Kobe Bryant had that one hole in his impressive resume, that one unanswered question everyone seemingly held against him.
Sure, he had three NBA championship rings. But could he win one without Shaquille O’Neal?
We finally got the answer Sunday night.
Bryant coolly and efficiently led his Lakers past the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, giving Los Angeles its 15th title while earning Finals MVP honors.
Phil Jackson won his record-breaking 10th title as a coach — four with L.A. and six with the Bulls — surpassing the nine that Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach won from 1950 to ’66.
“I’ll smoke the cigar tonight in memory of Red,” Jackson said. “He was a great guy.”
Jackson has one year left on his contract at $12 million. He has said his health will be a factor in whether he returns, but he is expected back.
Bryant has an option to terminate his contract with two years remaining, but he reaffirmed Saturday he intends to re-sign with the Lakers. And now, he said, “I won’t have to hear that idiotic criticism anymore” about not having a title without O’Neal.
“It was annoying,” said Bryant, who averaged 32.4 points in the series and scored 30-plus in four games. “I was like, it’s a challenge I’m just going to have to accept because there’s no way I’m going to argue it. It’s not going anywhere until you do something about it. We as a team answered the call.”
The championship came one season after the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Bryant committed himself to bringing a title back to Los Angeles and showed a renewed intensity throughout the playoffs. His kids called him “Grumpy” because he was so serious about winning a title.
Bryant and O’Neal teamed to win titles for the Lakers in 2000, ’01 and ’02, but after O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, the Lakers officially became Bryant’s team.
He finally delivered that Shaq-less title, scoring 30 points in Game 5. Four teammates also scored in double figures: Lamar Odom added 17 off the bench, Trevor Ariza had 15, Pau Gasol 14 and Derek Fisher 13.
Bryant pumped his arms as the seconds ticked away, overjoyed and relieved.
“I felt like a big old monkey was off my back,” Bryant said. “It felt so good to be able to have this moment. I’m just ecstatic.”
The Magic proved it wasn’t ready for the big stage. All-Star center Dwight Howard was held to 11 points. Rashard Lewis (18 points on 6-for-19 shooting) and Hedo Turkoglu (12 points) also struggled. Orlando, which relies so heavily on the three-pointer, made only 8 of 27. The Lakers, meanwhile, made 50 percent (8 of 16) from behind the arc.
The Lakers went on a devastating 16-0 run in the second quarter, turning a four-point deficit into a 12-point lead in a span of 3:42. They outscored the Magic 20-6 in the final 6:49 of the half and led 56-46.
“I don’t know if you can console anybody,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s very difficult..”
The Lakers had no such problems.
“Having won 10 championships is a remarkable accomplishment, there’s no doubt,” Jackson said. “I’ve always said this: The journey is what’s really important, and it’s important … to watch these kids come together and form a unit. This was no exception.”
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Phil vs. Red
With his 10th title Sunday, Phil Jackson becomes the all-time leader among coaches.
Titles
Jackson: 10
Auerbach: 9
Finals
Jackson: 12
Auerbach: 9
Seasons
Jackson: 18
Auerbach: 17
Playoff wins
Jackson: 209
Auerbach: 91
Source: basketball-reference.com
