2010 NBA Finals

2010 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson 4 Boston Celtics Doc Rivers 3
Dates:	June 3 – 17
MVP:	Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Television:	ABC TSN
Announcers:	Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy
Radio network:	ESPN
Announcers:	Jim Durham, Hubie Brown and Jack Ramsay
Referees:
Game 1: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa and Derrick Stafford
Game 2: Monty McCutchen, Mike Callahan, and Ken Mauer
Game 3: Dan Crawford, Bill Kennedy, and Bennett Salvatore
Game 4: Scott Foster, Eddie F. Rush, and Greg Willard
Game 5: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, and Derrick Stafford
Game 6: Monty McCutchen, Joe DeRosa, and Ken Mauer
Game 7: Joe Crawford, Dan Crawford, and Scott Foster
Hall of Famers:	Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007)
Eastern Finals:	Celtics defeated Magic, 4–2
Western Finals:	Lakers defeated Suns, 4–2
< 2009 NBA Finals 2011 >

The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending NBA champions, and the Boston Celtics, champions of the Eastern Conference. The Lakers defeated the Celtics, four games to three, to win the franchise's 16th NBA championship. The 64th^[1] edition of the championship series was played between June 3 and June 17, was broadcast on ABC, and was watched by an average of 18.1 million people.^[2]

The Celtics earned their berth into the playoffs by winning the Atlantic Division. The Lakers won the Pacific Division to earn their berth. The Celtics reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference First Round, the Cleveland Cavaliers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals, and defending Eastern conference champion Orlando Magic in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the best-of-seven Western Conference First Round, the Utah Jazz in the best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinals, and the Phoenix Suns in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. The NBA Finals were staged under a 2–3–2 rotation, with the Lakers holding home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record than the Celtics.

Repeated baskets from starters Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest brought the Lakers victory in Game 1. A record breaking performance from Ray Allen’s eight three-point baskets ensured the Celtics a Game 2 triumph. Derek Fisher’s 11 points in the fourth quarter helped the Lakers win Game 3. The Celtics won Game 4; it didn't hurt that they netted an excellent performance in baskets by the team’s reserves, while Paul Pierce led the team to a Game 5 win with 27 points on 57% shooting from the floor. The Lakers avoided elimination by winning a decisive Game 6 on the back of the team’s 24 bench points. Although they trailed the Celtics as much as 13 points early in the third quarter, the Lakers secured their second consecutive championship by winning a tense and nail-biting Game 7 aided by last minute offense by Gasol and Artest and defensive rebounding. For the second year in a row, Bryant was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals, despite shooting 6 for 24 in the last game.

This was the first NBA Finals to go the full seven games since 2005 and only the fourth since the NBA switched the Finals to a 2–3–2 format in 1985. With the Lakers victory in this series, they now trail the Celtics' seventeen championships by only one.

Series summary

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
Game 1	Thusday, June 3	Los Angeles Lakers	102–89 (1–0)	Boston Celtics
Game 2	Sunday, June 6	Los Angeles Lakers	94–103 (1–1)	Boston Celtics
Game 3	Tuesday, June 8	Boston Celtics	84–91 (1–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 4	Thursday, June 10	Boston Celtics	96–89 (2–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 5	Sunday, June 13	Boston Celtics	92–86 (3–2)	Los Angeles Lakers
Game 6	Tuesday, June 15	Los Angeles Lakers	89–67 (3–3)	Boston Celtics
Game 7	Thursday, June 17	Los Angeles Lakers	83–79 (4–3)	Boston Celtics

The Lakers had won the previous season’s NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic for the franchise's 15th championship. The Celtics won their previous NBA Finals appearance against the Lakers the year before. This was the 12th Finals played between the two rival teams. The Celtics won nine of their previous 11 Finals meetings against the Lakers, winning in 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, and 2008, while the Lakers won in 1985 and 1987.

Background

2010 NBA Playoffs

Main article: 2010 NBA Playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Champion)		Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference Champion)
57–25 (.695) 1st Pacific, 1st West, 3rd Overall	Regular season		50–32 (.610) 1st Atlantic, 4th East, Tied-9th Overall
Defeated the (8) Oklahoma City Thunder, 4–2	First Round		Defeated the (5) Miami Heat, 4–1
Defeated the (5) Utah Jazz, 4–0	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the (1) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4–2
Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–2	Conference Finals		Defeated the (2) Orlando Magic, 4–2

Regular-season series

The regular season series was split, with each team winning on the opponent's court by only a point:

January 31, 2010

Recap

Los Angeles Lakers 90, Boston Celtics 89

TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

February 18, 2010

Recap

Boston Celtics 87, Los Angeles Lakers 86

Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Boston Celtics

Main article: 2009–10 Boston Celtics season

The Celtics finished the regular season as the Atlantic Division champions with a 50–32 record. As the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, they eliminated the No. 5 seeded Miami Heat in five games during the first round in the playoffs. Then in the conference semifinals, Boston defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, the earliest that a top seed as been eliminated since the Dallas Mavericks' first round loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2007. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics went on to eliminate the Orlando Magic in six games. In reaching the Finals the Boston Celtics became the first team in NBA history to do so with a better regular season road record than home. Also, the Boston Celtics became the second team in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals after beating the team with the best record, Cleveland Cavaliers, and team with second-best record in the league, Orlando Magic, after the Houston Rockets did it in their championship season of 1995.

