaching the fundamentals of basketball with his psychological mind games, which had a strong impact on the Lakers in recent memory. This was, above all, a surprising series for the Lakers, a series of devastation and it showed signs of deterioration for the dysfunctional two-time defending champs.

If nothing else, given the painful relapses in the horrifying series against the Mavs, the Lakers three-peat and Kobe's pursuit of his sixth title were endangered by Game 2 of the horrid series. By the time it was over, for the 65-year-old coach who is the most decorated legend in NBA history, he walked off the court with a widened smile, acknowledging and congratulating his antagonist while accepting praise by others, ready to call it a career and decided to depart with the most successful odyssey by any NBA coach in history.

As for the amazing pursuit of procuring his sixth title to tie Jordan in championships, Bryant gave all his effort but the Lakers dwindled in an embarrassing sweep and disintegrated under the burden of enormous disgrace and surrendered to the Mavs. It's one thing to respond with no energy or bitterness down 3-0 in a series. It's another when the team refuses to attack, recover and stay alive in the best-of-seven series with faith that a historic comeback is probable. The absolute laziness and unwillingness to defend the value of a title, not avoiding the sweep by the Mavs to reduce the humiliation and derision over the next couple of weeks, creates a publicity disaster for the Lakers. And in the upcoming weeks, L.A. will be bashed for such paltry responses against the hungrier and mightier Mavs.

Aside from it all, the next coach in line?

Well, if you prefer to keep Bryant content and want creativity and resiliency, then Brian Shaw, a favorable candidate to fill in the vacancy when Jackson announces his retirement and forges his signature on the documents, is the man worth hiring for the job. It was pitiful and entirely dispirited the way the Lakers played, revealing signs of oldness and fatigue in their sudden demise.

Mortals, anyone?

The Lakers can use a roster upgrade, revamping not only the starters but the bench players as well. When the Lakers are devoid of respect and a championship, when Team Hollywood is subjected to destruction and stands on the brink of elimination, the specifics normally are that the Lakers consists of an old and attenuated roster. Now that the generation has ended for the Lakers and unleashed ignominy, with rants from people on what future plans L.A. might want to consider down the road, it's imperative they retool before returning to prominence.

And after observing the Lakers lose in the semifinals to the Mavs, unable to survive the series by keeping it alive, the priority for Los Angeles should be remodeling the whole roster and surrounding Bryant with younger and explosive talent. The vanity of heart and guts destroyed the Lakers faith when L.A. erroneously blew a 16-point lead in Game 1, the one contest in the series that dictated the momentum and shifted the sense of belief. From there, the Mavs hijacked each game of the stunning series.

If the Lakers fail to renovate in the offseason, primarily because the Buss family is too stubborn-minded or too egomaniacal in spending massively on a megastar, then it won't ever be resolved and they'll continue to behave like punks and utterly be blown out in an uncompetitive match up. As long as the Lakers lineup is old and motionless -- almost ineffective in protecting sharpshooters from beyond the arc -- they'll have trouble defending the pick-and-roll or setting up to run the triangle efficiently.

In other words, the Lakers will never, ever be a sufficient defensive-minded unit, particularly with old, soft and slow depth in the lineup. Near the ending, and near the beginning of an annihilation, aging heavyweights lost composure and self-esteem by their body language in the final quarter. When it all ended, putting aside the debate of a potential repeat in June, it was grisly as the Lakers had poor sportsmanlike conduct with their bad actions on the court.


The nightmarish episodes were frustrating and despicable for the Lakers to bear, as the team was awfully routed in a demoralizing 122-86 loss. That led to the wretched behavior, when Lamar Odom stupidly sent Dirk Nowitzki to the floor on his cheap shot and later was ejected. Then, moments later, there was Andrew Bynum delivering a hard blow to Dallas' J.J. Barea.

It was outrageous and uncalled for.

