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BOSTON: After one of the most lopsided losses in National Basketball
Association history, the Los Angeles Lakers could only look to the
future and hope to take some lessons from a historic rout.
The Boston Celtics humiliated the Lakers 131-92
here Tuesday to win the NBA Finals four games to two, inflicting the
worst defeat of any title-clinching game in NBA history and the
second-worst blowout in any finals game.
“Just upset more than anything, frustrated,”
Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant said. “But I’m proud. I’m
proud of the effort that we gave. We should be proud of ourselves
for that.
“At the same time, second place just means you
are the first loser. Just understanding that mentality and coming
back next year ready to work at it, we should hold our helps up
high. We did pretty well.”
The season-ending loss matched the fourth worst
defeat in Lakers’ history. After battling to win Game 5 when the
Celtics could have won the series in Los Angeles, the Lakers looked
horrid and were out of contention by halftime.
The Lakers blew a 24-point lead in dropping Game
4 at home to Boston when they were on the verge of leveling the
series, then squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5 before fighting
back to extend the series.
But, Bryant warned that nothing is assured. That
is what makes every playoff loss equally misery-inducing, especially
one in the finals.
“They are all pretty crappy,” Bryant said.
“It’s pretty bitter right now.
“We have to continue to work. The key is
understanding this isn’t guaranteed to anybody. People have gotten
here before and never gotten back. It’s important for us to
understand that, work hard and come back next year ready to go.”
The Celtics led the NBA in shooting defense this
season and shut down NBA Most Valuable Player Bryant in the finals,
“right up there” with the best defenses Bryant has ever seen.
-- AFP
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