Los Angeles Lakers

Main article: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

After the Lakers won the Finals in the preceding year, the team management wasted no time in making changes to the roster. Their most notable offseason player change was when Trevor Ariza departed to the Houston Rockets for free agent Ron Artest. Longtime assistant coach and former head coach Kurt Rambis left the organization to pursue a head coaching position with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers finished the regular season as the Pacific Division champion, compiling a 57–25 record.

As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, they eliminated the No. 8 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in six games during the Western Conference First Round Playoffs, with the final game ending when Kobe Bryant missed a jumper but Pau Gasol grabbed the offensive rebound and made a layup to clinch the win.^[3] Then in the Western Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles swept the Utah Jazz in four games, earning their right to play in their third straight Western Conference Final.^[4] In the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers won both of their first two games at home, but proceeded to lose the next two in Phoenix both by 9 points. In Game 5, Ron Artest made an off balance layup to beat the buzzer off a Kobe Bryant miss to give the Lakers the victory. The Lakers then proceeded to beat the Suns on their home floor in Game 6 led by Kobe Bryant's 37 points. The Game 6 victory gave the Lakers their 31st NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.^[5] The team also earned their third straight appearance in the Finals, the last team to do so being the Los Angeles Lakers themselves (during the three-peat of 2000–2002). ^[6]

Game summaries

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

Game 1

June 3 9:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Boston Celtics 89, Los Angeles Lakers 102				Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 14 Joe DeRosa No. 9 Derrick Stafford	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 20–24, 23–34, 25–18
		Pts: Paul Pierce 24 Rebs: Paul Pierce 9 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8		Pts: Kobe Bryant 30 Rebs: Pau Gasol 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6
		L.A. Lakers lead series, 1–0

Both teams started strong, playing a close game for most of the 1st quarter until a 7–2 Los Angeles run inspired by bench players Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown to end the quarter. Boston again started the 2nd quarter strong. However, Los Angeles managed to extend the lead 50–41 at the end of the first half with another run led by Ron Artest and Pau Gasol. More of the same came in the 3rd quarter, as Los Angeles matched nearly all of Boston's attempts to get back in the game. To end the 3rd quarter, Los Angeles went on a 15–4 run to give L. A. a 20-point lead going into the 4th quarter. While the Celtics would try to get back into the game with Nate Robinson and 2008 Finals MVP Paul Pierce, they never got closer than 11 points. The game was capped off with a three-pointer by Kobe Bryant with 3.6 seconds left, securing his 10th 30-point game in his last 11. Boston was outplayed by Los Angeles in nearly every statistical category, most notably in rebounding (31–42) and second-chance points (0–16). Much of the Celtics' performance came from Kevin Garnett, who finished with 16 points (on 16 shots) and 2 rebounds. Ray Allen, who was hampered by foul trouble, finished with 12 points and 5 personal fouls.^[7]

Game 2

June 6 8:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Boston Celtics 103, Los Angeles Lakers 94				Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 13 Monty McCutchen No. 24 Mike Callahan No. 41 Ken Mauer	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 25–26, 18–24, 31–22
		Pts: Ray Allen 32 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10		Pts: Pau Gasol 25 Rebs: Pau Gasol 8 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6
		Series tied, 1–1

Boston came out much more aggressively to begin game 2. Los Angeles fought back (Pau Gasol had nine points in the quarter) and managed to reduce Boston's lead to seven points at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter, Ray Allen hit an impressive five three-pointers (only missing once) to add to the two that he hit in the first quarter. This explosive offensive output pushed Boston forward and allowed them to lead by as many as 14 points. Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles put up a quick 7–0 run to end the first half to cut it to a 54–48 Boston lead. Foul trouble plagued players of both squads, with many players having three fouls going into the break. The Lakers would continue their attack and managed to take the lead 57–56 early in the 3rd. Both teams fought hard, leading to the 72–72 tie going into the 4th. The final quarter was dominated by the Celtics, though, as Rajon Rondo's 10 points in the quarter helped tie the series 1–1. Rondo finished with an impressive triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and Allen hit eight of 11 three-pointers to secure the NBA Finals record. Gasol finished strong again with eight rebounds and 25 points on only 10 shots (0 in the 4th quarter), while Bryant ended on 8-of-20 shooting.^[8]

The last Finals series to be tied at 1–1 after two games was the 2004 NBA Finals which involved the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons.

Game 3

June 8 9:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Los Angeles Lakers 91, Boston Celtics 84				TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 55 Bill Kennedy No. 15 Bennett Salvatore	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 26–23, 15–21, 24–23
		Pts: Kobe Bryant 29 Rebs: Bynum, Gasol 10 each Asts: Bryant, Gasol 4 each		Pts: Kevin Garnett 25 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8
		L.A. Lakers lead series, 2–1

Derek Fisher shot 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to ensure the Lakers a Game 3 win.

