Congrats to the Lakers

Well, much to my chagrin, the Los Angeles Lakers are NBA Champions for the fifteenth time. I can't say I'm surprised, since I thought they were the team to beat after losing to the Celtics last year in the finals, but I'm still disappointed. I don't particularly like them. I do not like Kobe, Gasol, Ariza, Vujacic, or most of the Lakers. If not for a big-time appearance on Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, I would dislike Lamar Odom as well, making me a hater of pretty much every important player on the team. That being said, you have still got to give them credit.

The Lakers followed what I think has become the formula for winning the NBA title: play well in the regular season, but not necessarily as well are you are capable of playing every night (Cavs). Get a 1 or 2 seed for the playoffs, and then win when you need to. Don't tax yourselves, even if it means the sportswriters think you're soft and your fans are angry. Then, when you can see the finish line, pounce and take it. The Celtics did it last year, the Lakers did it this year. Both teams played more games than they should have in the playoffs. A year ago, the Celtics were taken to seven games by the two worst teams they played in the playoffs, the Hawks and Cavs. Then they beat the Pistons in six games and embarassed the Lakers in the finals. Much the same formula for the Lakers this year. While they handled the Jazz in five games, they allowed a depleted Rockets squad to take them to seven games and probably should have beaten the Nuggets in six games. When they knew the championship was in sight though, they dominated the Magic.

Sure, the Magic didn't play as well in the finals as they had the rest of the playoffs. Maybe they even choked in a couple games. But all that does is bring to light what the Lakers were able to do this year that the Celtics also did last year: they never choked. The Cavs blew big leads to the Magic, the Magic missed free throws. Last year, the Lakers blew a huge lead to the Celtics. The story for our last two championship teams? They almost never made mistakes, and that is the real way to win a title.