At the very top level is Jackson, for a coach who achieved a legion of greatness. This is a permanent exit, realizing he has accomplished enough to leave wearing a smile, evidently calm and proud, even if he has fallen short of his fourth three-peat. Years from now the Lakers will reflect on the final game in their powerful regime and recall Jackson's unparalleled coaching achievements. It turned ugly rapidly and midway in the second quarter, the Lakers trailed by 18 and they were very incompetent, enough to force Jackson in calling two full timeouts. At that point the Lakers were done when Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic fired three-point shots and dismantled the defense, which made a baffled Barnes' afternoon miserable and exhausted a drained Fisher.

What is shockingly mind-blowing is that the Lakers abandoned their throne, succumbing to the Mavs, who were successful in dethroning the Lakers and sending an influential statement.

"I don't think we played bad to start the game," Jackson said. "But in that second quarter, the roof fell in on us."

No, the Lakers played horribly and were outscored a staggering 36-16 in the second quarter. Not once did they seem hungry or feisty in challenging and battling with the Mavs to keep their championship dreams alive. It kind of brought back the dreadful memories where the Lakers dropped Game 6 in the 2008 NBA Finals by 39 points to Boston for vividly the most humiliating letdown in franchise history. And now a 36-point margin of victory, the largest of the game.

Alas, it sadly ended for the Lakers in such a dreaded cessation.

Lakers Wild-Swinging Block Party Provokes Dynasty

LOS ANGELES--As a glamorous parade crowded and journeyed through Figueroa Street, on an overcastted afternoon that suddenly brightened into sunny skies, the Lakers superstars rode down the street, waving and expressing their appreciation with thousands of Lakers faithful.

There were vibes wandering in the players, coaching staff, and rabid fans' minds that Team Hollywood can repeat.

There's a probable chance that the Lakers can return to prominence and win back-to-back-to-back trophies. Confetti would fall from the rafters at Staples Center, the team would loft a gleaming trophy and add a 17th banner inside the much-publicized scene in Los Angeles.

Wearing a stylish Black Mamba T-shirt, Kobe Bryant waved and gestured genially and lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy, delighted and impressed with the turnaround. He shared a memorable day and a piece of historic masterpieces with the gracious populace who jubilated in peace and unity.

It’s always a surreal dream to witness Bryant, whose hospitable smile warmed the emotions of lifelong Lakers fans who've never had the privilege of seeing the greatest player on earth in person.


For all the heart and talent they showed, the Lakers were discovered Monday afternoon touring the town in a well-deserving joyride, maneuvering in two flat-bed trucks that hijacked most of the streets in downtown to give way to the festivities.

In the wake of sustaining back-to-back triumphs after winning their 16th title in franchise history, pulling closer to their nemesis the Boston Celtics 17 championships, the most among any NBA franchise, the Lakers are focusing on repeating again.

Judging by the depth, size and talent, Team LA can remain famous in a town where celebrities are embraced and overexposed at times.

And of course, we want to disconnect from all the shame and heartless idiots who are spiritless in a community where dumbasses riot the town instead of celebrating with pride and dignity.

If the hardest thing in sports is to win three times in a row, then the Lakers are stuck with high expectations. They're already predicted as next year's team to beat.

It surely was an indicator last week, when Bryant had an abysmal shooting night, missing numerous jumpers in a particularly poor performance.

But with the contributions from his lofty supporting cast, the Lakers survived and outlived the reinforced Celtics with perseverance and stamina, strengthening all blemishes to erase frailty that almost devastated a promising season.

This could have been the season that the defending champions were dethroned for apathy and botches during an obscure playoff run.

Fact is, if the Lakers blueprint is to avoid another season of fiascoes and remain in the postseason picture without suffering the early ouster, the Buss family may want to persuade Phil Jackson to remain Lakers head coach and would be wise to retain the Zen Master.

As we know, he’s the most accomplished coach in sports history, owning 11 championship rings, more than any professional coach throughout history. In his exquisite career, he has been fortunate to mold and cultivate big-name superstars with incredible talent and unparalleled achievements, in the legendary Michael Jordan and now the intellectual Bryant.