Prior to the start of the game, singer Monica performed the national anthem.^[9] Kevin Garnett scored the first six points of the game to give the Celtics a 6–0 lead and eventually helped the team to a seven-point lead (12–5) early in the first quarter.^[10] Following the first full timeout of the game, the Lakers scored 13 straight points thanks in part to free throws by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.^[10] After the score was tied at 16–16, the Lakers outscored the Celtics 10–1 for the remainder of the first quarter.^[10]

The Lakers' 32–8 run continued well into the second quarter when Bryant completed a free throw after being fouled by forward Glen Davis en route to making a layup 43 seconds into the game.^[10] Further helping to widen the gap was Shannon Brown who made a 20-foot jumper from a Lamar Odom assist.^[10] Odom, Farmar, and Bynum also made shots to widen the score to 17 points above Boston.^[10] The Celtics would soon create their own comeback with a 11–4 run before the Lakers called for a full timeout.^[10] Bryant made jumper on a Gasol assist while Pierce shot another three-pointer on a Rondo assist.^[10] The final two minutes of the first half ended in a shootout both Celtics and Lakers starters resulting in a 52–40 Los Angeles lead.^[10]

The first few minutes of the second half proved to be a slow start for both teams as Boston piled 2–8 shooting while Los Angeles posted 2–11 shooting before the first full timeout.^[10] Gasol made a 20 foot jumper to give the Lakers their first points of the third quarter; Garnett responded by a 20-foot jumper.^[10] Shortly after making his third shot from beyond-the-arc, Pierce received his fourth foul sending him to the bench.^[10] Odom, who replaced a limping Bynum, also earned two fouls of his own in addition to bad passing.^[10] The Celtics soon took advantage of the Lakers problems when Davis, Tony Allen, and Rasheed Wallace managed to successfully hit several critical shots to end the quarter on a six point deficit.^[10]

The Celtics continued their momentum into the fourth quarter eventually pulling to within one point after two minutes.^[10][11] After coming off the bench to replace a struggling Gasol in the fourth quarter, Derek Fisher made a 12-foot jumper in what would be another of his finest postseason performances in his career.^[10] He then made four consecutive shots to give the Lakers a 78–73 lead before earning a foul on Ray Allen.^[10] With 1:40 left in the game, Bryant made his lone shot of the quarter despite posting 25 points in the first three periods combined.^[10] Foul troubles for both Garnett and Pierce hurt the Celtics chances of closing the gap with the Lakers.^[12] Pierce made one final layup with five seconds left in the game, but the Lakers edged the Celtics with an 91–84 victory to take a 2–1 lead in the series.^[10] Bryant was the leading scorer of the game with 29 points; Garnett's 25 points bested all other Celtics players for Game 3. Derek Fisher scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.^[13][14] Compared to his record eight three-point field goals in Game 2, Ray Allen went a near-record 0–13 in field goals for this game.^[15]

Game 4

June 10 9:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Los Angeles Lakers 89, Boston Celtics 96				TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: No. 48 Scott Foster No. 32 Eddie F. Rush No. 57 Greg Willard	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 16–19, 29–23, 17–18, 27–36
		Pts: Kobe Bryant 33 Rebs: Artest, Odom 7 each Asts: Artest, Gasol 3 each		Pts: Paul Pierce 19 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 7 Asts: Paul Pierce 5
		Series tied, 2–2

After the first quarter, the Celtics held a 19–16 lead; Paul Pierce scored eight points in the quarter for Boston, while Pau Gasol had eight points for Los Angeles. The Lakers rebounded to take a three-point lead entering halftime.^[16] Los Angeles maintained a two-point lead following the third quarter, in which Kobe Bryant made three three-point baskets. Early in the fourth quarter, the Celtics went on a run that gave them control of the game; with a lineup that featured four reserves, Boston outscored the Lakers 13–2 over nearly half the quarter.^[17] The Celtics held an 11-point lead with 3:57 remaining,^[16] but the Lakers mounted a late comeback bid behind Bryant, who posted 10 of the final 12 points for Los Angeles. Three free throws with 1:08 remaining pulled the Lakers within 92–86, and they had an opportunity to get closer in the final minute; however, a Bryant pass was stolen by Rondo, who subsequently made a layup to extend the Celtics' lead. Pierce led Boston with 19 points in the game. The Celtics benefitted from strong bench play, as their reserves doubled the scoring of the Lakers' backups. Glen Davis scored 18 points (nine in the fourth quarter) and Nate Robinson added 12. For the Lakers, Bryant and Gasol, with 33 and 21 points respectively, accounted for most of the team's scoring. Andrew Bynum was unable to play in the second half because of a knee injury.^[17]

Game 5

June 13 8:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Los Angeles Lakers 86, Boston Celtics 92				TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 24 Mike Callahan No. 9 Derrick Stafford	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 19–23, 26–28, 21–19
		Pts: Kobe Bryant 38 Rebs: Pau Gasol 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 4		Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8
		Boston leads series, 3–2

Boston started the game with a 6–0 run, and ended the first quarter leading by 2 on a strong performance by Paul Pierce. After a short Laker run, the Celtics pushed the lead to 6 by the end of the half, with Pierce shooting 7–10, scoring 15 points, despite the Celtics only getting to the free-throw line six times. Pierce's three-pointer pushed the Celtics' lead to double digits, 50–39, early in the third quarter, but the Lakers chipped away at that lead to bring it down to 8, as the Celtics went into the fourth quarter attempting to maintain a 73–65 advantage. With the Celtics leading by 12 with less than three minutes to play, seven straight free throws by the Lakers cut the lead to 87–82 with a little over 40 seconds in the game. On an inbounds play, Garnett lobbed the ball to Pierce, who, while falling out of bounds, hurled it toward a streaking Rondo, who layed it up and in, essentially icing^{[clarification needed]} the game with a 7-point lead with 35 seconds to play. Garnett chipped in with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Rondo played well, shooting 9–12 from the floor for 18 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. The game featured a 38-point performance by Bryant (hitting numerous shots in the 3rd quarter), being the only Lakers player to score over 12 points and one of only two in double figures. Pierce, on the other hand, would dominate the game with 27 points on 57% shooting from the floor.^[18]

