Exactly two years ago to the day in 2008, Ron Artest walked up to Kobe Bryant, in Hollywood’s most talked about shower scene since Psycho, and promised that he could help deliver him a championship after the physical and psychological 39-point demolition just administered by the rough, rugged Boston Celtics.

He told Kobe, in essence, “You need me. And I need you.” And after last night’s nail biting, 83-79 Laker victory that clinched the franchise’s 16th World Championship, Ron’s words of two years ago proved profoundly prophetic. Read More »

While Kobe Bryant did everything in his power to send Los Angeles back to the west coast with a victory in hand, he received as much help from his teammates as New Orleans got from FEMA in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Thus far, the 2010 Finals has been ripe with ancillary storylines – the rugged toughness, exemplified by Ron Artest, exhibited by L.A. in Game 1, Rondo’s triple-double masterpiece coupled with Sugar Ray Allen’s sweet stroke in Game 2, Derek Fisher’s late-game heroics in Game 3 and and the Celtics Killer B’s (Big Baby and the bench) making all the difference in Game 4.

But last night, it was all about the Return of the Macks, as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rondo re-established their top billing in Boston’s 92-86 Game 5 victory. Read More »

For the majority of this game, this series seemed to finally be defining itself. The Lakers looked to be the superior team, with the two best players on the court, Kobe and Pau Gasol, mesmerizing aficionado’s with their mastery of the most difficult moves. At various turns, Kobe and Pau made their Picasso-like brilliance look as simple as finger painting.

But the nuance and texture of this championship, and possibly the season, morphed into something entirely different in the fourth quarter. It was then that the Celtics unlikely pair of heroes, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and little Nate Robinson, led their team to victory, assisted by the key contributions of Tony Allen and Rasheed Wallace, with a game changing swarm. Read More »

Two years ago, moments after Kobe and the Lake Show were decimated by 39 points in Boston’s Game 6 clincher of the 2008 NBA Finals, Ron Artest, who was then playing for the Sacramento Kings and there to cheer on his childhood friend and former AAU teammate from Queens, Lamar Odom, approached Kobe in the locker room and told him he could help him beat the Celtics and get another ring. Read More »

In the 1995 ACC Tournament, Washington, D.C.’s Randolph Childress brought that playground “Machine Gun Funk” with him, clearing the way for Wake Forest to earn a championship. Cue the music. Read More »

An old adage says, “After the rain, comes sun.” And if it weren’t for a destructive tropical storm in 1989, the intense ray of sun that has warmed and nourished the hoops landscape over the previous seventeen years might have remained hidden under a cloak of obscurity.

When Hurrican Hugo completed its wrath on the U.S. Virgin Islands in ‘89, one of the fortunate consequences of its terror was flinging Tim Duncan into the welcoming arms of basketball. Read More »