2009 NBA Round Up

Finally. Kobe’s elusive 4th ring. Jackson’s 10th championship title. Just take a moment to ponder that. He has won it all in 10 of the last 18 seasons in which he has coached. That’s a championship rate of 55% over an incredibly long period. He is not only the most successful coach in the NBA but also one of the most successful coaches in the history of professional sport.

Now lets revisit the man of the hour, Kobe Bryant. Well what do you know, he actually did it without Shaq. He did however need Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson to come back do it again. In a way, its kind of fitting that he wasn’t able to do it again until now. He is a much more mature player, with an improved attitude towards the game and his team. As a result he is a much better leader and player. You can tell he definitely appreciates it more now than ever. Undoubtedly he will be ecstatic to finally have a Finals MVP under his belt and deservedly so.

Congratulations to Bryant, Jackson and the entire Lakers cast – closing out the 2009 NBA finals and the 15th championship for the franchise.

Once again, I’ll just add some comments on other aspects of this year’s playoffs:

Orlando Magic – Personally I think they had the toughest run through the playoffs, beating the Celtics and the Cavs before falling short. Just to get where they did was a massive achievement in itself, but in the end their lack of experience was their downfall as the Lakers capitalised on mistakes made in key plays towards the end of each game in the finals. I really hope they learn from this and Dwight Howard has another opportunity to win a ring.

Cleveland Cavaliers – An extremely incredible season record, only losing 2 games at home. LeBron James finally gets MVP. They then swept through the first round and the Eastern Conference Semi Finals, but despite their never say die attitude, they fall short to a determined Magic. Seriously, LeBron must be asking himself, what else is there left to do to win? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he needs a better supporting cast if they are any chance of going all the way.

Detroit Pistons – Much like the city, everyone has left.

Atlanta Hawks – The first .500+ season in 10 years. I’m sure they were happy making the playoffs as the forth seed, let alone beating Miami and advancing.

Houston Rockets – Well they finally passed the first round, only to meet the Lakers, who they stretched to 7 games before falling to them. Of course it was always going to be difficult without Tracy McGrady.

San Antonio Spurs – The season finished off just as badly as it started. Eliminated in the first round for the first time in the Duncan era and ending the odd year streak of championships. To be honest they were never really contenders, especially after losing Manu Ginobili to injury.

Denver Nuggets – Even with Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony on fire, they were still no match for Kobe’s crew.

New Orleans Hornets – Chris Paul had somewhat of a quiet year, which is disappointing after the impressive previous year. I fully expected them to build on that, but to no avail.

Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls – Best. Playoff. Series. Ever. Seven games. Seven overtime periods. So many clutch plays. It was the series you just didn’t want to end. Of course the Celtics were severely missing Kevin Garnett which probably helped even things up, but the Bulls will take a lot away from the intensity of this series. Especially the potential behind the likes of Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose.

With the decade done and dusted, one can surely say that it belonged to the Lakers and the Spurs, winning 7 championships between them over the past 10 years. What is impressive is how the Lakers have rebuilt themselves and returned as champions within the same decade. The scary part about this is that Phil Jackson tends to win championships in ‘three-peat’ blocks. Provided he will still be there, could the Lakers do it all again next year?