Game 6

June 15 9:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Boston Celtics 67, Los Angeles Lakers 89				Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 13 Monty McCutchen No. 14 Joe DeRosa No. 41 Ken Mauer	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 13–23, 20–25, 16–13
		Pts: Ray Allen 19 Rebs: Glen Davis 9 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6		Pts: Kobe Bryant 26 Rebs: Pau Gasol 13 Asts: Pau Gasol 9
		Series tied, 3–3

The Lakers returned to Los Angeles with a 3–2 deficit in the series. This was an elimination game for them, and the Celtics were one game away from the championship. Boston starting center Kendrick Perkins suffered a serious knee injury in the first quarter, rendering the Celtics more vulnerable on defense and rebounding. The desperate Lakers opened up a massive lead, peaking at 27. The Lakers' bench had outscored Boston's bench 24–0 entering the fourth quarter.^[19]

It was later revealed that Perkins tore both his PCL and MCL, and he was ruled out for Game 7.^[20] His Lakers counterpart, Andrew Bynum left the game early in the third quarter due to swelling in his knee from a torn meniscus. He, however, was not ruled out for Game 7.^[20]

Game 7

June 17 9:00 p.m. ET	Recap Video highlights	Boston Celtics 79, Los Angeles Lakers 83				Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: No. 17 Joe Crawford No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 48 Scott Foster	ABC
		Scoring by quarter: 23–14, 17–20, 17–19, 22–30
		Pts: Paul Pierce 18 Rebs: Paul Pierce 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10		Pts: Kobe Bryant 23 Rebs: Pau Gasol 18 Asts: Pau Gasol 4
		L.A. Lakers win series, 4–3

Lakers forward Ron Artest made a critical three point field goal late in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers a six-point lead.

This game was the first Game 7 in an NBA Finals since 2005 five years earlier.^[21] Christina Aguilera reprised her role as singer of the national anthem for the second straight game.^[22] Derek Fisher was the first player to post up points on the board via a three-point field goal on a Pau Gasol assist. Rasheed Wallace answered back with a 8-foot jumper.^[23] Both the Celtics and Lakers kept the game close early in the first quarter with the each team holding a one-point lead.^[23] Suddenly, the Lakers offense began to falter with the starters missing field goals and easy layups.^[23] The Celtics utilize their opponents struggles widen their lead.^[23] After the team their first full timeout, the Celtics managed to outscored the Lakers 6–1 with Glen Davis scoring four of Boston's points during that period to take a 23–14 lead ending the first quarter.^[23] Notably, Kobe Bryant missed a free throw giving the Lakers their lone point within that same time frame.^[23]

At the start of the second quarter, the Lakers got back in the game by scoring 11 answered points to take a two-point lead over Boston.^[23] The lead proved to be brief, however, as Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett scored two-pointers to regain control the game.^[23] Nevertheless, the Lakers continued to score points with Ron Artest hitting 3 of his 4 free throws in the quarter to maintain a four point deficit from within Boston.^[23] Before the second quarter concluded, Paul Pierce sunk a pair of free throws to end the first half on a 40–34 lead.^[23]

The Celtics opened the second half going on a 9–3 run which widened their lead over the Lakers by as much as 13 points.^[23] The turning point for the Lakers however arrived after the team took a twenty second timeout.^[23] Bryant made a running jumper on a Lamar Odom assist in what would turn out to be a 6–2 run by the Lakers cutting their deficit to six points behind Boston.^[23] Pierce then scored hit a three pointer to restore the lead to nine.^[23] As the third quarter drew to a close, the Lakers continued their momentum as Byrant completed a 4-foot jumper while Gasol hit two free throws.^[23] Lakers reserve Lamar Odom made a tip shot to make the score 57–53 at the end of the quarter.^[23]

The Lakers' fortunes rode high midway through the fourth quarter as Fisher sunk a three-point field goal from 26-feet to tie the game at 64.^[23] Despite having a poor night offensively, Bryant hit two free throws and followed through with a 17-foot shot to give the Lakers a 68–64 lead, the team's first lead since early in the second quarter.^[23] Gasol hit two more free throws on a Garnett foul to extended that margin to six.^[23] The Celtics would not give up, however, and Wallace later hit a three-pointer to cut the Lakers' lead to 76–73. Although Artest exhibited shooting difficulties throughout the game, he answered in spectacular fashion by sinking a three point goal to restore his team's lead back to six.^[23] The Celtic offense suffered heavily in the fourth quarter as four key players (Garnett, Davis, Pierce, and Wallace) earned four or more personal fouls.^[23] Wallace would later depart from the game after fouling out.^[24] Bryant attained two more free throws on Wallace's foul to extend the lead to five.^[23] Rondo hit a 26-foot jumper to cut the Lakers' lead by two points, but the Celtics were forced to foul Sasha Vujacic consequently enabling the Laker guard to complete two free throws and help his team take a four point lead over Boston.^[23] With eleven seconds left in the game, Rondo made one last-ditch effort to revive the Celtics' hopes by attempting a three pointer.^[23] The ball missed the basket enabling Gasol to make a defensive rebound.^[23] Gasol passed the ball to Odom who quickly threw it to the opposite end of the court as the buzzer sounded.^[25] Bryant chased after the ball and rallied the Staples Center crowd in celebration of the Laker's 83–79 triumph over the Celtics.^[25]

