Kobe Bryant earned MVP honors for a second straight NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics fans probably won't think of this year's NBA Finals as a great series, at least until they get over the heartbreak. But hey, if they need to vent about it there's always Manny Ramirez to boo this weekend when he returns to Fenway Park wearing Dodger blue.
The Los Angeles Lakers' successful defense of their league crown was just that, an exciting seven-game series that will rank alongside previous playoff matchups between the two rivals.
Los Angeles claimed its 16th NBA Championship with an 83-79 triumph on its home court in Game 7. Down 23-14 after the opening frame and trailing by four entering the final 12 minutes of action, the Lakers rallied for the victory but failed to cover as seven-point favorites.
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Kobe Bryant took home the Bill Russell Trophy as the series MVP with a game-high 23 points in the finale. Bryant scored an even 200 points in the Finals and averaged 29.2 points per game in the postseason. He was a 4/7 favorite to win his second consecutive Finals MVP award.
Defense ruled in the championship series, much to the delight of 'under' bettors who took home the green five of the seven games. The only two 'overs' were Games 1 and 2.
The absence of Boston center Kendrick Perkins will always be pointed to as one of those "what if's" in Game 7. Without their big man in the middle, the Celtics lost the battle on the glass by a 53-40 margin, with Los Angeles scoring a huge 23-8 advantage in offensive boards. Getting the second-chance shots played a crucial part in the Lakers' rally with LA shooting only 32.5 percent from the floor.
Getting to the charity stripe played an even larger role in Los Angeles' victory. The Lakers had 37 free throw attempts to Boston's 17, and outscored the C's by 10 from the line.
Now begins the talk of a possible Lakers three-peat, with Los Angeles 7/2 on the early 2010-11 futures board to win a third consecutive NBA title. Boston and Orlando follow at 5/1 with Cleveland (8/1), Denver (10/1) and Oklahoma City (15/1) behind that pair.
King James and the Cavaliers
Cleveland hopes its ability to persuade LeBron James to stay with the team goes a lot better than the negotiations to bring Tom Izzo aboard to replace ousted head coach Mike Brown.
Izzo turned down a boatload of money to leave Michigan State and coach the Cavs this week, with some reports saying Cleveland offered Izzo as much as $30 million. The uncertainty of where James will be plying his trade next season was one of the factors in not taking the job according to Izzo.
"If LeBron would've stayed, that doesn't mean that I would have been there. It was not the only factor," Izzo said. "Was it a big factor? Sure it was."
Among others reportedly Cleveland is considering for its coaching vacancy are Byron Scott, Kelvin Sampson and Jeff Van Gundy. Early rumors that the Cavaliers might go after Duke's Mike Krzyzewski were put in their place when Coach K said thanks, but no thanks.
Cleveland will now turn its attention to re-signing James. The Cavaliers are the betting favorites to retain King James' services at 1/1. The Chicago Bulls are 3/2 with the Knicks 2/1 according to some of the latest summer props offshore.
Miami is trying to keep its own Dwyane Wade and has been mentioned as a possible suitor for James, with the Heat 6/1 on the board.
Two other teams that will likely do their best to entice the two-time MVP to sign on the dotted line are New Jersey and Dallas.
NBA Draft
The next big date on the NBA calendar is June 24 when Madison Square Garden hosts the 2010 NBA draft. Washington was the lucky winner in the lottery for the No. 1 pick and is expected to take Kentucky freshman John Wall.
ESPN will televise the two-round event beginning at 4 p.m. PT.
Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld and head coach Flip Saunders enjoyed a private viewing of Wall on June 17 during a half-hour, one-on-none workout. The 6-foot-4 teen averaged 16.6 points and 6.5 assists per game for the Wildcats as a freshman in earning a spot on the All-America team.
Despite playing only one year at Kentucky, Wall could be bumping into several of his 'old teammates' in the NBA. John Calipari's entire starting five could be selected in the opening round with Wall being joined by DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton.
Other top players are Ohio State's Evan Turner, Georgetown's Greg Monroe, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors and Syracuse's Wesley Johnson. Wall, Favors, Orton and Cousins are among the many freshmen. Kansas' Xavier Henry joins that group that could fill 7-8 of the first round selections.
Philadelphia, New Jersey, Minnesota and Sacramento follow the Wizards in Round 1. Washington also owns the last pick of Round 1 from the February trade then sent Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers. Memphis has three first-round picks.