Another Lakers Championship In The Calm Before The Storm

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The Los Angeles Lakers have won their second consecutive NBA championship and 16th overall (five in Minneapolis), with an 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center.  And for once, they defeated their hated rivals in a Game 7 after having lost four other times.

Kobe Bryant, as usual, led all Lakers scorers with 23 points and 15 rebounds.  This is his fifth championship, as well as his second consecutive playoff MVP title (named for former Celtic Bill Russell, of all people).

Ron Artest, who scored 20 points in the game, has a championship he can claim as redemption.  You see, as an Indiana Pacer, he was previously known for his involvement in a brawl with the Detroit Pistons that came to be known as the ugliest incident in NBA history.

Coach Phil Jackson won his 11th NBA title, more than anybody else, with the blessings of having Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan at his side during his career.  One wonders if this might be it for him.

But now the real season begins, with questions everyone from ESPN on down have been asking.  Is LeBron James staying in Cleveland or not?  If he's not, then where will he go?  What about all the other high-profile free agents, who can expect to make insane amounts of money no matter where they go?  And will those lucky teams be standing where the Lakers and Celtics are a year or two from now?