NBA Champions ·
2010 Los Angeles Lakers
The 2009-10 Lakers repeated, beating the Celtics in seven games in a rematch of the 2008 Finals. Kobe Bryant won his second straight Finals MVP, though he shot 6-for-24 in the deciding game and won it on the glass and at the line. Ron Artest, brought in to defend, hit the dagger three in Game 7.
Los Angeles won eight fewer games than the year before, finishing 57-25, but still took the top seed in the West. Ron Artest replaced Trevor Ariza and gave the team a tougher perimeter defender for the matchups ahead. The path led back to Boston, the team that had beaten the Lakers two years earlier.
The Finals went the distance. Game 7 was a defensive struggle that the Lakers won 83-79. Bryant had a miserable shooting night, going 6-for-24, but he grabbed 15 rebounds and made his free throws down the stretch. Gasol controlled the glass with 18 boards. Artest scored 20 and hit a late three that sealed it.
Bryant won his second consecutive Finals MVP and his fifth title overall. It was also the first time Boston lost a Game 7 in the Finals in franchise history.
The win settled the rivalry for that era. Boston had taken 2008. Los Angeles took 2010, and did it the hard way, in seven, against the team it least wanted to lose to.
Championship roster
Featured in Ring Holders Club
| Player | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Derek Fisher | PG | 72 |
| Kobe Bryant | SG | 94 |
| Ron Artest | SF | 78 |
| Pau Gasol | PF | 87 |
| Andrew Bynum | C | 78 |
| Lamar Odom | 6th man | 80 |
| Phil Jackson | Coach | 92 |
Ratings are year-specific curated estimates for Ring Holders Club, not official NBA stats.
Rest of the roster
| Player | Pos | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon Brown | G | |
| Jordan Farmar | G | |
| Sasha Vujacic | G | made the clinching free throws in Game 7 |
| Luke Walton | F | |
| Josh Powell | F/C | |
| D.J. Mbenga | C |