In spite of his on-court struggles, Bryant ended up scoring a game-high 23 points, the most for any player in the game.^[26] Pierce lead the Celtics with 18 points and ten rebounds, but he shot a dismal 5–15 from the field.^[26][27] Notably, the Lakers out-rebounded the Celtics 53–40.^[28] After the game, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson hailed Artest, who scored 20 points in Game 7 including his last-second three pointer, as the "Most Valuable Player" of the game.^[29][30]

Awards

• 2010 NBA Champion: Los Angeles Lakers
• Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant

Statistics

Category	High				Average
	Los Angeles Lakers		Boston Celtics		Los Angeles Lakers		Boston Celtics
	Player	Total	Player	Total	Player	Avg.	Player	Avg.
Points	Kobe Bryant	38	Ray Allen	32	Kobe Bryant	28.6	Paul Pierce	18.0
Rebounds	Pau Gasol	18	Rajon Rondo	12	Pau Gasol	11.6	Rajon Rondo	6.3
Assists	Pau Gasol	9	Rajon Rondo	10	Kobe Bryant	3.9	Rajon Rondo	7.6
Steals	Ron Artest	5	Kevin Garnett	5	Kobe Bryant	2.1	Rajon Rondo	1.6
Blocks	Andrew Bynum	7	Kevin Garnett	4	Pau Gasol	2.6	Kevin Garnett	1.3

Rosters

2010 Los Angeles Lakers Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From 4.0 !F 37 USA ! Artest, Ron 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 260 lb (118 kg) St. John's 1.5 !G 12 USA ! Brown, Shannon 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Michigan State 1.5 !G 24 USA ! Bryant, Kobe (C) 78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Lower Merion HS (PA)* 6.0 !C 17 USA ! Bynum, Andrew 84 !7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 285 lb (129 kg) St. Joseph HS (NJ)* 1.5 !G 1 USA ! Farmar, Jordan 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) UCLA 1.5 !G 2 USA ! Fisher, Derek 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Arkansas-Little Rock 5.5 !F/C 16 ESP ! Gasol, Pau 84 !7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Spain 6.0 !C 28 BEL ! Ilunga-Mbenga, Didier 84 !7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Belgium 4.0 !F 6 USA ! Morrison, Adam  80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Gonzaga 4.0 !F 7 USA ! Odom, Lamar 82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Rhode Island 4.0 !F 21 USA ! Powell, Josh 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) North Carolina State 1.5 !G 18 SLO ! Vujačić, Sasha 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Slovenia 4.0 !F 4 USA ! Walton, Luke 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona	Head coach Phil Jackson (North Dakota) Assistant coach(es) Frank Hamblen (Syracuse) Brian Shaw (UC Santa Barbara) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA) Craig Hodges (Long Beach State) Jim Cleamons (Ohio State) Athletic trainer(s) Gary Vitti (Southern Connecticut State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured * High school Roster • Transactions Last transaction: 2009-10-26

2010 Boston Celtics Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From 1.5 !G 20 USA ! Allen, Ray 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Connecticut 2.5 !G/F 42 USA ! Allen, Tony 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Oklahoma State 2.5 !G/F 7 USA ! Daniels, Marquis 78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Auburn 5.5 !F/C 11 USA ! Davis, Glen 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 289 lb (131 kg) LSU 2.5 !G/F 40 USA ! Finley, Michael 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Wisconsin 4.0 !F 27 USA ! Gaffney, Tony (IN) 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Massachusetts 4.0 !F 5 USA ! Garnett, Kevin 83 !6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 253 lb (115 kg) Farragut Academy HS (IL) 1.5 !G 0 USA ! Lafayette, Oliver (IN) 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Houston 6.0 !C 43 USA ! Perkins, Kendrick 82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 280 lb (127 kg) Clifton J. Ozen HS (TX) 4.0 !F 34 USA ! Pierce, Paul (C) 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Kansas 1.5 !G 4 USA ! Robinson, Nate 69 !5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Washington 1.5 !G 9 USA ! Rondo, Rajon 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 171 lb (78 kg) Kentucky 4.0 !F 44 USA ! Scalabrine, Brian 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Southern California 5.5 !F/C 30 USA ! Wallace, Rasheed 83 !6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina 5.5 !F/C 13 USA ! Williams, Shelden 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Duke	Head coach Doc Rivers (Marquette) Assistant coach(es) Armond Hill (Princeton) Kevin Eastman (Richmond) Clifford Ray (Oklahoma) Tom Thibodeau (Salem State) Mike Longabardi (Frostburg State) Athletic trainer(s) Ed Lacerte (Boston) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured * High school Roster • Transactions Last transaction: 2010-04-14

Broadcasting

For the eighth consecutive year in the United States, ABC televised the Finals. Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy provided commentary for the games. The Finals was also broadcast on ESPN Radio, with Jim Durham, Hubie Brown and Jack Ramsay calling the action. Game 1 was watched by 14.1 million viewers, the most watched Finals opening game since 2004.^[31] The viewership for the opening game resulted in a ratings percentage of 8.6% of households in the United States.^[32] Game 7 had the highest average number of viewers with 28.2 million, since 1998 when 35.9 million watched the Chicago Bulls defeat the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of that year's Finals. The average number of viewers of 18.1 million, was the highest since 2001.^[33] The flagship radio stations of the respective teams broadcast all Series games with their local announcers. In Los Angeles, KSPN carried the Lakers' English-language broadcasts, with Spero Dedes and Mychal Thompson announcing, while KWKW aired the team's Spanish broadcasts.^[34][35] In Boston, WEEI carried the Celtics' English broadcasts with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell announcing.^[35]

