End of a 7-year itch

Yipee! Hooray! The Lakers are kings of the NBA again. Several articles and stories have been printed yesterday about Los Angeles being the best and Orlando being tragic, so let’s just go down to some trivias.

Within a nine-year span, from 2000 to 2009, the fourth NBA title by the Los Angeles Lakers is the most by any franchise in any other major sport. The Lakers are also the first team since the Detroit Pistons in 1989 to win the championship the season after losing in the Finals.

Phil Jackson became the greatest championship coach in NBA history with his 10th title, surpassing the 9 titles of legendary Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics. Feeling unwanted in 2004, Jackson left the Lakers and went fishing in Australia with his former player Luc Longley. After Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen’s failed handling of the team, owner Jerry Buss realized his mistake and gave $10 million a season to Jackson to return.

Kobe Bryant now has his fourth ring, one behind Magic Johnson and two behind Michael Jordan. He finally got out of Shaquille O’Neal’s shadow. A 360-pound monkey off his back.

Lamar Odom is in the climax of his 10-year career which started ironically also in Los Angeles but with the Clippers, then to Miami, then to the Lakers as one of the players in exchange for Shaq. He does the locker room ritual of writing the names of his late mother, his grandmother and son on his shoes for some sort of a charm. His contract will end next month and is willing to take a substantial pay cut to remain in LA LA Land.

Derek Fisher is just being himself, “The Fish That Saved LA”, also getting his fourth title, this time made memorable by the clutch 3-pointers in Game 4.

Pau Gasol is reaping the rewards of a trade a year and a half ago from an underachieving Memphis Grizzlies. The wiry forward has gone from soft to tough.

Sun Yue and Adam Morrison got their rings in street clothes. Yehey. Sasha Vujacic became a champion without hitting a single shot during the Finals. Trevor Ariza also has an expiring contract and he has a big supporter in Kobe for the team to retain his services.

After their three consecutive titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002, the road to this year’s trophy was rough. The Lakers went through the trading of one superstar, the trial of another, three coaching changes, a wiped-out consecutive first round playoff losses to Phoenix, including the infamous distinction of becoming just the eight team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 series lead, and a forgettable choker of a Finals with Boston.

The seven-year itch is gone, Kobe, Pau, Lamar, Trevor and Derek made sure of it. Let’s savor the moment, next year might be different.

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