Lakers Now a Dynasty

Now that the confetti has fallen, bottles were popped and tears were shed, the Lakers are once again the NBA champions, and without Shaquille O'Neal. The Orlando Magic fell seemingly without a fight in Game 5 and some are questioning whether they were the best team in the Eastern Conference to face the Lakers.

Nathaniel Sligh, senior business management major, wasn’t pleased with the outcome of the game, but gave credit where it was due.

“Even though I didn’t want the Lakers to win or go to the NBA Finals at all, I feel that Kobe Bryant did a great job leading his team,” Bryant said. “He was able to take control of the game when he needed to as well as delegate tasks to his team.”

One can't seem but wonder if the outcome of the series would have been the same if the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers, would have beat the Magic as predicted. Everyone had Kobe and LeBron facing off in the finals, even Nike, which used commercials of Kobe and LeBron puppets to promote the two going to battle for an NBA title.

I'm sure we would all agree, unless you're a die-hard Magic fan, that a Kobe and LeBron matchup would have been more entertaining than the quickly subdued Orlando Magic. The Magic fizzled out quicker than Master P's basketball career, playing like they were just content with being in the Finals instead of having the Lakers hunger to win.

While Dwight Howard reevaluates his position with the Magic and prepare for next year, Kobe Bryant is in his glory after winning his fourth NBA title. Bryant led his team to winning their fourth title in the past ten years as well as solidified himself as an immortal in sports, silencing all critics who claimed he was incapable of winning without Shaq.

"It was like Chinese water torture," Bryant said in reference to his discontent with critics saying he couldn't win without Shaq. "I would cringe every time. I was just like, it's a challenge I'm just going to have to accept because there's no way I'm going to argue it. You can say it until you're blue in the face and rationalize it until you're blue in the face, but it's not going anywhere until you do something about it."

Although both have taken their jabs at each other in past seasons, it seems they have finally found a common ground being away from each other.

O'Neal acknowledged Bryant on his Twitter page saying, "Congratulations Kobe, you deserve it. You played great. Enjoy it my man enjoy it."

The Lakers have solidified the team as a dynasty without the assistance of two star players, but one. With Bryant and the tandem of the core players who played major roles this season, the Lakers are prepared to be a force in the NBA for years to come. Now that the cloud of O’Neal and the doubts that Bryant couldn’t win without another star player have been removed, Bryant has placed himself in a position to be considered one of the greats in sports history.