ORLANDO, Fla. — It is royal lineage that extends from Magic to Kobe, and a basketball dynasty that rules from coast to coast. More than 2,000 miles from Los Angeles, the chant rattled the arena walls:
“Let’s go Lakers!”
The real America’s Team has won the NBA championship.
The Lakers beat Orlando 99-86 on Sunday night, and long before the outcome was determined, thousands of fans wearing Kobe Bryant jerseys were loudly singing the praises of the visitors from L.A.
Don’t you love it? Or do you hate it?
For better or worse, when the Lakers win it all, it all feels grander.
“It’s different when you put this jersey on. When you play for the Lakers, the stage is bigger,” L.A. point guard Derek Fisher said.
Bryant averaged 32.4 points against the Magic and, for the first time in his career, did not have to get a boost from Shaquille O’Neal to grab the shiny, gold Larry O’Brien Trophy. In the corner of a dressing room perfumed with the smell of spilled champagne, Bryant’s young children sat in a corner, gazing at their father on a new Wheaties box saluting this L.A. team he alone led.
“I don’t have to hear that criticism, that idiotic criticism anymore. That’s the biggest thing,” said Bryant, named MVP of the Finals.
Phil Jackson won championship No. 10 of his career, surpassing the record of the late, great Red Auerbach. He has never placed more trust in a team. It was a move made by necessity, and anybody who has watched his painfully gimpy gait as the 63-year-old coach slowly moved across the practice court understands why.
“I always felt as a coach you have to push your team, and I told them they had to push themselves. I wasn’t at the stage of my life where I could get out and do the things that I had done 10 or 15 years ago,” Jackson said.
Dynasty is a word too casually dropped into sports conversations where it doesn’t belong, but here’s the true meaning of enduring dominance: In 61 NBA seasons of doing business, the Lakers franchise has appeared a nearly unfathomable 30 times in the Finals.
From George Mikan to Jerry West, through the Showtime years of Magic Johnson, and now with Jackson giving guidance to Bryant, the Lakers never, ever go away.
“You can’t write the history of basketball without the Lakers uniform,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said.
Maybe the New York Yankees do have more stories to tell, and the Dallas Cowboys might brag louder, but whether you roam the Plaka in Athens or rub elbows with the masses in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, it doesn’t take long to bump into a local wearing the Lakers’ purple and gold.
“If you expect yourself to be a champion, there’s really no pressure in playing for the Lakers. The pleasure of playing basketball, when you work so hard, is you want the appreciation for it. And when you’re on the Lakers, everybody notices,” Fisher said.
Although this best-of-seven championship series ended in five, do not mistake it for a dud. Twice, Orlando extended Los Angeles to overtime. The Magic, which comes off the team bus jacking up shots from 3-point range, proved to be more than game.
The Lakers, however, turned Amway Arena into their home floor during the title-clinching victory, as the crowd noise turned into a purple rain of cheers as the visitors took control of Game 5 with a 16-0 run during the second quarter.
“Were they the better team in the series? Yeah, that’s why they’re the champs,” Orlando center Dwight Howard said.
This is the 15th NBA championship for the Lakers.
Before anybody had a chance to ask, L.A. general manager Mitch Kupchak anticipated the question: How long before the next title?
“You always feel the pressure of working for the Lakers franchise, as a player, a coach or in management. It’s always there. We’re used to winning. And it keeps you on your toes,” said Kupchak, who cut the deals that brought the club Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza, both essential players in this playoff run.
The red numbers on the digital clock above the locker-room doorway that framed L.A.’s general manager clicked from 11:24 to 11:25.
“I’ve got about another 35 minutes to celebrate this championship. Better hurry,” Kupchak said. “Then it’s back to work.”
A dynasty never sleeps.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
