*Originally written: May 30th*

Final Score: Lakers 111, Suns 103

The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers have a chance to defend their crown.

The Lakers disposed of the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, taking the game 111-103.

Kobe Bryant had 37 points and 6 rebounds he continues to play the greatest basketball of his storied career. We’ve never seen Bryant play so unbelievably well and consistently during a full postseason. Kobe owns this playoffs, and his performance has been nothing short of Jordan-esque.

Bryant averaged 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists in this series on 52% shooting. When you add in the monstrous Laker front line (Gasol/Odom/Bynum), the defensive stopper (Artest), and a veteran team with only goal in mind, it looks like there’s nothing that can stop Los Angeles from securing another NBA title.

We’ll see what the Boston Celtics have to say about that. The Lakers will get the Celtics in the finals, a rematch of the 2008 Finals that was won by Boston. These two NBA powerhouses will renew their rivalry in an epic NBA Finals showdown.

As for the Phoenix Suns, they must be congratulated for their tremendous effort this season. A team that was drafting in the lottery last season, the Suns put together a unit that had the best team chemistry in the league, and were a Ron Artest game-winning putback in Game 5 away from having a chance to win this series. The Suns had a tremendous gameplan to take down the physically superior and more talented Lakers team.

Phoenix’s zone defense, three-point shooting, bench play, and overall unselfish team play was nearly the perfect formula to take down the defending champions. The Suns, though, had no answer for Kobe Bryant, who is playing the best basketball of his career. That’s saying something, considering the future Hall-of-Famer has played over 1200 games in his career and already has an MVP and 4 NBA titles to his name. But Kobe has never played better, taking a focus and intensity to the floor each night that rubs off on his teammates.

The Lakers will take their focus into an NBA Finals battle against the Celtics. Their biggest rivals took them down in the 2008 Finals to take a commanding 9-2 lead in all-time championship series. The Lakers won it all last year and have the home court advantage, but they know that all those factors get thrown out of the window for this one.

Expect an extraordinary series in the NBA Finals between heated rivals and several future Hall-of-Famers. Lakers vs. Celtics will begin on Thursday, June 3rd.