2010
Los Angeles Lakers
Series Flow
4
Wins
3
Losses
Regular Season
57–25
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
16–7
Win–Loss
Finals
4–3
vs Boston Celtics
Finals MVP
Bryant
Kobe
Los Angeles Lakers
57–25Boston Celtics
50–32The veteran Big Three of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen came within 4 points of a second title. Rondo's emergence as a superstar throughout the playoffs made the series feel genuinely winnable for Boston until the final buzzer.
Finals MVP
Kobe Bryant
#24 · Guard
28.6
PPG
7.8
RPG
3.9
APG
1.4
SPG
5th ring. Kobe's Game 7 (6/24 FG, 23 pts, 15 reb) showed championship will over individual brilliance.
Won his 5th NBA title — equaling his idol Michael Jordan
Won Finals MVP for the first time after previously sharing the award with Shaq
His 15-rebound Game 7 became the defining image of his championship pedigree
How the Series Unfolded
G1 · W
1–0
G2 · L
1–1
G3 · W
2–1
G4 · L
2–2
G5 · W
3–2
G6 · L
3–3
G7 · W
4–3
102
LAL
89
BOS
Kobe (30 pts) and Gasol (21 pts, 11 reb) controlled both ends in a dominant Game 1 statement.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
30 pts · 8 reb · 4 astSet the tone immediately.
BOS
Paul Pierce
23 pts · 8 rebThe lone bright spot for Boston.
94
LAL
103
BOS
Rajon Rondo (16 pts, 11 ast) orchestrated a Celtics comeback; Ray Allen added 18 to even the series.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
24 pts · 7 rebGood but couldn't carry the team alone.
BOS
Rajon Rondo
16 pts · 11 ast · 7 rebTook over the game with speed and vision.
91
LAL
84
BOS
Kobe (29 pts) dominated the hostile Garden crowd; Gasol's interior work provided the margin of victory.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
29 pts · 10 reb · 8 astSilenced the Garden with sheer will.
Pau Gasol
25 pts · 14 rebDominated Kendrick Perkins in the paint.
89
LAL
96
BOS
Paul Pierce erupted for 27 pts and Rondo posted another near triple-double as Boston evened the series at 2-2.
BOS
Paul Pierce
27 pts · 8 reb · 6 astCaptain America. Led from the front.
Rajon Rondo
13 pts · 10 ast · 8 rebPressed the Lakers into uncomfortable half-court sets all night.
86
LAL
67
BOS
Kobe scorched Boston for 38 pts in the most dominant individual performance of the series; the Lakers never trailed.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
38 pts · 8 reb · 4 astRelentless from tip-off; the best game of the series by any player.
Pau Gasol
18 pts · 13 rebDouble-double efficiency while Kobe drew all the attention.
67
LAL
89
BOS
The Celtics staved off elimination behind Rajon Rondo (13 pts, 9 ast) and strong all-around defensive effort, forcing a Game 7.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
19 ptsCold night from the field — 6/19 shooting.
BOS
Ray Allen
20 pts · 5 3PMIce-cold shooting from deep kept Boston alive.
83
LAL
79
BOS
The most famous 83-79 in NBA history. Kobe shot 6/24 but grabbed 15 rebounds. Ron Artest hit two back-breaking threes late. The Lakers held on for championship number 16.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant
23 pts · 15 reb · 4 astWilled the Lakers to a title — his shooting was off but his competitive spirit was everything.
Ron Artest
20 pts · 2 key 3PM lateTwo clutch threes in the fourth quarter sealed the championship.
Pau Gasol
19 pts · 18 rebThe unsung hero of Game 7 — won the battle of the boards.
BOS
Paul Pierce
22 ptsGave everything but the Celtics came up four points short.
The Champions
19.0
PPG
12.5
RPG
3.9
APG
Dominated the glass throughout. His 18 pts and 11 reb in Game 7 were as crucial as anything Kobe did.
7.4
PPG
5.1
RPG
1.1
SPG
Guarded Paul Pierce into submission in the second half of the series and hit two clutch threes in Game 7.
They Pushed Us to the Limit
The veteran Big Three of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen came within 4 points of a second title. Rondo's emergence as a superstar throughout the playoffs made the series feel genuinely winnable for Boston until the final buzzer.
History Written in 2010
Los Angeles Lakers
16th NBA Championship
Kobe Bryant
5th NBA title — joining Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson in the five-ring club
Kobe Bryant
First solo Finals MVP of his career (previously shared with Shaq in 2002)
Phil Jackson
11th championship as head coach — cementing his status as the greatest coach in NBA history
Ron Artest
Won the championship 7 years after being suspended for the Malice at the Palace — one of sport's great redemption stories
Beyond the Box Score
The 2010 Finals was a rematch of the 1984 and 1985 Finals — the two greatest franchises in NBA history meeting one more time. Kobe's statement after winning: "I got one more than Shaq" spoke to years of personal motivation that transcended basketball.
It was Phil Jackson's 11th and final championship as a head coach. The 17-year arc from his first title (1991 Bulls) to this moment is unmatched in the history of professional sports coaching.
The Full Story
In 2008, the Celtics had humiliated the Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant never forgot. Two years later, in a rematch that the entire basketball world had been waiting for, the Lakers exacted their revenge — in the most dramatic way possible.
Seven games. Every one of them brutal, contested, and on the edge of chaos. Kobe Bryant shot 6 for 24 in Game 7 and still found a way to win — 15 rebounds, two and a half hours of pure will. Ron Artest hit two threes. Pau Gasol grabbed 18 rebounds. And when the final buzzer sounded, Kobe Bryant looked up at the Staples Center rafters and sobbed.
"I got one more than Shaq." Five rings. Redemption complete.