Redemption is the name of the game.
The 2010 NBA Finals ended in a much sweeter and glorious note compared to that of last year, as the Los Angeles Lakers took their second straight title after defeating historic rivals the Boston Celtics. And for everyone in the purple and gold, especially those who were part of those who lost last 2008 to this same Green Team, all was more hard fought.
For Kobe Bryant and the rest of the '08 Lakers, this is not just any back-to-back title. It is a symbol of their revenge, their way of getting back at the Celtics for bullying them two years ago. It stands proof that Kobe Bryant fully cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Lakers ever who had the chance to beat the Boston Celtics - a position he shares with Magic Johnson, avoiding what has happened to Laker legend Jerry West. For Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, it is a symbol of the toughness and passion that they have grown into, and for the rest, a chance to get back at the mistakes of the last two years.
But surprisingly, they were not the ones whose celebrations stood out and became real and live expressions of emotions.
It was nothing more real, more emotional, more victorious, than Ron Artest's, and for him, this is more than a title, heck more than a salvation of one's legacy or basketball career in hopes of becoming a legend someday.
The Larry O'Brien trophy brought him back his sense of self, both as a basketball player and as a person.
The Ron Artest Way
When the Lakers signed Ron Artest for a five-year deal, there were two points raised by sports critics and analysts about his integration into the Lakers team.
The first was the way he would adjust to the Lakers team defense (which, obviously he would provide a big boost to) and the famous triangle offense. But that was the least of their concerns. Rather, what they were worried about was Ron Artest's on- and off-court behavior, which could affect the overall discipline, image, and gameplay of the team.
Anyone who has watched the NBA at least for the last five or six years has heard of Ron Artest's significant attitude and swagger. Despite being regarded as one of the top defensive men of the decade, he also got the "rough bad boy" image, being strongly associated with his acts of defiance and, for lack of a better and more accurate word, "violence."
And we can count various demerits, starting with the famous (and the biggest and most violent) brawl way back 2004, when, back as an Indiana Pacer, his foul on the Detroit Piston's center Ben Wallace ended up with him throwing a punch at a fan and eventually being suspended for the regular season.
The trade which sent him to the Sacramento Kings for year-long stint did not do any kind of damage control in his image. He never did get worse, but there were still traces of the Ron Artest of the brawl, with technical fouls and occasional ejections every now and then. But looking on the bright side of his career, he provided the energy that the withered Kings needed just to hang on. Along with the young, blooming Kevin Martin, Artest carried the load of the Kings on both ends of the court until the first round of the playoffs, where the San Antonio Spurs eliminated them in six games.
Afterwards, a trade brought him to the Houston Rockets, which promised a new era not only for himself, in the course of his attempt to show that he is still worthy of respect, but also for the Rockets as a team. Together with Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Shane Battier, Artest shaped Houston into a Western Conference contender, cementing a smooth road to the playoffs, albeit a rough and violent one.
The Lakers fans won't even forget their woes against Ron Artest in the course of the seven-game battle between L.A. and Houston. Before the regular season ends, Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest were charged with technical fouls each for badmouthing each other near the end of the game. During Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, he was ejected when he showed antagonism over Bryant after a contested call. He faced another ejection in Game 3 when he put up his arms on the face of a driving Pau Gasol.
Eventually, the series ended with the Lakers winning, as Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest shared congratulatory remarks and words of encouragement after game seven, putting behind everything that happened between them during those momentous playoff series. And during that time, nobody ever thought of a partnership between them.
Wearing That Lakers Jersey
The 2009 Los Angeles Lakers, after winning the championship against the Orlando Magic, find themselves still intact as a team, save for one - Trevor Ariza. For the team, he is as valuable as every teammate, most especially during the course of the playoffs where he showed what he can really do - make the necessary stops, run for fastbreak points, and even hit crucial threes and perimeters if not cutting and dunking. As soon as his contract expired, the Lakers were already determined to sign him in for five more years.
However, things didn't turn out as it was planned, as Ariza's agent turned down the Lakers' offer which covers the mid-level exception, the only available offer for the Lakers so as to avoid overspending, being way above the lowered salary cap. Because of that, Ariza's management agreed with the other contesting offer, that of the Houston Rockets.
In spite of Artest's performance, the Rockets did not want him back, becoming satisfied with Ariza. It was then that the Lakers, in a way, chased after him. They offered him the MLE contract, which he immediately accepted. He wore the number 37, the number of weeks that the late Michael Jackson's album, "Thriller," stayed on the number one Billboard Chart.
For Artest, being in L.A. was a very special opportunity for him. It is a gift, a positive reinforcer which suited his needs for fame and respect. From the most hated by the Staples crowd, he was warmly accepted by Tinseltown. He grew instant fame not just with his offseason modeling sideline across different L.A. independent labels, but also his gimmicks which he frequently tweeted (and constantly retweeted) in his "TruWarier" account. With these perks, it seems that the Lakers will keep him behaved for at least five years.
The regular season began without even a harsh comment pointed against Artest. There was no major news of misbehavior, even gaining the love of the L.A. crowd while playing great team defense alongside Kobe Bryant and the purple and gold. It seems that everyone realized that a little change might provide them a boost, with greater hopes of defending the title and repeating their 2009 performance.
But everything was not all good between Artest and the Lakers. At times, it was evident that he was not like Ariza who could fit into the triangle perfectly, primarily because of their differences in speed and offense. While half of the Lakers analysts were praising Ron Artest for becoming a defensive boost in the Lakers, the other half was complaining about his offensive inefficiency, as he was characterized with poor perimeter shooting and slow cutting which disrupted the speed of the execution of the triangle. Add to that the fact that Artest was absent when the Lakers needed him most during the Christmas season, when he said he fell down the stairs while bringing gifts back home and was sidelined with a mild injury.
