Kobe Bryant Drives Lakers Past Magic to Clinch 15th NBA Championship
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ORLANDO — June 14, 2009: The Los Angeles Lakers captured their 15th NBA championship with a 99–86 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals at Amway Arena.
The win completed a season-long quest sparked by the previous year’s Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. Determined to prove he could win without Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant guided a team that finished the regular season 65-17, best in the Western Conference, and eliminated the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets to reach the championship round. Orlando advanced after defeating the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and a Kevin Garnett–less Celtics squad.
Game 5 opened with the Magic racing to a 15-6 edge, but Los Angeles soon seized control and eventually led by as many as 18. The Lakers never trailed in the second half en route to closing out the series on the road.
Bryant delivered 30 points on 10-for-23 shooting along with six rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks in 43 minutes. Pau Gasol added 14 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and four blocks, while Lamar Odom provided a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.
After averaging 32.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists over the five games, Bryant earned his first NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. The Lakers repeated as champions the following season, defeating Boston in seven games to claim the franchise’s 16th title.
Source: LakersNation.com