The Lakers are assembling a dynasty during an era where stars are burgeoning as primer megastars and competition is steeper than ever. In reality, it’s common to believe that the Lakers are the favorites entering next season, and are bound to repeat glory as top contenders with Bryant looking for another ring.

If so, he’ll become the most decorated player in the NBA among a unique core that is recognized for the number of championships and superlative competitors who never back down without a hard-fought battle in the postseason.

For those adoring the Lakers, a franchise with mystique and fame because of its purity and astounding wins over the years, realistically tells us that they are contending at the highest level, starving and energized to add another prize to a beautiful collection of hardware.

It's true that Bryant and Pau Gasol are under contracts for a long time, and a flourishing supporting cast continues to develop and mellow, thriving as an invincible and uncontrollable core, finally releasing the softness and inactiveness conscience.

Yet there’s no other team in the league with a pair of skyscrapers in Gasol and Andrew Bynum, a seven-foot center who has been hindered a bit with injuries, but has come on strong for the Lakers in the postseason by establishing as a dominant post player in the middle.

He blocked shots, bullied opposing players and grabbed rebounds, making the contest easier for Gasol, who seemed more efficacious whenever Bynum had a stellar performance. The issue is whether Jackson will return next season or sign a deal elsewhere or even retire and call it a career after accomplishing more than the average coach.

Before he announces a return, he’ll take a couple of months to ponder his decision and monitor his health status. His natural motive would be to care for his health issues, which have battered him mentally and physically as his age and body language plays a role.

If he decides to retire, he’d depart on top, a rare scene transpiring in sports. Jackson is proving to be ailing and fatigued from an 82-game regular-season. But he’s accustomed to all the road travel and would strangely miss coaching or sharpening the minds of players with his psychological mind games.


By his presence, it motivates his players and helps controls Ron Artest, the weirdest and funniest man on the roster, leaving us with memories of his indelible press conference after clinching Game Seven of the NBA Finals.

More than any other Lakers’ megastar, he was excited to soak in his first championship and partake in a parade while flaunting his silliness during the celebration. This was arguably Jackson’s greatest season ever, one year folks will never forget, accomplishing the most accolades by grabbing 11 titles all-time.

You sense another celebration at the end of next season. But today alone, the Lakers shared the gratifying moment with well-behaved and delighted fans, witnessing the greatest player amid an exciting generation in Bryant, who wore his sunglasses with a knowledgeable persona.

“They’ve been fantastic,” Bryant said Monday following the parade. “I had a chance to relax and enjoy these old bones.”

He can recall hearing undying “Thank yous” for avenging the devastating 2008 Finals loss to their foes Boston. The screaming fans were filled with happiness and really touched Bryant.

“It was more emotion,” Bryant said.

One fan lofted a sign that read “This is Kobe’s Town!” “Back 2 Back Without Shaq!”

If the Lakers anticipate more emotion and unforgettable moments, then bringing back Jackson is in the cards.

Team Hollywood Thrills, Captures Revenge: Lakers Wins Indelible Classic

It’s almost titillating when a town embraces the top franchise in Hollywood, living in a town accustomed to winning championships, a triumphant ritual happening in a diverse community that assembles as a unified atmosphere, once the Los Angeles Lakers captures greatness and takes in euphoria.

Suddenly, the ideal ending came in a low-scoring Game 7, but a memorable showdown among two of the most hated rivals in sports as the purple and gold confetti fell, the team’s anthem was heard and the Lakers celebrated another glorious moment at home.

It’s a town famous for watching championship banners rise to the rafters, gazing at the sky to witness the purple and gold confetti fall from the ceilings, and now observed Kobe Bryant jump on the scorer’s table, shaking his fists and extended five fingers advertising that he won his fifth ring after the Lakers clinched its second straight championship.

