Kobe Bryant battled through a tough evening to lead all scorers as the Los Angeles Lakers came from behind to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in the decisive seventh game of the NBA finals and claim back-to-back titles.
But Pau Gasol stole the show, the seven-foot Spaniard scored 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Ron Artest added 20 points as the hosts recovered from a long-time deficit which peaked at 13 points to triumph at the Staples Center.
A final-quarter surge took them ahead for the first time since they briefly led 25-23 in the second, and a pair of free throws from Sasha Vujacic – the Slovenian’s first points of the game – took them out to a decisive two-score margin.
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson increased his record coaching total to 11 NBA titles – 6 with Bulls, 5 with Lakers.
Kobe Bryant won the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award for 2nd straight year.
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