In yet another chapter of the most historic rivalry in the NBA between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, defense and physical play dominated throughout. The Lakers ended up squeaking out the win beating the Celtics 83-79 after trailing for much of the second quarter and all of the third quarter.
However, the length of the Lakers eventually took a toll on the Celtics' post players. Pau Gasol had another huge game for Los Angeles having 19 points and 18 rebounds. On a night when Finals MVP Kobe Bryant (23 points, 15 rebounds) struggled for most of the game by shooting 6-24, Ron Artest helped Gasol by scoring 20 points, hauling in 5 rebounds, and swiping 5 steals. Artest and Gasol were easily the most effective players for the Lakers tonight. Even though the Lakers bench only scored 9 points (seven by Lamar Odom), defense was the game changer, especially down the stretch. Derek Fisher added 10 points for the 2010 Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson won his 11th championship, and received a $2 million dollar bonus because of the victory. This win was Bryant's and Fisher's fifth championship each.
Boston came out hot early, but couldn't contend with the Lakers rebounding and length on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Rasheed Wallace had an exceptional game filling in for the injured Kendrick Perkins. Wallace had 11 points and 8 rebounds, but ended up fouling out in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Glen Davis also had the task of helping on defense down in the post. He grabbed 9 rebounds and had 6 points. No other Celtics bench player scored in Game Seven. However, the rest of the Celtics' starters all scored in double figures which helped the Celtics to have a chance to win the game at LA down to the final minute. Paul Pierce had 18 points, Kevin Garnett had 17, Rajon Rondo had 14, and Ray Allen had 13.
Amidst coaching rumors concerning next season, Phil Jackson stated in a postgame interview with ESPN's Stuart Scott that he would most likely decide on his future within the next week.
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