“I just got one more than Shaq,” Bryant said after he won his fifth championship. “You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don’t forget anything.”

Thereafter, he leaped off the scorer’s table to meet and shake hands with Boston’s legendary Hall of Fame center Bill Russell, mostly smiling without revealing his frighten and intimidating scowl.

In the finest moment, a historic time in the existence of the Lakers, they were overjoyed and rejoiced as a team, releasing dismay and agony after a doleful 39-point loss in a distraught Game 6 at Boston two years ago.

At last, he’s not furious or has a bitter aftertaste about the Celtics, never erasing the memories of a depressing defeat that obliterated aspiration last time these two teams encountered a showdown.

Finally, the Lakers experienced heartfelt emotions, shedding tears of joy and uncontrollably jubilated in front of a boisterous crowd of non-celebs and celebrities.

This was a moment Jack Nicholson, the team’s cheerleader who has a personalized seat on the sidelines, applauded the Lakers and cheered loudly for his home town franchise.

This was a moment the enthusiastic town cherishing its basketball gathered around the inner and urban community to engage in a fairly pleasant celebration when Lakers supporters jived and party at the local sports bars and restaurants, despite the soulless idiots who poured onto Figueroa Ave., Flower Street, and Olympic Boulevard.

Shame on rowdy fans for such rebellious behavior by pathetically vandalizing vehicles and lighting one car on fire, refusing to celebrate with pride and dignity. Aside from all the embarrassment shaming the town, Bryant, who was named the Finals MVP for the second straight season, stood on the court with his wife, Vanessa, and had his two daughters on his shoulders, while accepting congratulations and embracing the moment.

For the first time in a seventh game of a series, he was frustrated and shot the ball poorly, harassed and forced to shoot as the Celtics defenders plotted the double-team and obstructed his mental toughness and capability in facilitating and burying shots during sequential shooting.

For a man who had an abysmal night, which included 23 points on six-for-24 shooting but an essential 15 rebounds, he still proved that he’s an authentic leader, the fiercest scorer on earth, and a godlike specimen with five rings, quickly moving closer of surmounting pass Michael Jordan.

Fact is, he’ll never be like MJ, but in this generation, he’s definitely the well-known brand name in professional basketball and glowing as the ravishing megastar within his prime on pace to win at least eight rings before he calls it a career.

As a beloved athlete and a rare breed in a league when his presence has magnetized the NBA, he’s an admirable icon who isn’t selfish or egocentric, but selfless and willing to lead by example and as a sophisticated leader.

But it’s fair to assume that he would not have won his fifth championship without a poised and powerful supporting cast.

Nevertheless, his legacy would have been in tatters and lofting another Larry O’Brien trophy would have been delayed, had the Lakers failed to beat the Celtics twice in his career during the finals.

Once known as the most polarizing figure in sports, he's now known as a noble symbol in the Lakers franchise, and probably will go down as the greatest player in franchise history, if not league history.

We now know he can win without Shaquille O’Neal. We now know he can reach a crescendo in his career with his transcendent title runs, aiming to surpass the legendary Jordan for the most titles as the greatest player to implement worthiness.

At times, it appeared that the Lakers weren’t worthy of winning because of awful shooting droughts and unwisely over dribbling on possessions, but eventually recovered and came back to salvage an 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics to win its 16th championship, completing the final chapter of a thrilling rivalry in Game Seven.


Because the Lakers played with much heart and guts, they rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second-half and managed to overcome a potential nightmare of falling to the Celtics again in the most storied rivalry showdown. Had it not been for their toughness, bravery and earnestness, the Lakers could have loss out on sustaining its 16th franchise title.

Doing so, however, Derek Fisher won his fifth ring, Pau Gasol won his second, Ron Ron won his first after taking a pay cut and signed with the Lakers to win a championship, Lamar Odom won another won, and as a core the Lakers captured vengeance and redemption.

“We wanted it more,” said owner Jerry Buss.

