Shooting guard Kobe Bryant won the MVP Award for the NBA Finals for the second time in his career last night. He played in 7 games (all starts) in the NBA Finals for the Lakers and he averaged 41.1 minutes, 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He won the MVP Award despite only shooting 40.5% from the floor but that’s nitpicking as he was the best player on the floor in this series. Bryant played in 23 games (all starts) this post season for the Lakers and he averaged 40.1 points, 29.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

The Lakers had a rough time shooting last night hitting only 32.5% from the floor but they outrebounded the Celtics 53-40 which helped make up for the poor shooting. The Lakers rose up in the 4th quarter outscoring the Celtics 30-22 to seal the win and the NBA Championship. Kobe Bryant only shot 6 of 24 from the floor but he still finished up with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists. Ron Artest had a big game too hitting a key three pointer late in the 4th quarter to put the Lakers up 4 points. He finished up with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 steals. Pau Gasol did all of the dirty work inside, as usual, for the Lakers finishing up with 19 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. The Lakers win this series 4-3 to win their 16th NBA Championship in franchise history!

The Lakers dominated defensively last night holding the Celtics to 33.3% from the floor and they outrebounded them 52-39 which explains the ease of the win. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Pau Gasol was also electric last night filling up the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots. Ron Artest pitched in with 15 points and 6 rebounds last night. The Lakers have tied the series at 3 games apiece with a home game tomorrow night that is win and take all.

The Lakers only shot 39.7% from the floor last night while the Celtics shot 56.3% which explains the loss last night. Kobe Bryant tried to wll the Lakers to a win as he scored 38 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, had 1 steal and he had 1 blocked shot. Pau Gasol helped out with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Derek Fisher finished up with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal on 2 of 9 shooting from the floor in 34 minutes. The Lakers are now in deep trouble down 3-2 in the NBA Finals as it shifts back to L.A. for game #6 and maybe game #7.

The Lakers got outrebounded 41-34 last night but it wasn’t until the 4th quarter until this game was decided when the Celtics outscored the Lakers 36-27. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 33 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Pau Gasol also had a solid game with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. Lamar Odom had to play 39 minutes last night and he finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He had to play that many minutes because Andrew Bynum could only handle 12 minutes due to his bum knee. Bynum finished up with 2 points and 3 rebounds last night. The Lakers and Celtics are now tied at 2 games apiece in the NBA Finals.