Congrats to the Lakers for outlasting the Celtics in a sloppily played game last night at the Staples Center.  Although he was extremely erratic (and that is putting it mildly) during the first three quarters, Kobe Bryant stepped up in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to a hard fought victory.

Even though Bryant was named the series MVP, the performances of Pau Gasol and particularly Ron Artest just can't be ignored.  Gasol was a force on the boards and Artest was simply a force of nature on both ends of the court.  Without the invaluable contributions from Pau and Ron-Ron, it's likely that the Celtics would be celebrating right now. 

To absolutely nobody's surprise, Artest was in rare form after the game.  After thanking his psychiatrist during an interview with Doris Burke on the court, Artest decided to bring his family with him to the post-game press conference.  This video is well worth ten minutes of your time.

Exactly one week ago on June 11th I wrote that the Lakers were still in a very good position to win the series.  Here are three of the reasons I thought the Lakers would emerge victorious when everything was said and done:       

1.  The Lakers possess the two best players in the series -  Kobe and Pau Gasol are the two best players and it isn't even close.  Boston might have the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th best players but the Lakers Big Two should be enough to win a second consecutive title.

2.  The Lakers have the home court advantage - Even if the Celtics prevail in Game 5, the Lakers can still take care of business at the Staples Center on Tuesday and Thursday. 

3.  Lamar Odom and Ron Artest - While LO and Ron-Ron are definitely inconsistent head cases, their talent can't be denied.  If both show up in at least two of the remaining three games then the Lakers should be able to eke out a couple victories.   

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't give Phil Jackson a little love.  While I certainly have been critical of him lately, Mr. Jackson now has 11 championship rings.  Players still win championships, but it can't be denied that the Zen Master knows a thing or two about coaching and deserves to be considered as one of the best head coaches in NBA history.