Today is one of the happiest days of my life because the Lakers won the 2010 NBA Champions for the second consecutive year. Since their lost in Game 5, I never really had high hopes of achieving the title but when the Lakers won last Wednesday by 22 points and forced Game 7, I really became so anxious and can’t help thinking about it. I always believed that the Lakers are “skilled” to win it all but I always doubt their mentality of the game. Going to Game 7, I know that whoever has the most “will” to win has the advantage. I know that Celtics had this immovable sense of pride in them. Prior to the game, Glenn Davis said, “We will hold the trophy in LA” – a statement that only makes Kobe and Co. even more aware of the Celtics’ confidence over the them. Of course we know the history favors the Celtics winning over the Lakers for years. Only this time, LA had the home court advantage. Luckily we have an LCD TV in our pantry so we are able to watch the game. After the opening tip, I know I would never be the same in the office. I felt the cold sweaty hands again and the chill on my nerves. It’s the usual feeling I have when I am nervous. It is as if I am the one playing in the court. I watched with my fellow Laker fans, Caloi and Dyoy with the only Boston fan, Pat. It was Derek Fisher who threw the first punch with his own three point shot. I cheered instantly but cautiously because there is a meeting with the CEO on the other room. We left after the first official time out with the Lakers down by one. Since then we never came back to watch and just followed the game through conference meeting in our instant messages. Thanks to Brylle’s live internet feed that we got the instant score updates. Going to the second quarter, the Lakers are down by nine points and I was absolutely distracted from work. I tried to work and feel nothing but I can’t control my mind and fast heartbeat. Thankfully, the Lakers rallied and are just down by four points by halftime. And so it goes – the next IM stopped me from working because the Lakers are down by twelve points already. By that time, I was miserable. But I know that people are telling me to relax and chill because there is still fourth quarter. Instant messages are constantly blinking in my computer from different people. Some are even not close to me but known me to be a Laker fanatic. It’s wonderful that they are supporting me. It’s actually funny. I went to Marvin and Ronald’s area and stayed for ten minutes. They knew I was trembling and freezing cold and my reactions are “classic”. When I got back from my workstation area, I said my own prayer silently. Yes, it is crucial. I even felt the tears running down from my cheeks. I felt so down. The next thing I know, the score is tied and Kobe is going to shoot two free throws. And then it finally happened. The Lakers led by two points in the fourth quarter and they never let it slip away. I heard that the two teams exchanged three point shots and Kobe is having an off night. In the last one minute, Caloi and I rushed to the pantry and we saw how close the game was. It was until Sasha Vujacic’s two made free throws that we had our high fives, smiles, and a sign of relief. Sorry Boston fans. It’s over. The Lakers are the back to back NBA Champions and Kobe is still the Finals MVP. But of course, he got big help from Artest this time and the Spaniard big man Gasol.
With this miraculous rally by the Lakers, I had all the reason to have lunch out with some friends. It was truly a wonderful feeling. The best! Congratulations Team LA. Let’s do it again next year???