Game	Ratings (households)	Share (households)	American audience (in millions)
1[32]	8.6	14	14.1
2[36]	9.2	15	15.5
3[37]	9.6	16	16.0
4[38]	9.9	18	16.4
5[39]	10.8	18	18.2
6[40]	10.4	18	18.0
7[41]	18.2	27	28.2

Impact and aftermath

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson earned his 11th title, further extending his record for most championships earned by either an NBA coach or any coach/manager in a major North American professional sports league.^[42] Bryant won his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP Award. He later said that this championship win was the "sweetest" because it was against the longtime, storied rivals and was the toughest series by far.^[43][44] Furthermore, Lakers forward Luke Walton and his father Hall of Famer Bill Walton became the first and only (as of 2011) father and son to both have won multiple NBA championships Bill in 1977 and 1986 and Luke in 2009 and 2010.^[45]

Lakers

Derek Fisher during the victory parade.

The series win brought the Lakers' franchise NBA championship total to 16,^[25] second only to the Celtics' 17 championships. This also marked the 11th title for the team since moving from Minneapolis in 1960, and it was the franchise's fifth Finals win in eleven seasons.^[25] Notably, this was the Lakers' first Game 7 win over the Celtics in Finals history,^[46] Boston had won all previous matchups.^[21] Moreover, the Lakers were now 3–9 against Boston since the two teams first competed against each other in the 1959 NBA Finals.^[47]

President Barack Obama meets with the 2010 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at the THEARC Boys and Girls Club in Washington, D.C.

On June 21, a victory parade took place for the Lakers. Unlike like previous years, however, there was no pep rally that followed after the end of the parade due to both security and financial reasons.^[48] The team was transported around on an open-air float equipped with loudspeakers enabling the players to talk to the spectators. The parade began at 11 a.m local time at Staples Center, turned east on Chick Heart Court, turned south onto Figueroa Street, then east onto Jefferson Boulevard before entering beneath Interstate 110.^[48] The parade concluded at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Grand Avenue near the University of Southern California's Galen Center.^[48][49] Occasionally, Ron Artest led the crowd in chanting "Boston sucks!"^[50] Over 65,000 people were estimated to have attended the parade.^[51] Most of the 2009–10 Lakers team were on hand to receive their championship rings before the start of the season opener against the Houston Rockets on October 26.^[52] They also visited U.S. president Barack Obama at the THEARC Boys and Girls Club in Washington, DC. in December 2010, presenting him with a banner declaring the Lakers as 2009–10 NBA World Champions.^[53][54]

In November, Time Capsule Press published a book entitled Journey to the Ring: Behind the Scenes with the 2010 NBA Champions Lakers. The book, written by coach Jackson, featured various photographs from sports photographer Andrew D. Bernstein chronicling the Lakers 2009–10 season en route to their triumph against the Celtics.^[55]

The following season, Lakers again won 57 games, but were unable to earn the top seed this time.^[56] Nevertheless, they won the Pacific Division title for the fourth straight year. In the playoffs, however, they were swept in the Conference Semifinals by the eventual champions Dallas Mavericks.^[57] Head coach Phil Jackson, who already announced the season was to be his last, subsequently retired. It was the first time Jackson had been swept in a playoff series as coach.

Celtics

Peter May of ESPN Boston attributed Boston's loss in the Finals to the lack of rebounding, especially in the last two games.^[58] The Celtics made key changes in the offseason, bringing in Shaquille O'Neal, a former Laker, and Jermaine O'Neal. The Celtics were at the top of the Eastern Conference during the All-Star break, but after trading Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they sputtered to the third seed, yet still winning the Atlantic Division with 56 wins. In the playoffs, however, the Celtics couldn't flick the switch this time, losing in the Conference Semifinals in five games to the eventual Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat, who added LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade.

