Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
On this day 10 years ago, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers played a low-scoring but epic Game 7 against the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship, 83-79, at STAPLES Center. Exactly two years after they were humiliated by their arch-nemesis in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals at TD Banknorth Garden arena, the Lakers exacted revenge in a fitting end to their 3-year championship run that also included a win over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
Almost 5 months after Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 7 other wonderful individuals lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, the Lakers are back in position to win a title that would obviously be a fitting tribute to the late Mamba. The only thing that stands in the way of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo (who was on the Celtics squad that played against the Lakers in the 2008 and '10 Finals, respectively) honoring Kobe with a 17th franchise championship this Fall is the NBA being able to successfully resume the season next month at the Walt Disney World in Orlando. By all accounts, despite the fact that the number of coronavirus cases is slowly increasing in central Florida, the NBA has a thorough plan in place to ensure that all of the players, coaches and supporting personnel inside the league's 'bubble' at Disney World will remain safe through a potential Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Monday, October 12. Let's cross our fingers.
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