Game 5: And the Winner Is...

...Your Los Angeles Lakers! The Purple and Gold defeated the Orlando Magic 99-86 to take the series 4-1, and were crowned NBA Champions. The game looked like a nail-biter as Orlando had a 2-point lead after the first quarter. But the Lakers stormed back, and outscored the Magic 30-18 in the second to enter halftime with a comfortable 10-point lead. It was all Lakers after that as they held on to win the game, the series, and the title. Orlando shot just .415 from the field for the entire game, and failed miserably on rebounds, 47-36. The Lakers were not perfect, but 8 blocked shots and 13 offensive boards helped pad their lead. Kobe Bryant was named MVP of the Finals as he had 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocked shots. Lamar Odom had 17 points and 10 boards off the bench, and Pau Gasol added 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Trevor Ariza chipped in 15 points, and Derek Fisher threw in 13. Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 18 points, and Dwight Howard had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Game 4: The Fish that Saved LA Pt. 2

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 99-91 in overtime, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. The Lakers entered the second half down by 12, but stormed back in the third quarter to take a 4-point lead. The Magic quickly responded, and took what looked like a sure 3-point lead with only seconds left in the game. However, Derek Fisher sent the game into overtime with a long 3-pointer. In OT, Fisher again hit a 3-pointer to give LA the lead for good. The Lakers won the OT period 12-4. Orlando was nowhere near their dominant shooting from Game 3, going 31-for-74 from the field. Their fatal flaws were the free-throws and the turnovers though; the Magic were 22-for-37 from the charity stripe and committed 17 turnovers. Kobe Bryant had 32 points and 8 assists, and Pau Gasol chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds. Trevor Ariza had 16 points as well, all coming in the second half. Fisher finished with 12 points. Dwight Howard led the way for the Magic, scoring 16 points, grabbing 21 rebounds, and blocking a record 9 shots. Hedo Turkoglu added 25 points, and Mickael Pietrus had 15 off the bench.

Game 3: So Close, Yet So Far

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Orlando Magic 108-104, but still have a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. The game was close for most of the time, with neither team able to compile a double-digit lead. Orlando entered the fourth quarter with a 6 point lead, but the Lakers were able to cut it to two and even tie it on various occasions. However, LA could not overcome the hump, and never managed to take the lead in the second half. The Magic were on fire for most of the game, shooting .625 from the field. Free-throws took their toll on both teams, as the Lakers were 16-for-26 from the line while Orlando was 22-for-29. Kobe had a red-hot first quarter, but could not muster much after that, finishing the game with 31 points and a playoff-low 5-for-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Pau Gasol had 23 points, and Trevor Ariza added 13. Both Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar scored 11 off the bench. Five different Orlando players scored in double-digits, starting with Dwight Howard who totaled 21 points and 14 rebounds. Rashard Lewis and Rafer Alston followed as both scored 20 points. Hedo Turkoglu added 18.

Game 2: Lakers Sweep Home Stretch

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 101-96 in overtime, taking a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. The series heads to Orlando for the next three games. The Lakers entered the fourth quarter trailing by two, but managed to send the game into overtime as Courtney Lee missed an alley-oop layup. LA won the OT 13-8. Both teams struggled to sink shots early in the game, as both teams tied at 15 at the end of the first quarter, the lowest scoring first in Finals history. The score was at 40-35 Lakers going into halftime. Orlando vastly improved their shooting, going .423 from the field, including 10-for-30 behind the arc. The Lakers countered by forcing 20 turnovers, but lost on the boards, being out-rebounded 44-35. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Purple and Gold with 29 points and 8 assists, and Pau Gasol scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 12 points and three clutch steals, and Lamar Odom was 8-for-9 off the bench, scoring 19 points and landing 8 rebounds. Rashard Lewis was deadly for the Magic, hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 34 points, throwing up 7 assists, and taking 11 boards. Hedo Turkoglu added 22 points, and Dwight Howard had 17 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocked shots.