References

1. ^ Head, Jabber (May 30,2010). "Lakers-Celtics Finals’ Preview: ‘All That’ BUT Still The Usual ‘All This’". Bleacherreport.com. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/398848-lakers-celtics-finals-preview-all-that-but-still-the-usual-this. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
2. ^ Flint, Joe (June 18, 2010). "Lakers-Celtics Game 7 draws almost 30 million viewers". The Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/06/tv-viewership-lakers-celtics-game-7.html. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
3. ^ Latzke, Jeff (May 1, 2010). "Lakers knock out Thunder on Gasol’s tip-in". Associated Press. Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010043025. Retrieved August 25, 2011. 
4. ^ Alden, Doug (May 11, 2010). "Lakers sweep away jazz, look ahead to suns". Associated Press. NBC Sports. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/37077113/ns/sports-nba/. Retrieved August 25, 2011. 
5. ^ Baum, Bob (May 30, 2010). "Lakers stop Suns, to face Celts in Finals". Associated Press. FOX Sports. http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Lakers-Suns-Game-6-live-score-052910. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
6. ^ Mahoney, Brian (May 30, 2010). "Familiar foes renew rivlary". Associated Press. The News-Sentinel. http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100531/SPORTS/5310319/1002. Retrieved April 30, 2011. 
7. ^ Chu, Bryan (June 4, 2010). "Lakers' defense shines in Finals-opening win over Celtics". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20100603/BOSLAL/gameinfo.html#nbaGIlive. Retrieved June 13, 2011. 
8. ^ Chu, Bryan (June 7, 2010). "Allen shoots lights out to take homecourt from Lakers". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20100606/BOSLAL/gameinfo.html#nbaGIlive. Retrieved June 14, 2011. 
9. ^ "Star Gazing: Monica Sings Anthem at NBA Finals". Eassence. June 8, 2010. http://www.essence.com/2010/06/09/monica-national-anthem-nba-finals/. Retrieved August 16, 2011. 
10. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s} "Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics – Play by Play". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300608002&period=0. Retrieved August 13, 2009. 
11. ^ Dzen, Gary (June 8, 2010). "Final: Lakers 91, Celtics 84 -Celtics blog – Boston Globe basketball news". Boston Globe (New York Times Company). http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2010/06/lakers_at_celti_1.html. Retrieved August 16, 2011. 
12. ^ Fenton, Jim (June 8, 2010). "Boston Celtics need Big Three to avoid foul trouble in Game 4 against Los Angeles Lakers". The Enterprise (GateHouse Media). http://www.enterprisenews.com/sports/x1602634592/Boston-Celtics-need-Big-Three-to-avoid-foul-trouble-in-Game-4-against-Los-Angeles-Lakers. Retrieved August 16, 2011. 
13. ^ Lisa Dillman and John Cherwa (June 8, 2010). "Lakers defeat Celtics, 91–84". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/08/sports/lat-sp-lakers-celtics-game3-live. Retrieved August 16, 2011. 
14. ^ Bresnehan, Mike (June 8, 2010). "Derek Fisher saves the Lakers again". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/08/sports/la-sp-lakers-celtics-20100609. Retrieved August 16, 2011. 
15. ^ Buckley, Steve (June 8, 2010). "Ray Allen's game amiss". Boston Herald (Hoops Daily). http://www.hoopsdaily.com/content/ray-allen%E2%80%99s-game-amiss. Retrieved August 16, 2011. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "Lakers 89 Celtics 96: Complete Play-By-Play". ESPN. 2010-06-10. http://espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300610002&period=0. Retrieved 2010-06-20. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "Big Baby, Celtics bench provide spark as Celtics tie Finals". Associated Press. ESPN. 2010-06-10. http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300610002. Retrieved 2010-06-20. 
18. ^ Mourhead, Cooper (June 14, 2010). "Celtics' defense stymies Lakers as Boston claims 3–2 lead". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20100613/LALBOS/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0040900405#nbaGIlive. Retrieved June 14, 2011. 
19. ^ ESPN Game 6 Recap
20. ^ ^{a b} Forsberg, Chris (June 17, 2010). "Perkins sidelined with knee injury". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5294006. Retrieved August 5, 2010. 
21. ^ ^{a b} Beacham, Greg (June 16, 2010). "Game 7: Lakers, Celtics Face Weight of History". Associated Press. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/17/sportsline/main6590905.shtml. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
22. ^ Reid, Jefferson (June 17, 2010). "Will Christina Aguilera Be the Lakers' Lucky Charm?". E!. http://www.eonline.com/news/will_christina_aguilera_be_lakers_lucky/186319. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
23. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y} "Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics – Play by Play". ESPN. June 17, 2010. http://espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=300617013&period=0. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
24. ^ Forsberg, Chris (June 18, 2010). "Wallace heads to refs locker room". ESPNBoston.com (ESPN). http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5300375. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
25. ^ ^{a b c d} Beacham, Chris (June 18, 2010). "Lakers edge Celtics in Game 7, win 16th title". Associated Press. Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010061713. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
26. ^ ^{a b} "Lakers Beat Celtics for Championship 83–79". Associated Press (CBS News). June 18, 2010. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/17/sportsline/main6593576.shtml. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
27. ^ Mannix, Chris (June 18, 2010). "NBA Finals Report Card: Game 7". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/06/17/grades.game7/index.html. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
28. ^ Holmes, Baxter (December 14, 2010). "In the end, Lakers beat Celtics at their own grinding game". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/17/sports/la-sp-celtics-sider-20100618. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
29. ^ Dwyer, Kelly (June 18, 2010). "Lakers take Game 7, win back-to-back titles". Sports.Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wfrgtQmh. 
30. ^ Solomon, Jerome (June 18, 2010). "Artest was Game 7 MVP for Lakers". The Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wfrwRtjY. 
31. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 4, 2010). "ABC Generates its Most-Watched-Ever Opening Night with the NBA Finals". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/04/abc-generates-its-most-watched-ever-opening-night-with-the-nba-finals/53251?utm_campaign=WP-TWITTER&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
