Lakers prove defense still wins championships

Run and gun. Run and gun.

That's all I hear. That's what people want from their basketball.

And yet every time a championship is on the line, it's not about run and gun. In fact, there's very little running going on.

It's about defense and rebounding.

That's what won the title for the Lakers on Thursday night. That and some big shots by Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Kobe.

Maybe people didn't enjoy Game 7.

Maybe it was a little too sloppy, a little too rough for them. They want pretty ball, and this was anything but. For the most part, the officials really let them play on Thursday night.

But I thought it was one heck of a championship game because both teams really got after one another and didn't give up many open looks. Heck, it was middle of the third quarter and the Lakers were still in the 30s. Were it a high school game, you'd have thought the coaches were forcing their teams to hold the ball.

The score was low because every shot seemed to be contested -- hopefully a lesson learned for young players who think basketball is just about scoring.

It's been a few months but it seems to me Duke won the NCAA title the same way.

As someone who rooted for Wilt Chamberlain as a kid and was disappointed when his Lakers didn't win in the finals against Boston and the Knicks, I have to admit that I have a soft spot still for the yellow and purple and still have trouble rooting for green. Well, at least Celtic green.

Still, Boston has a heck of a team and I thought it was a terrific drama Thursday night. I don't know who said it, maybe Magic Johnson, but it seems to me the NBA was the biggest winner.

The season is still way too long and the guys still move around too much from team to team, but if this series and that game didn't bring back the NBA in terms of interest and popularity, nothing will. I haven't seen the ratings, but I imagine they were huge.

Here's a note from NBC:

PAU GASOL OF THE 2010 WORLD CHAMPION LOS ANGELES LAKERS CONTINUES THE CELEBRATION ON NBC’S ‘THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO’ ON FRIDAY, JUNE 18





BURBANK, Calif. – June 17, 2010 – One day after defeating the Boston Celtics to win the 2010 NBA Championship on Thursday, June 17, Los Angeles Laker/NBA All-Star Pau Gasol will continue the celebration on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (Monday-Friday, 11:35 p.m. ET) on Friday, June 18

During the 2010 playoffs, Gasol averaged 19.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. In game seven he scored 19 points and 18 rebounds and had 4 assists.

In addition to his accomplishments in the NBA, Gasol won an Olympic silver medal playing for his home country of Spain in 2008 and in 2006, he earned a gold medal in the FIBA World Championship.

The game on June 17 marked the fifth time the Lakers and Celtics have met in a championship game seven and Boston had never lost a season finale against Los Angeles, [with wins in 1962, 1966, 1969 and 1984] until now.

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” is from Big Dog Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. Debbie Vickers is the executive producer.

From Keith Groller