It truly was a great series.  Everything you would’ve expected from a Lakers-Celtics championship series.  There was no way it was going to end up like the ’08 Finals.  The Lakers established the theme of the series by pounding it in the paint.  The Celtics made their adjustments and turned the focus back on the Lakers.  Rumblings started of another Lakers meltdown that would give Boston another title against the Lakers in both their storied histories.  History won’t always be repeated though.

There were so many great players involved that it’s almost hard to keep track.  The Celtics had their big four in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.  The Lakers to start had only Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.  However, the Lakers showed that they too had a “big four.”  Derek Fisher and Ron Artest emerged as great complements through different parts of the series.  With Lamar Odom coming off the bench, the Lakers had an immediate impact player to which the Celtics struggled to match.

Boston couldn’t get Kevin Garnett involved until Game 3 in Boston.  Ray Allen was present for only Game 2 with a record 8 3-point shots made in a Finals game.  Paul Pierce was on and off for most of the series, but that can attributed to Ron Artest’s defensive presence.  The only consistent player was Rajon Rondo. 

Rondo would’ve easily been the top candidate to be MVP for the Boston Celtics.  Game 2 was his highest scoring game of the series (19).  But he had a triple-double in that game and nearly a second in Game 7.  His skill level is still not at its peak yet, but he has established himself as a force in the league as a top 3 point guard.

The Celtics did miss Kendrick Perkins during games 6 and 7, but the Celtics had him for 1 and 3 and lost those games.  Perkins was not a scoring machine, but a defensive wall that bothered Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.  Great defense can lead to good scoring offense, but in the Celtics case they were winning until the fourth quarter of game 7.

Kobe Bryant earning his second MVP of the NBA Finals and 5th championship is well deserved.  He was a facilitator through the first three games and became a one man show in games 4 and 5.  Did it hurt the Lakers?  Not really.  The Lakers lost game 4 by seven points and game 5 by six points.  It could have easily gone in the Lakers favor, but it became apparent that others would need to get involved in order for the Lakers to win a second consecutive championship.

Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom combined for 40 of the Lakers 89 points in game 6.  The home court advantage had now shifted toward the Lakers side with the “win it or go home” game 7 at Staples Center.  Boston had a 3 games to 2 lead going back to LA, but now had what seemed to be an impossible situation, beat the Lakers in Los Angeles in a game 7. 

Kobe didn’t have a fantastic game (6-24, 23 points), but his 15 rebounds were essential to the rebounding advantage the Lakers had throughout game 7.  Kobe also did something that Jordan had done during two of his championship runs.  Passed to a teammate for a game clinching shot.  Who would be the one to make that shot?  Ron Artest made it with 1:02 left in the game to put the Lakers back up by 6. 

Artest finished with 20 points and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 18 rebounds.  Artest’s hustle and Gasol’s toughness, yes toughness, proved valuable to the Lakers in their run.  Derek Fisher made only two 3-pointers in the entire series.  Both were in game 7.  His 10 points were probably the biggest of them all.  He too wanted a 5th ring just as bad as Kobe Bryant.

Kobe was the MVP, but this series proved that opposites attract.  The Celtics played selfish when they were supposed to play like a team.  The Lakers were deemed selfish, but played like a team when it mattered.  Can this team be beat?  Yes, but I only see them beating themselves.  No one can beat the Lakers when they play like they did in the 2010 NBA Finals.