And during the course of the regular season, Laker fans worried about not only the looming injuries of Lakers stars, most especially Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, but also the effectiveness of Ron Artest as a replacement to Ariza.
The Transfiguration: The NBA Playoffs
These doubts and criticisms continued to surface even until the NBA playoffs. Albeit finishing with a decent 57-25 record in the West, the Lakers are still facing a tough road ahead, as they were set to fight a battle within the team (their injuries and efficiency) and without.
During the first round, the Purple and Gold were put against eighth seeded Oklahoma Thunder, which boasts of a high-octane offense led by the young rising star Kevin Durant. Artest was once again given a chance to prove himself a true Laker warrior when he was assigned to put the shackles on KD and prevent him from having big games.
And defended he did. Laker fans were once again comforted by the fact that Artest was there, as he never left Durant on his own throughout the six-game battle. He always had his body to put against Durant's, and a hand raised not only on his shot but also in his face. As the Lakers pulled away to win and advance to the next round, KD35, the 2010 scoring champion, was effectively limited to below 35 points, not allowing the Thunder to greatly pull away and the Lakers to close them out.
From there, Artest would have his own up and down performances, putting the Lakers on several high and low moments. His offensive efficiency against Utah, in the course of also taking the responsibility to defend the wingmen of the Jazz, was also questioned; however, he proved that he can contribute as well, finding his shooting spots, and even running up to get the offensive board, run back down to the three point line, and make the trey. In sweeping the series, Artest has proven himself quite helpful.
But not as much during the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns. He went well with the Lakers team defense when they put the Suns away during the first two games. But in the two consecutive losses against the Suns in their home court, it was Artest who destroyed two opportunities of the Lakers offense to put them away. He was known to have hurried the offense with his quick but contested three-pointers, missing most of them. During times when he was supposed to step up and be the man, he failed to do so, even causing problems with turnovers and transition defense. During the course of the series, he was as random as a quantum particle, doing good and bad at times, coming out big in one moment, and not being helpful in another. The way he becomes a teammate to the Lakers became a major concern for the rest of their playoff games. Most of the Lakers fans even wished Ariza was there to play this game for them.
Come Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, where the Lakers sense the need to win to break the tie and gain the momentum before heading to Phoenix for Game 6. During the dying minutes of the game, Phoenix rallied from an 18 point deficit to tie the game101. As a last resort, the Lakers got the ball to Kobe Bryant as he struggled to shoot the ball from the right arc. His shot did not even touch the rim, but Artest cut into the paint, grabbed the ball and immediately put up a difficult last-minute shot to end the game in favor of the Lakers, 103-101. For some, it was his first act of redemption, as that last minute shot has proved that he is a valuable teammate, and for him, this shot gave him back the confidence that he was supposed to have as a Laker playing alongside the 2009 World Champions.
Artest's randomness (as well as the critics' doubts) didn't diminish even during the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. He was a very important defensive element in Game 1, always playing the D against the Celtics' best scorer and team leader, Paul Pierce. However, he once again destroyed the team offense in Game 2 with their only home loss in the playoffs, hitting too many three pointers and not making a single one of them. Though insignificant in the next games (save for his defense on Paul Pierce), his biggest playoff mistake was not getting the last two Laker free throws in Game 5, eventually failing to make it a one-possession game and letting the Celtics get away and head to the Staples Center with a 3-2 series lead.
His great moment came in at Game Seven, when, after the Lakers massacred the Celtics in Game Six, everyone is expected to be at their best. Apparently, it was quite the contrary, as the Lakers found themselves digging a very deep hole, with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol going cold and inefficient. With the Lakers struggling, there has to be someone who has to step up and lead the team to a surge that could bring them to the win. Fortunately, they have the quantum particle, the one who is least expected to step up in the final game, where the pressure is greater than one expects.
It was Ron Artest who became the overnight hero, leading the Lakers to their biggest comeback in 2010. He started a 9-0 surge early in the second half to put the Lakers back on track, and made a cut sometime in the second half and scored a three-point play to once again keep L.A. afloat after being down by double digits. However, what made him special in Game 7 was the way he put a dagger in the heart of the Mean Green Team, making the trey after receiving a pass from Bryant and putting the Lakers ahead by six in the final minutes. In the end, he stepped up when no one did, made noise when everyone was quiet, pushed when no one can barely move and make a change in the game, and became a killer when no one could not be. He truly became the man of the game, the one everyone counted on when no one would dare do so in the most crucial of all games.
Getting Back Up
This single game seven, everything was redeemed. Sure, we can't throw away the swagger that Ron Artest has been. We can even say a lot of things about his problematic behavior which we can trace way back in Chicago (with the Hennessy in the locker room), Indiana, Sacramento, and Houston. But then, this outstanding performance is enough to bring back the respect that he ought to get - a kind of respect towards the way he played the game. His highlight performance was able to save his dignity as a real star in the realm of professional basketball, one that has to be taken seriously in all aspects of the game. For once, he was the man who cannot be denied on both ends of the court.
Playing alongside Kobe and filling in the shoes left by wingman Trevor Ariza, not only did Ron Artest save the Lakers from another loss against the Celtics. He also saved his own infamous legacy, making one of the most memorable, zero-to-hero performances in NBA history.
And even the postgame interviews, press conference, and his post-Finals appearances can attest to that. Ron Artest, so far, has been the greatest Cinderella story ever, and I do believe that no one could forget this man who rose, fell, and rose back up again with a glorious finish.
No comments:
Post a Comment