There were towel-swinging fans chanting, “Kobe, Kobe,” imploring for Bryant to get involved and take over in a nerve-racking and tense showpiece. And with the Celtics leading by double-digits in the third quarter hope quickly dwindled.

Because the archrivals looked as if they were the stronger and hungrier team than the soft and passive Lakers throughout the game, Team Hollywood trailed by four points at the start of the fourth and trailed by three with fewer than seven minutes remaining.

“I’ll be really honest with you, I didn’t even hear them,” Bryant said of the crowd. “I was so tired my ears were ringing. They really were. It felt like it was six in the morning and I was on track running. I was just drained.”

The high-energy and deeper star power of the Lakers, including frequent trips to the charity strike, diminished any acceptance of likely beating and dethroning the defending champs.

While the team in L.A. had immeasurable talent, proving that it could purge the Celtics, Fisher’s heroics were useful when he lofted a three-pointer to tie it, Bryant’s late rebounding was a factor in the comeback when he converted on a pair of huge free throws and buried a jump shot over a pesky Ray Allen.

Yes, he was urged not to shoot. But in this game alone, Artest was the MVP, firing one risky three-pointer with 1:01 remaining to clinch a miraculous night and pop the champagne corks and wear the goggles before squirting the champagne in the locker room for a well-deserving victory party.

“I want to thank my psychiatrist,” said Artest who had 20 points.

Dismissed as an awful shooter, but cheered for his exemplary defensive-minded tactics, he told fans if the Lakers failed to win a championship, that he was the one to blame. Turns out, no one is to fault.

It was a disputable signing by the Lakers front office when the Buss family brought aboard Artest for his defensive theories, while fans were perturbed about the departure of Trevor Ariza and the Lakers lack of interest in re-signing an energetic and younger defender.

Very impressive was the leadership of Pau Gasol, who is rapidly flourishing as the second-leading scorer on the Lakers, scoring 19 points and had 18 rebounds, finally eradicating his soft and attenuated trends. In other words, he fought and abused Kevin Garnett, who spent much of the night in foul trouble.

“We fought extremely hard,” said Gasol. “We kept our minds and our hearts into the game at all times, and we hustled…we hustled.”

This season, Bryant has broken down a bit for his aging and injuries. It wasn’t a day that past without the man playing with a taped-up right index finger and his sore right knee that he had drained after Game Four of the first-round, often monitored by team’s physician Gary Vitti.

He has been candid about his health. “I’m obviously going to have to look at the knee and figure some things out, said Bryant. “I can’t play a whole entire season the way it is now…Without the tape (on the finger), I can’t grip a basketball.”

His injuries are the least worry, I assume, after winning it all.

Now that the town is fueled over the win, the Lakers are delighted than ever after accomplishing revenge against the archenemies and unfriendly rivals. What an indelible classic the Lakers endured and excelled, capturing unforgivable triumph.

Lakers vs. Celtics: Derek Fisher Again Prevails as Hero in Pivotal Moments

His stellar night in a hostile atmosphere indelibly was a spectacular display, assuming to revoke the memories of an uninspiring defeat a few nights ago. For the first time in 11 years, it was a portrait of an invaluable swingman to the greatest closer in the game, Kobe Bryant.

Seems the populace eventually would have figured that Derek Fisher is as brilliant and sumptuous in finishing and delivering in a crucial final's game as is Bryant. It’s almost mockery when basketball lords forget about Fisher, a veteran guard dismissed as an old and inactive competitor on the roster. He’s proudly still known for his customary clutch, game-winners and differences as time dwindles in regulation.


Each summer, in a town that sadly may wave goodbye if he decides not to return next season, endears an inspirational leader who has been fortunate to win four championships, all with a dynasty as part of the Lakers. Eventually, he’ll call it quits, but in the late years of a wonderful career, he’s amongst a reclamation period, still the inspirational and spiritual supporter on a unified core. For one night, he wasn’t old or sluggish, but an imperative savior in the Lakers 91-84 win to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

For one night, he declared fame and wasn’t lambasted because of his age and stagnant demeanor, but brought back memories of his thrilling buzzer-beater with 0.4 seconds in San Antonio years ago and his two three-pointers that stole Game Four from Orlando last summer.