32. ^ ^{a b} Stransky, Tanner (June 10, 2010). "Ratings: NBA finals on ABC, 'SVU' finale take the week". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2009/06/10/ratings-nba-finals-on-abc-svu-finale-take-the-week/. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
33. ^ "2010 NBA Finals Most Viewed Since 2001". http://www.sportsgrindent.com/blog/2010-nba-finals-most-viewed-since-2001/. 
34. ^ "Lakers Broadcast Information". http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/broadcast.html. Retrieved May 9, 2011. 
35. ^ ^{a b} Little, Jeff (June 17, 2010). "TLN’s Finals Chat: Game 7 — Lakers vs. Celtics". http://lakernation.com/2010/06/tln%E2%80%99s-finals-chat-game-7-%E2%80%94-lakers-vs-celtics/. Retrieved August 10, 2011. 
36. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 7, 2010). "ABC Dominates Sunday with Biggest NBA Finals Game 2 in 6 Years". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/07/abc-dominates-sunday-with-biggest-nba-finals-game-2-in-6-years/53339. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
37. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 9, 2010). "The NBA Finals Generates its Best Results in 6 Years, Registering as the Second-Strongest-Ever Numbers on ABC". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/09/the-nba-finals-game-3-generates-its-best-results-in-6-years-registering-as-the-second-strongest-ever-numbers-on-abc/53609. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
38. ^ Seidman, Robert (June 11, 2010). "Game 4 of Lakers/Celtics Is Most-Watched NBA Finals Game in 2 Years; Through 4 Games, Best Finals in 6 Years". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/11/game-4-of-lakersceltics-is-most-watched-nba-finals-game-in-2-years-through-4-games-best-finals-in-6-years-second-strongest-ever-numbers-on-abc/53887. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
39. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 14, 2010). "TV Ratings Sunday: NBA Finals Leap, Tony Awards Sag". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/14/tv-ratings-sunday-nba-finals-leap-tony-awards-sag/53960. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
40. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 16, 2010). "ABC Marks its Best-Ever NBA Finals Game 6 Numbers in Viewers and Adults 18–49". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/16/abc-marks-its-best-ever-nba-finals-game-6-numbers-in-viewers-and-adults-18-49/54405. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
41. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 18, 2010). "NBA Finals Game 7 Averages 28.2 Million Viewers, Highest Since 1998". TVbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/06/18/nba-finals-game-7-averages-28-2-million-viewers-highest-since-1998/54647. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
42. ^ Lee, Michael (June 18, 2010). "Lakers' Jackson unsure if he'll return to coaching". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/17/AR2010061705765.html. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
43. ^ CBSSports.com wire reports. "Lakers battle to win Game 7, win 16th championship. – NBA". CBSSports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gamecenter/recap/NBA_20100617_BOS@LAL?tag=gcOptions;sbOptionLinks. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
44. ^ "'Sweetest' Repeat as Lakers Beat Celtics for Title". Associated Press. NBC Sports. June 18, 2010. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/37769711/ns/sports-nba/. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
45. ^ Tomasson, Chris (June 15, 2010). "Bill Walton "I'm Back In The Game Of Life"". NBA.FanHouse.com. http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/06/15/bill-walton-im-back-in-the-game-of-life/. Retrieved June 26, 2010. 
46. ^ Miller, Devon (June 18, 2010). "Lakers Title Run Leads to Back to Back NBA Championships". Bleacher Report. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/408063-lakers-title-run-leads-to-back-to-back-nba-championships. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
47. ^ Falgoust, J. Michael (June 18, 2010). "Kobe Bryant finds a way, comes up clutch for Finals MVP". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2010-06-18-kobe-bryant-mvp_N.htm. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
48. ^ ^{a b c} Grad, Shelby (June 18, 2010). "Lakers' victory parade Monday; team says it will cover costs". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/lakers-victory-parade-monday-team-says-it-will-cover-costs.html. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
49. ^ "Lakers parade will complicate Monday morning commute". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). August 10, 2010. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/lakers-parade-will-complicate-monday-morning-commute.html. Retrieved June 18, 2010. 
50. ^ "Parade participants celebrate NBA champion LA Lakers". Los Angeles Daily News. June 21, 2010. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15343321. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
51. ^ Alexandra Zavis, Gale Holland and Carla Hall (June 22, 2010). "For the Lakers, another march in June". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/22/local/la-me-lakers-parade-20100622. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
52. ^ Jannis Carr (October 26, 2010). "Lakers get their rings and a glimpse into the future". Los Angeles Times. http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/12/lakers-visit-with-president-obama-also-spend-time-with-local-boys-and-girls-club.html. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
53. ^ Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner (December 13, 2010). "Lakers visit with President Obama, spend time with local Boys and Girls Club". Los Angeles Times. http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/12/lakers-visit-with-president-obama-also-spend-time-with-local-boys-and-girls-club.html. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
54. ^ "Meet and Greet". Los Angeles Times. December 14, 2010. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/14/sports/la-sp-lakers-obama-20101214. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
55. ^ [1]
56. ^ Celletti, Chris (April 15, 2011). "NBA Playoffs: First Round Breakdown and Predictions". SB Nation. http://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-knicks/2011/4/15/2113010/nba-playoffs-2011-first-round-predictions-knicks-celtics-heat-bulls-lakers-spurs-mavericks. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
57. ^ "Mavs sweep Lakers with Game 4 rout". Associated Press. NBC Sports. May 8, 2010. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42950442/ns/sports-nba/. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
58. ^ May, Peter (June 18, 2010). "In the end, Celtics ran out of gas". ESPNBoston.com (ESPN). http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/columns/story?columnist=may_peter&id=5300419. Retrieved August 12, 2011. 

External links

• 2010 NBA Finals Official Site
• 2010 NBA Finals at ESPN
• 2010 NBA Finals at Basketball Reference