LOS ANGELES – When the Lakers came home needing to win Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals to save their season, Phil Jackson went really old school.
He spliced the comedic inspirational speech from John Belushi's "Bluto" character in the movie "Animal House" in the team's video scouting. Considering Derek Fisher is the only Laker old enough even to have been born at the time of that movie's 1978 release, it was a curious choice.
" 'Over'? Did you say 'over'?" Bluto howls. "Nothing is over until we decide it is!"
Game 6 saw the Lakers play like animals back in their house, pouncing on the Celtics en route to a blowout victory.
Game 7 dialed in to the true message.
"We did it with perseverance," Jackson said afterward.
So a rally from 13 points down happened. A championship came down to the final steps of the marathon, and the Lakers had the better lean into the finish.
"It's about the joy for this group of guys that put so much work out," Jackson said. "I mean, we tax these guys. We make them go through all kinds of difficult things during the course of a year, asking them to play injured. They're a willing group, and I'm very proud of them and very happy for them.
"That's really the joy. To have put in 114 games and come out this way at the end, there's a certain sense of gratification, and that's what I have to believe in."
Kobe Bryant was as tired as he has ever looked in his career, gasping for air in the several final moments, but still producing winning plays. On the other hand, Boston's engine – the uber-intense Kevin Garnett – sputtered.
"Obviously, I saw Garnett fatigue," Jackson said.
But Jackson said Garnett's power-forward counterpart with the Lakers, Pau Gasol, was "the one guy I felt really played with good energy."
When Gasol missed two free throws with 6:49 to play, he missed them both long. He wasn't tired.
With 1:47 left, he raced back to block Paul Pierce's layup. With 1:30 left, he double-clutched and had the power to nudge the ball up to slow-mo itself over the rim and in. With 27.9 seconds left, he made the biggest effort play in a game full of them by chasing down Bryant's miss and controlling the offensive rebound.
Boston's frontcourt of Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, meanwhile, was plastered against that proverbial wall.
"We had to go away from the post almost because of fatigue," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It's the first time all year that you can actually say at the end of the day we were old."
Game 7 of the NBA Finals is supposed to be about perseverance, frankly.
How about Fisher going 0 for 8 on 3-pointers in Games 1-6 and then nailing both his 3-point shots in Game 7?
How about Ron Artest stiff-arming his demons from this debut season in the triangle offense and outscoring Paul Pierce, 20-18, in Game 7?
How about Andrew Bynum being mentally tough enough to give as much as he did all postseason on that torn knee cartilage, enabling Lamar Odom to have the juice in his legs to range all over the court on defense down the stretch of Game 7?
Even before Game 7, the story of the Lakers' season was perseverance. That's what Jackson said the day before, actually.
"It's about being able to make it through the season in a good condition physically, because what happens when you win a championship is you draw your innermost self out physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally – and recover," Jackson said. "And next year to win it back-to-back is one of the most difficult things you'll ever do. It's about health; it's about being able to finish that thing. And this year has been about that for us, about maintaining our health and our well being. We've come out nicked and bruised and damaged at some level, but we're still here."
You might recall that when Gasol was taking it easy with his sore hamstring in the early season, Bryant was shredding people. The end to the season – Gasol picking up for Bryant – brought it full circle.
Bryant put out so much so early that a month into the season, his historically troublesome right knee was barking already. He sank that buzzer-beating banker against Miami – jumping off only his left foot – and the next game first donned a protective sleeve over his right knee. That was Dec. 6.
For the past 6 ½ months, Bryant has been coping with that, eventually needing the knee drained in the postseason. Just five days after he unveiled the knee sleeve, Bryant suffered the avulsion fracture to his right index finger that would be the most impressive injury he has ever overcome in his career.
Now that it's over, Bryant can fully disclose: "Without the tape, I can't grip a basketball. There are some things I'll have to figure out in the offseason, but it was good enough to get through this one."
Being "good enough to get through" isn't exactly the echoing sound of glory. Yet that was what differentiated the best and the ones who needed their rest.
"Whatever it takes," Bryant said. "to win a game."
And this championship.
