Lakers rally to win their 16th NBA championship

LOS ANGELES - With purple and gold confetti raining down upon him, Kobe Bryant hopped up on the scorer's table, shook his fists and extended five fingers.

When he hopped down, Boston's legendary Hall of Fame center, Bill Russell, was waiting to shake his hand.

It was a Game 7 classic - and it finally went the Lakers' way. Beating Boston for the first time in a Game 7, the Lakers came up champions again Thursday night after trailing in the last quarter of the last game of their season.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points despite 6-for-24 shooting and had 15 rebounds as the Lakers won their 16th NBA championship, beating the Celtics, 83-79, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers outscored Boston 30-22 in the fourth quarter.

Bryant earned his fifth title with the Lakers, who repeated as NBA champions for the first time since winning three straight from 2000-02.

"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," said Bryant, who was named MVP of the Finals after averaging 28.6 points per game in the series. "This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up."

Ron Artest added 20 points and Pau Gasol had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot terribly while trailing for most of the first 31/2 quarters. But they reclaimed the lead midway through the fourth quarter and hung on with big shots from Artest and Gasol, who had nine points in the fourth quarter.

"Well, first all I want to thank everybody in my 'hood," Artest said in an ABC interview. "I definitely want to thank my doctors . . . my psychiatrist, she really helped me relax a lot."

With their fifth title in 11 seasons, the Lakers moved one championship behind Boston's 17 for the overall NBA lead.

The Lakers will relish this title because they took it from the Celtics, their greatest rivals, with fourth-quarter poise and defense. The teams have met in 12 NBA Finals, but the Lakers won for just the third time.

Magic Johnson congratulated Bryant, who now has the same number of titles, and hugged Artest, the only new addition to the Lakers' championship roster from last season. Artest was a liability for much of the postseason, but he came up with a remarkable game on the Lakers' biggest night, playing sturdy defense along with his scoring.

Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Kevin Garnett added 17 points for the Celtics, who couldn't finish the final quarter of a remarkable playoff run after a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Boston flopped in two chances to clinch the series in Los Angeles after winning Game 5 back home to take a 3-2 lead.

"There's a lot of crying in that locker room," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "A lot of people who care. I don't think there was a dry eye. A lot of hugs, a lot of people feeling awful. That's a good thing. Showed a lot of people cared."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson won his fifth ring in Los Angeles to go with his half-dozen from Chicago. And it might be the last: Weary of the regular-season grind and facing a likely pay cut with the Lakers, Jackson hasn't determined his future, though he previously said another title would make him more likely to chase an unprecedented fourth threepeat next season, when he'll be 65.

"I've got to take a deep breath. I've got to take some time to think about this," said Jackson, wearing a satisfied grin underneath his championship hat. "This was great. I'll wait to make that decision in a week."

With his hands already full, maybe Jackson will follow Russell's lead and put that 11th championship ring on a chain around his neck.

And Bryant? He isn't likely to settle for just one handful of rings. He made that clear to his coach.

"He knows how bad I want him back," Bryant said. "I've been openly blunt about how much I want him back."

Rivers knows changes are coming in Boston, even saying afterward that the '10-11 Celtics will be different from the '09-10 team.

"We were the tightest, most emotional, crazy group I've ever been around in my life," Rivers said, adding that he'll wait a while before deciding on his oft-speculated-upon future.

He called this team "crazy close" and throughout the playoffs, the Celtics only got closer.

The Celtics were a .500 team for the final two-thirds of the season, prompting many to wonder if they could turn it back on for the playoffs.

That question was answered long ago. Yes, they could - and if they had made one or two more stops Thursday night, they'd have won an 18th title.