Lakers Win Their 17th: Thoughts that Bubbled Up

 

So, when it was all said and done, it was the Los Angeles Lakers who prevailed over the Miami Heat and copped their 17th title, tying their long-time rivals the Boston Celtics for most NBA championships.

Here are three thoughts on the Lakers championship run:

Thought #1 Was it ever in doubt? Yes, it was. The truth of the matter is that the Lakers were never the overwhelming favorites to win this year's championship. I personally had the Bucks winning it over the Clippers, which shows you just how much I know about basketball. The thing is, the Lakers' not being the "sure thing" just makes this championship even more amazing. 

Thought #2 Stop the LBJ hate and give the man the respect he damn well earned. Truth be told, Lebron James was never my favorite player. He still isn't. But anyone who doesn't have him at, at the very least, the top three players in the world is a hater, straight out. Any team with Lebron James should be considered a serious title contender (remember the 2007 Cavs, with Eric Snow, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and Zydribas Ilgasukas?) In my opinion, LBJ has earned his place in the GOAT debate.

Thought #3 Defense (and a better bench) wins championships. Playoff Rondo, Bald Mamba, and the shadow of former DPOY Dwight Howard made most significant difference in this series. Rondo did it with defense and timely threes, Caruso did it with energy and instant offense, Howard did it with physicality and rim protection. The Heat had a decent bench with Tyler Herro, Kelly Olynik, and Andre Iguodala but only Herro delivered any oustanding value from this trio and Nunn was not ready yet to replace what the Heat lost with Dragic's injury.