The stunning night of Bryant’s porous shooting inspired Fisher to balloon as a perennial star, dauntlessly stealing the game as time dwindled and scored 11 fourth-quarter points by pushing the tempo and advancing the ball in transition.

It happened so rapidly in a series, that the Lakers suddenly controlled in the absence of Bryant, who usually fires at ease in the final minutes to close out in a winnable fashion and went scoreless in the first 10 minutes of the fourth.


Thank goodness Fisher, the 35-year-old legitimized the personality in the series and shifted the complexion on a night when Bryant shot 10 for 29 from the field. The raucous crowd at TD Garden quietened down, and painfully watched as stun spectators took for granted that Fisher was too slow and old in controlling the momentum.

But he fooled all the weeping spectators, who sadly watched it all deteriorate at home. His sterling heroics are becoming an annual ritual, failing to recognize that he still has the swagger and accuracy shooting the ball. And years later, he’s still savvy and proficient in a game he truly zests, with difficulties defending the explosive and quicker guards.

There were numerous moments Tuesday night when he pushed the ball and executed as the aggressor, silencing all critics about his aging and slowness. Of course, he’s a veteran with not enough quickness or energy to out-duel a younger guard, but he showed that he can prevail and finish on substantial possessions.

“He has been criticized quite a bit because of his age,” Bryant said, “Which is why it’s a huge thrill for him and all of us that he comes through in those moments."

“Truthfully, he has done it over and over again for us. I’m just assuming that it’s his responsibility to our team to do these things. That was just Derek being Derek. He never ceases to amaze me.”


For the first time in these Finals, he wasn’t hearing the chatter about how he’ll be outmatched by Boston’s guard Rajon Rondo. By virtue, he proved resilient in his best game in the finals with an average of 7.5 points on 5-of-18 shooting, and was dismantled in a one-on-one showdown against Rondo, who posted a triple-double in a 103-94 win in Game 2.

His brilliance to race down the floor benefited, after he grabbed a defensive rebound, dribbled like a veteran point guard and accelerated quickly past a lethargic Celtics defense that unfolded in a layup and three-point play because he was unwisely fouled. More mind-blowing is that Rondo, the speedy guard with uncontrollable agility, failed to contest and defend a wide-open Fisher. It’s very puzzling that the Celtics would leave a savvy guard alone, given his history of finishing and prevailing late in the closing moments.

“He pretty much won the game,” said Rondo. “When we made our run, he seemed to have answers every time.”

I’m sure Paul Pierce will think carefully before he guarantees a win. This time, Ray Allen horribly missed shots on a frigid shooting night, coming off a record-setting evening in L.A. when he drilled eight three-pointers in a final's game.

There wasn’t an encore following an incredible shooting display, previously scoring 25 points in Los Angeles a few nights ago, but went 0-for-13 in front of the home crowd and struggled mightily after missing an array of shots.

Doc Rivers, the Celtics coach who whines and cries over poor officiating, blamed the refs much of the night, refusing to acknowledge that Allen and Pierce shot a combined 5 of 25, but divulged that Fisher was the factor in the game.

“Fisher won the game for them,” he said.

It was a must-needed win and a vintage Fisher reinforced the Lakers with his firepower, perception and zest in the sport he has devoted much of his life in, willing to play the game with heart and bravery. For once, he showed why he has four championship rings.

For once, he verified why he’s famously known for his heroics in prior history. For once, he validate why he’s always worshipped for the glorious moments in basketball. With much emotion, he was overjoyed and dripped tears during his brief conversation with ABC sideline reporter Doris Burke.

“I’m sorry to get emotional,” he said.

On this night, he owes no apologizes.