Game 1: Perfect Start

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 100-75, taking Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals. The Lakers were sluggish early, trailing by 5 in the second quarter, but they started an offensive tear to go into the halftime leading by 10. It was all LA after that, as the Purple and Gold out-scored Orlando 47-32 in the second-half. The Magic could not escape the Lakers' stifling defense, shooting just .299 from the field and losing on the boards 55-41. Kobe Bryant led the way as he scored 40 points to go with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, his most dominating performance in his Finals career. Pau Gasol added 16 points, and Lamar Odom put up 11 and 14 rebounds as the wealth was spread throughout the Laker lineup. The Magic starting-five were dormant for the entire game, shooting a combined 11-for-46. Mickael Pietrus led Orlando with 14 points, Hedo Turkoglu added 13, and Dwight Howard had 12 and 15 rebounds.

Kobe is a Distant Second in MVP Race

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA's MVP award for the season, collecting 109 of 121 possible first-place votes. Kobe Bryant was a distant second with just two first-place votes after winning the award last year. Dwyane Wade came in third and Dwight Howard finished in fourth.

Kobe & Shaq Reunion Dominates All-Star Game

For the NBA's annual All-Star Game in Phoenix, there was no one more excited than Laker fans. Kobe Bryant was named a starter, Phil Jackson was named head coach of the Western Conference, Pau Gasol was named a reserve, and former-Laker Shaquille O'Neal was named a reserve as well. The West defeated the East 146-119 in a purely offensive game, with both Kobe and Shaq being named Co-MVPs of the game. Kobe scored a game-high 27 points and had a game-high 4 steals. Shaq scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in less than 11 minutes. Gasol had 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. LeBron James of Cleveland led the East with 20 points, and Boston's Paul Pierce came off the bench to scored 18. Dwyane Wade of Miami scored 18 points as well, and Orlando's Dwight Howard had 13 points and 9 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix added 19 points to the West, and New Orleans's Chris Paul scored 14 points and added 14 assists.

Clippers Fall to Bottom of Barrel

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Orlando Magic 125-96, their 39th loss of the season which puts them tied for the worst record in the NBA. The Clips could do nothing to contain Orlando, giving up a .566 shooting percentage and 16 three-pointers. Al Thornton led LA with 27 points and Marcus Camby had a near double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Eric Gordon scored 14 points and Steve Novak had 11. With Jameer Nelson's injury, Anthony Johnson stepped up for the Magic with 25 points, and Dwight Howard scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

Lakers Don't Feel the Magic

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Orlando Magic 109-103, only the second time the Lakers have lost consecutive games. LA blew an 8 point lead going into the fourth quarter, and gave up 65 points in the second half. Kobe Bryant lost his clutch-touch, shooting 5-for-13 in the second half, but a paltry .398 shooting percentage for the team did not help matters either. Orlando out-rebounded LA 54-40. Bryant had his 15th career triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Pau Gasol had 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Lamar Odom came off the bench to score 17 points and snag 9 rebounds. Jameer Nelson finished 9-for-18 for the Magic, with 28 points and 8 assists. Dwight Howard scored 25 points and had a monster 20 rebounds.

Kobe Can't Do It All For Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers were defeated by the Orlando Magic 106-103, the first time the Lakers have lost back-to-back games, and only the team's fifth loss. The game hinged on a 3-point attempt by Sasha Vujacic for the lead that went in and out, mirroring Kobe Bryant's clunker from Friday. Kobe scored 41 points with 8 rebounds, and Derek Fisher had a season high 27 points. However, Pau Gasol was the only other Laker to score double-figures with 11 points, and Jordan Farmar sat out with a tear in his left knee. Kobe's Team USA partner Dwight Howard scored 18 points with 12 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 27 points.

Clippers Can't Feel the Magic

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the Orlando Magic, 95-88, falling to a paltry 4-17. The Clips shot only .385 from inside the arch, and gave up 17 points off of turnovers, compared to just 10 for Orlando. Zach Randolph has quickly made a niche for himself with LA, scoring 21 points with 12 rebounds. Baron Davis led the Clippers with 27 points and 7 assists. Dwight Howard had a monster game, scoring 23 points and snagging 22 rebounds.