Final Score: Lakers 83, Celtics 79

All series long, Kobe Bryant downplayed the significance of the Lakers playing the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

“It’s just another game. I can’t think about that, our focus is just on winning,” Bryant said, and continued to reiterate all series.

But when Bryant had the ball in his hands as the clock ticked to 0 in the final seconds of Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, it finally hit him that he had become victorious in a historical battle between classic rivals.

"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," said Bryant in a post-game interview.

So what happened to all the downplaying of the rivalry?

"I was just lying to you guys," Bryant said. "When you're in the moment, you have to suppress that. But you guys know what a student I am of the game. I know every series the Lakers have played in, and I know every Celtics series. I know every statistic. It meant the world to me, but I couldn't focus on that. I had to focus on playing."

The series meant the world to Kobe Bryant, and his team’s hard-fought win in Game 7 meant everything to the city of Los Angeles.

Bryant struggled mightily for much of the game. He finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 assists. He shot a dismal 6 for 24 from the floor, including going 0 for 6 from three. Bryant shot 3 for 17 from the field in the first 3 quarters before stepping up big in a respectable 3-for-7 performance in the fourth period. But while Kobe’s shot didn’t fall, he came up huge on the defensive end, and especially on the defensive boards.

The Lakers won the rebounding battle in this game, 53-40. The pattern continued, as the team who won the battle of the boards was able to win every game of the series. Another trend that continued? Phil Jackson’s perfect record in series when he wins Game 1. The legendary coach improved to 48-0 in a series after he takes the opener.

The Lakers, who were down by as many as 11 points at separate times in each of the first 3 quarters, out-willed and hustled their way to an 83-79 victory over the Celtics on Thursday night. The Lakers’ 2010 championship becomes the franchise’s 16th title, just one short of the Celtics’ all-time great mark of 17.

While this ring was the 11th for coach Phil Jackson, and the 5th for Kobe Bryant, it was the first time that either had taken down Boston in the Finals. The bitter taste of defeat from their 2008 championship series loss may have been lingering in Laker players. L.A. simply out-battled the Celtics in the final period of this tight game, winning all the loose balls, hustle plays, and 50/50 rebounds.

The Celtics got off to a fast start in Game 7 and lead by 9 points after the first quarter. They took a 6-point lead into halftime, and still lead by 4 after three quarters. But Boston was unable to hold onto the lead when it counted most, letting a golden opportunity slip away in the final minutes in the Staples Center.

"We were scratching and clawing, trying to do everything we could to try to pull this out," said Celtics guard Ray Allen. "We had an opportunity to win, but it just didn't go our way down the stretch. I don't think we ran out of steam. Lady Luck just didn't bounce in our corner. There were a lot of tears, a lot of tears."

It’s a devastating loss for the Celtics, who overcame the longest of odds to make it to this point. A Game 7 win on the road would have been fitting for this group that had defied all logic throughout these playoffs. But they just didn’t have enough to get it done in the 4th quarter.

All 5 Celtics starters were in double figures in this game, but Glen Davis is the only player who scored off the bench.

The Lakers, meanwhile, had a similar scoring distribution. 4 of their 5 starters scored in double figures, and they had just 9 points off the bench. But they also got a career night from enigmatic Ron Artest, who suppressed all of his inner demons and past struggles to show up huge in a monster Game 7 win.

Artest had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals in the game, followed by a classic post-game interview in which he thanked his “hood”, his psychiatrist, and his childhood friends for the victory on his way to promoting his new street rap single, “Champion.” For as crazy as Artest is, all the credit in the world goes to the man for being able to suppress all outside forces and allow himself to execute in the biggest game of his life. Artest played 46 minutes, the most of any player in the game for either team.

"We fought together. This was one of the best games in, I don't even know, man. I don't want to be in a game like this, where the game can go either way,” said Artest. “I'm just like, OK, what did I get myself into?"

In the end, it was Artest who felt calmest and most confident throughout this crazy, hard-fought, low scoring Game 7.

The Lakers, as mentioned earlier, were outplayed by Boston for much of the first 3 quarters. L.A. missed 30 of their first 40 shots in the game, and after it was all said and done they shot just 32.5% from the field in the game. But 23 offensive rebounds saved the Lakers many chances at the offensive end, and allowed them to make up for their atrocious shooting against a phenomenal Boston defense.

The Celtics, though, couldn’t find the same success on the offensive glass. Boston had just 8 offensive rebounds on their 41% shooting.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game, but he was characteristically missing from the final minutes of action. It seemed like Rondo had no impact on the final 5 minutes of play, despite him being the major enforcer in the first 3 quarters.

Kevin Garnett had a great game, finishing with 17 points and 4 blocks on 8 for 13 shooting. But he was unable to get rebounds, finishing with just 3 boards. Compare that to Pau Gasol’s 18 rebounds, and that could be the difference in the ballgame.

Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the game in a gutsy effort. But he was unable to shake the furious defensive efforts of Ron Artest, and he shot just 5 for 15 from the floor.

Ray Allen continued his cold shooting since Game 2, and he finished with a 3-for-14 night to score 12 points. Rasheed Wallace was huge in place of the injured Kendrick Perkins, scoring 11 points with 8 rebounds. Glen Davis had 6 points and 9 rebounds off the bench in crucial minutes.

But it all wasn’t able to add up to a Celtic victory. Too many missed opportunities down the stretch lead to a building Laker confidence and allowed for L.A. to be the aggressors late in the game.

Pau Gasol had 19 points, 4 assists, and 2 blocks to complement his aforementioned 18 rebounds. The Spaniard had an outstanding series and could have easily been named MVP if it weren’t for a man named Kobe Bryant.

Lamar Odom chipped in 7 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, and Derek Fisher scored 10 with a typical Fisher crunch-time three that gave the Lakers a much-needed lift in the 4th quarter.

The Lakers had just 11 assists in the game. It was a gritty, physical defensive and rebounding effort that lead to the Game 7 victory, not a pretty, fluid offensive night.

Coach Phil Jackson will take the win any way he can get it. This hard-fought victory puts Jackson alone at the top as the only coach in history to be able to sport a ring on his toe. There’s no more fingers available for Phil’s 2010 ring; number 11 is certainly a special one. We’ll all be left wondering for a couple of weeks, now, whether it will be his last.

"I've got to take a deep breath. I've got to take some time to think about this," Jackson said. “This was great. I'll wait to make that decision in a week."

All in all, this Game 7 was a fitting ending to the NBA Finals and 2010 NBA season. Physical play, unpredictable action, lead changes, back-and-forth swings, clutch shots, clinical defense. There was no lack of effort from any player on the floor. Everyone who was a part of this series could attest to the competitiveness. This was easily the toughest game that the Lakers won all season.

"This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up," said Bryant.

While Kobe didn’t have the greatest game of is career, he was a fitting Finals MVP. The will of the Black Mamba led his team to a championship, even when he was unable to make shots for his team. Let the debate begin about whether Kobe is the greatest Laker of all time.

The Celtics came up just short, but must be praised for their outstanding 2010 season and unbelievable run through the playoffs. They were a couple of plays short from winning their 2nd title in 3 years, as a 4-seed in the Eastern Conference that many people picked to lose in the first round.

Instead, they’ll have to settle for 2nd place. Nobody will be happy in the Boston locker room, but they all will look back upon this season with a great sense of pride for all they were able to accomplish.

In the end, it was just the Lakers’ year. Los Angeles got it done for their 16th title in franchise history, and defended their title as back-to-back champions.

They’ll be back next year in pursuit of a 3-peat.

Farewell to a fantastic 2010 NBA season.