Lakers Bring Redemtion to Sports Columnist
Brandon Hensley
Issue date: 6/24/09 Section: Column
I wanted payback. I had no doubt the Lakers would be back in the Finals this year. None. I always believed that to true. That's not me being a revisionist fan, that's me being honest. I just knew after last June, that the history books would say that in 2009 the Los Angeles Lakers redeemed themselves for their loss to the Celtics the year before. Other teams had done it, and we would do it too.
The only question was, would the Celtics be back for Round 2, or would we have to beat another team?
Unfortunately, Boston lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to Orlando, killing my dream of seeing the Lakers get revenge. I swear, I felt like Bruce Wayne plotting my revenge on my parents' killers. Only I didn't go out and learn martial arts and create an alter ego. I had to sit and watch my team on TV.
So, we didn't get to see a Finals rematch, or the much hyped "Kobe vs. LeBron" Finals, but when your team is just four wins away from the championship, it's easy to put aside all other agendas and root them on.
Even though Orlando gave the Lakers three very tough games in the middle of the series, I was pretty calm the whole time. I knew we would win. My thoughts were on how I was going to feel afterwards. Would I silently pump my fist, or jump around the house? Would I not have any emotion, because after all, this was all just a formality? I was curious to find out.
As the final seconds of Game 5 ticked off, and I saw Kobe's smile get larger and larger, and Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol start to celebrate, it hit me. When the clock hit triple zeros, I became emotional. Just a little bit. And here comes the part that I will always believe until the day I die:
Sports isn't just a game. It's not just entertainment. It's not just business. It is all those things, but so much more. For this season, for this team, it was about redemption. It was about proving to everyone that the Lakers were the toughest team on the block - that they were all grown up and ready take what was rightfully theirs. They were punked last year. Embarrassed. But they came back ready to avenge their loss. And they did.
The only question was, would the Celtics be back for Round 2, or would we have to beat another team?
Unfortunately, Boston lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to Orlando, killing my dream of seeing the Lakers get revenge. I swear, I felt like Bruce Wayne plotting my revenge on my parents' killers. Only I didn't go out and learn martial arts and create an alter ego. I had to sit and watch my team on TV.
So, we didn't get to see a Finals rematch, or the much hyped "Kobe vs. LeBron" Finals, but when your team is just four wins away from the championship, it's easy to put aside all other agendas and root them on.
Even though Orlando gave the Lakers three very tough games in the middle of the series, I was pretty calm the whole time. I knew we would win. My thoughts were on how I was going to feel afterwards. Would I silently pump my fist, or jump around the house? Would I not have any emotion, because after all, this was all just a formality? I was curious to find out.
As the final seconds of Game 5 ticked off, and I saw Kobe's smile get larger and larger, and Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol start to celebrate, it hit me. When the clock hit triple zeros, I became emotional. Just a little bit. And here comes the part that I will always believe until the day I die:
Sports isn't just a game. It's not just entertainment. It's not just business. It is all those things, but so much more. For this season, for this team, it was about redemption. It was about proving to everyone that the Lakers were the toughest team on the block - that they were all grown up and ready take what was rightfully theirs. They were punked last year. Embarrassed. But they came back ready to avenge their loss. And they did.
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