The Lakers finished off their 15th NBA Championship in workmanlike fashion last night, efficiently pounding the Orlando Magic 99-86 to claim the series in five games. The ring is big for the Lakers, considering it’s their first since 2002. But it’s absolutely huge for both Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, who certainly added to their legacy with this championship. Here’s a quick look at how this title affects both the Black Mamba and The Zen Master.

Kobe Bryant: Throughout his career, there’s always been plenty of hate on Bryant. Some of it has been justified, most of it has not. Bryant’s bouts with selfishness, immaturity and being a ballhog are long past him, so it’s time for the casual NBA fan to recognize his greatness. No matter how absurd it is, Bryant needed this “solo” ring to establish himself as one of the game’s all-time greats. Why is it absurd? Because basketball is a team game. Jordan didn’t have a dominant big man, but he had one of the greatest man-to-man defenders of all time in Scottie Pippen, a Top 50 NBA player in his own right. He also had arguably the greatest rebounder in NBA history playing in his frontcourt for the final three titles. That’d be Dennis Rodman. 

Bryant wasn’t at his best for some of these finals. His poor free throw shooting costed the Lakers game three and his 4th quarter play in game four wasn’t much to write home about either. But he still averaged 32 points a game and played some great, unselfish basketball.  Averaging over seven assists a game in the Finals is a testament to that, and high praise for Bryant’s supporting cast like Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza and the rejuvenated Derek Fisher. 

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Admittedly I was one of the many who was clowning Derek Fisher throughout most of game four.  Hell, I’ve been on Fisher for most of the playoffs, especially during the Rockets series in which Aaron Brooks flat out dominated him.  But give Phil Jackson all the credit in the world; he stuck with his veteran and his veteran paid him back.  Fisher hit what were undoubtedly two of the biggest shots of his career last night, one to tie the game with just four seconds remaining and another to push the Lakers to a five point lead as time winded down in overtime.  When the Lakers needed it, Fisher had it.  Forget about the wide open threes that he missed during the game and forget about his inability to keep up with Jameer Nelson down the stretch because at the most crucial time Derek Fisher had his harpoon gun locked, loaded, and aimed directly at Stan Van Gundy’s fat ass.

As for Van Gundy, I’m not sure what’s more entertaining; watching his team implode at home or watching his post-game press conference.  Van Gundy got on some soap box about how there’s no such thing as a difference between guys with playoff experience and guys without it.  Van Gundy must not have been watching the same game I was because he clearly didn’t see his team take stupid shots towards the end of the game, give the Lakers chance after chance, and blow free throws that would inevitably cost the Magic the game.  And then there’s the matter of Jameer Nelson letting Derek Fisher take a wide open three pointer instead of fouling and sending the game into a free throw battle.  If nothing else, Jameer, step out to the three point line and at least contest it.

The series now heads to game five which will still be in Orlando and will afford the Magic one last opportunity to send the series back to LA.  At this point, however, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Kobe and the Lakers slam the door on the Magic.

When Kobe Bryant fell onto Andrew Bynum’s right knee last Saturday you could see the pain not only on Bynum’s face, but on Bryant’s as well.  With a MRI yesterday, team doctors have ruled that Bynum will be out 8-12 weeks with ligament tear in the knee.

So now what? How do Kobe and the Lakers respond to MRI results that could cost them a championship this June? Bryant walked into Madison Square Garden without missing a beat, nonetheless a seven foot center. With that being said, the 13th year veteran out of Lower Marion High School dropped 61 points, including a 20-20 performance from the charity stripe. In case you didn’t know, those 61 points now stand as a MSG record. As a side note, Pau Gasol had 31 points with 14 boards.

As millions of NBA fans circled around water coolers Monday morning, talks sprung up about the Lakers falling short for a second consecutive season without Andrew Bynum. However the Lakers and Bryant didn’t miss a beat. And it seemed as if they didn’t miss a shot either.

Another key component that arises with the Bynum injury blow is that of Kobe Bryant’s MVP status. Kobe won his first MVP last year with Bynum going down halfway through and now the same situation comes forth again. Scoring 61 points certainly helps Bryant’s stock, but how many nights like this does he have to real in to pass Lebron James’ campaign?

There is only one person I would pay to watch in the NBA and that is Kobe Bryant. Bryant plays with passion, determination, and the eagerness to win every time he steps out onto the court. Get ready for an excellent finish to the Laker season that will bring out the best of every member on the squad, especially Kobe Bryant.

Greek team Olympiakos, fresh off its’ acquisation of Hawks guard Josh Childress, is set to raise the bar in European basketball.  Olympiakos is set to offer Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant a three year deal worth $83 million in tax free money.  In addition to this contract, Bryant will be hooked up with a villa on the Mediterranean, his own boat, and a full service staff available around the clock.  For reference, Kobe a player option after this year that can allow him to opt out of his contract.

To an extent, having players leave the NBA to play globally is good for the NBA brand.  Guys like Josh Childress and Nenad Kristic will assuredly spread the excitement of basketball to reaches of the world that weren’t previously attained.  However, having a guy like Kobe or LeBron depart for Europe would be incredibly damaging to the NBA.  Can you imagine the Cleveland franchise if LeBron took off for Italy or Russia to play?  How the hell would the Cavaliers justify charging upwards of $100 for tickets to see a bunch of guys who, in all likelihood, wouldn’t win 20 games during the season.  Would the Lakers draw the star power and attention that they do now without Kobe Bryant running the floor for them nightly?  Doubtful.

I’m not sure how the NBA would remedy this nor am I going to spend hours of time to figure out a way to save the NBA from the world.  However, the NBA should change their public response to their players going overseas.  Stop being so ecstatic about it and start bunkering down and keeping the factions that make your league great.

Hosts: Sonny, Ryan, Rich and Kevin

In this episode, the entire Sportable staff discussed the dream NBA Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, which tips off tonight in Beantown. Can Kobe Bryant complete his MVP season with his first ring without Shaquille O’Neal. Or will Boston’s Big Three win their first ring? Also, how in the world is Doc Rivers going to outcoach Phil Jackson?

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The Lakers and the Celtics will both have golden opportunities to oust their opponents and advance to the conference finals tonight in their respective game six’s. Given that the the home team has now run a record of 20-1 in this round of the playoffs, however, we should probably just be praying that the C’s or the Lakers don’t get shanked by double digits.

It’s entirely possible that the Celtics could run the table and win the NBA title sans a road victory in the playoffs. Doesn’t that bother you? I’m not suggesting a rule change or anything because trying to think of something like that would make my head explode, but don’t you expect a little more from a champion? Lets face it, there’s been a handful of games in this round of the playoffs that have been close while most of the games have turned out like the 99-80 smack down that the Spurs laid on the Hornets last night.

Predictability is the name of the game in this round of the playoffs. Give me an attempt at a road victory. That’s all I ask. Quicken Loans isn’t like Cameron Indoor, the Cavs (not LeBron) are beatable there. The Jazz have created a fortress at Energy Solutions Arena, I get that. The Lakers, however, are one of four teams that have beat the Jazz at home. Lets see it happen again tonight. Someone step up and prove that they’re worthy of being called a true champion.