It was a very entertaining NBA Finals from start to finish. We saw one of the greatest individual performances in Finals history, two overtime games, and a trophy presentation straight out of "Arrested Development."
I can't think of a better way to recap the NBA Finals than with one final installment of In the Rotation. Let's get to it.
Starting Five
1. Kobe Bryant
I think it's safe to say we know who the most valuable puppet is.
Kobe may not have erased the decade's worth of negative stereotypes that's he's acquired over the years, but with this NBA championship, he did something more important: he cemented his place in NBA history as one of the greatest players to ever play.
Now with four NBA titles, Bryant has proved to himself and to the world that he can win while being the best player on his team. No longer will he have to worry about his legacy being tainted by winning three rings playing on "Shaq's team."
He won't have to worry about being the greatest player never to win an NBA Finals MVP.
He won't have to worry about being remembered as one of the most "me-first" superstars in NBA history.
Instead, 10, 15, or 20 years from now, when the debate heats up about who the greatest player of this era was, we can look back at the 2009 NBA Finals as proof that when Kobe was at his best, he was as unstoppable a force as the NBA has ever seen.
The talk during the entire NBA Finals was that Bryant wanted it so bad. The truth is: Kobe needed it so bad. His legacy needed it. And come hell or high water, he was going to get it.
Every NBA Finals will be remembered for something different. This year, it will be remembered as the Finals that cemented Kobe Bryant's place in history.
2. Phil Jackson
Like Kobe, Phil Jackson now has a new place in NBA History: the top.
Jackson now has 10 NBA titles as a head coach, one more than Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach, and the most in NBA history.
I absolutely hate the argument that Phil only has 10 rings because he's coached the best players. Auerbach coached 11 Hall of Famers during his tenure as head coach of the Boston Celtics. Every team that wins a title has great players.
The fact is, great players or not, Phil has accomplished something no other coach in the history of the game has ever achieved.
Ten titles is 10 titles, and because of them, Phil Jackson is the greatest coach in NBA History.
Period.
3. Derek Fisher
It would be unfair to call the way I feel about Derek Fisher a love/hate relationship. First of all, I've never met him and I most likely never will, thus putting an end to any potential "relationship."
Second of all, I think it's virtually impossible to hate Derek Fisher. He seems like one of the genuinely nicest guys in all of sports. It can't be considered a love/hate thing when you can't bring yourself to hate someone.
So let's just say it's a "love/he frustrates me like no other player in the league" relationship. For months I've been talking to my friends about the fact that Derek Fisher is washed up and that the Lakers need to go in another direction at point guard next season. Somewhere along the line, he turned into a shooting point guard that can't shoot.
Yet here we are, the day after the Lakers won their 15th title, thanks mostly to the fact that Derek Fisher hit the two biggest shots of the season in Game 4 of the Finals, and I can't think of a single player I'd rather have running the point for this team next season as they try to defend their title.
Rest assured that by the end of game one of the 2009-10 season I will have soured on D-Fish yet again, but until then, I'm going to enjoy the feeling of the Lakers winning another NBA title, a feeling that I wouldn't have right now if it weren't for Derek Fisher.
4. Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom
These guys are two of the biggest reasons that the Lakers have a 15th NBA title and could very well be the reason that they don't get to 16 next season.
Both players will become free agents in about two weeks, and unless Dr. Buss digs surprisingly deep into his wallet, I can't see how the Lakers can afford to bring back both players.
Ariza and Odom made a combined $14 million this season. Both players had great seasons for the Lakers, and surely have done nothing to warrant having to take a pay cut. The Lakers will already be roughly $10 million over the luxury tax threshold heading into next season without re-signing either of these players.
It would be a shame if the Lakers were forced to defend their title without all of their core players, but in a Sophie's Choice type situation, the Lakers would have to bring back Lamar Odom. As great as Ariza has been, there are plenty of athletic swingmen in the NBA. L.O. is one of a kind. His versatility gives the Lakers so much flexibility that he would be impossible to replace.
Hopefully for the Lakers' sake, they can figure out a way to bring both players back. If not, it was nice knowing you, Trevor.
5. The Orlando Magic
Sometimes it's easy to forget how great a season the team that loses in the NBA Finals had because the last image of that team is one of defeat.
Sure, the Magic came up short of their ultimate goal, but they far exceeded everyone's expectations by making it this far. They have one of the best players in the game in Dwight Howard, a system that suits their roster perfectly, and now they have plenty of playoff experience.
The Magic may have surprised some people this season by making the NBA Finals, but no one will be surprised if the road to the NBA Finals in the East goes through Orlando for the next five to seven years.
Out of the Rotation: Lakers Ownership
The Lakers have one of the most recognizable owners in sports, the good doctor himself, Dr. Jerry Buss. His daughter, Jeanie Buss, is the VP of operations, has posed in Playboy, and is dating Phil Jackson. Both make very viable options to take part in the trophy presentation.
Yet neither of them bothered to make the trip to Orlando. Instead, the Lakers had the Buss family's equivalent of Buster Bluth accept the Larry O'Brien trophy, prompting my phone to nearly explode after receiving a barrage of "is there something wrong with Dr. Buss' kid?" text messages.
The NBA: where Joey Buss ... happens.
Inactive list: Rioting Laker Fans
In what has become a ridiculous NBA tradition, Laker fans rioted outside the Staples Center to "celebrate" winning the NBA title. It seems like every season now ends with a riot. It happened in Boston last season and Los Angeles last night.
Eighteen people were arrested and eight police officers were injured during the melee. Once again, a handful of morons ruin it for Laker fans everywhere. Thanks, guys.
P.S. Only four months until training camp opens on the 2009-10 season!
Visit Sports Central each day after every NBA Finals game to read Scott Shepherd's immediate reaction to the game. You can also follow Scott before, during, and after every NBA Finals game on Twitter at twitter.com/scottosports.
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