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Shaq sheds tears of joy as Lakers crowned champions
It don't mean a thing unless you got that ring. And for Shaquille O'Neal, winning the NBA Championship meant a lot. Tears flooded down the cheeks of the big fella after the Los Angeles Lakers clinched their first title since 1988 at the Staples Center on Monday night, sparking a celebration inside and outside the arena.
Taking over in an exciting fourth quarter, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a 116-111 victory over the resilient Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals as the Californian side took the series 4-2 to clinch a 12th title for the franchise.
The victory gave Lakers coach Phil Jackson his seventh title in just his first season coaching a team that had been eliminated from the playoffs in each of the first three seasons since O'Neal and Bryant arrived.
"The first practice I had in October, I stopped the practice and I said, "You guys can't play with the kind of energy I demand as a coach, and you have to lift that up," said the Zen Master, who became only the second playcaller to win a NBA crown with two different teams.
"They found a way to do that. But that was the key to whether we could win or not. I didn't think they could play with the kind of intensity defensively that it takes to be a championship team. From that standpoint, I'm very pleased they were able to bring that level up to a maximum effort this year."
Indiana led most of the game and in the second quarter, Sam Perkins - a member of the Lakers Finals-losing team of 1991 - gave Indiana its first double-digit lead on a three-pointer with 7:44 left that made it 42-32.
The Lakers finally took back the momentum late in the second quarter, getting a steal from Bryant, a dunk from O'Neal, a steal fromRon Harper and a three-pointer by Bryant to make it 56-53 at the half.
Bryant started the third quarter with a short jumper to make it a one-point game, but the Pacers scored nine of the next 11 points, for a 67-59 lead.
The Pacers maintained control for the next few minutes. But Bryant hit a short pull-up shot, A.C. Green scored and Glen Rice hit a three-pointer from the corner to cut Indiana's lead to 71-70. The Lakers again closed within one, but Indiana scored the final four points of the quarter to take an 84-79 lead into the fourth.
Brian Shaw stole the ball from Jalen Rose three minutes into the fourth quarter and O'Neal scored on a fast break while being fouled to give the Lakers their first lead since late in the first quarter.
O'Neal, who stayed down for a minute clutching his left knee after being fouled, missed a chance for a three-point play. But Rose then missed a reverse layup with O'Neal in his way and Rick Fox made a long three-pointer for a 94-90 lead.
Indiana tied the game at 103-103 on a three-pointer by Jalen Rose with 5:04 left in the game, but Robert Horry made a tough shot, and Ron Harper stole the ball from Austin Croshere on the Pacers' next possession.
The Pacers then fouled O'Neal, sending him to the line four times in a span of 21 seconds. He missed three free throws before Jackson took him out with 2:27 left.
When O'Neal returned with 1:56 left, the Lakers' lead was down to 110-107 and Indiana had the ball. Croshere was fouled with one second left on the shot clock and made both to make it a one-point game. Glen Rice answered with two free throws, Croshere missed a turnaround shot, Bryant missed a drive and Miller rushed a long three-pointer that would have tied the game.
Bryant was then fouled on a drive and he calmly made both free throws with 13 seconds left for a 114-109 lead.
Dale Davis then scored on a dunk for Indiana to make it a three-point game with 5.4 seconds left, but Bryant again went to the line and calmly sank two more free throws to put the game and the championship out of reach.
Jalen Rose led Indiana with 29 points, Miller had 25 and Davis added 20 for the Pacers.
O'Neal, so impressive all year long, was the unanimous choice for MVP of the series, adding to his MVP awards from the regular season and All-Star game. He scored 41 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the winning game and could scarcely contain his emotion afterwards.
"I've been in the league for eight years, and this is what I wanted to come to the NBA for. Growing up, I used to see Larry and Magic celebrate, Mike. I went to the Finals in '95, I saw Hakeem and Robert Horry celebrate it.
"I've held emotion for about 11 years now, three years of college, eight years in the league, always wanting to win. ... It just came out. I worked very hard to get here, and it was an emotional game. That was the ugliest 41 I've ever had. But we played well and the last two minutes there, we just took the ball to them, went to the line, free throws. I made a couple stops, and we won."
Bryant finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Rice added 16 for the Lakers.
It was familiar territory for many of the Lakers. Harper with his fourth ring, after three with the Bulls. Horry, another band to complement his two from Houston. Green, one to go with the one of 1988. And John Salley, the first player to win with three different sides after previous success in Detroit and Chicago.
At the finish, Pacers coach Larry Bird stepped up off the parquet after exchanging hugs with Jackson, the Legend departing for possibly the last time. On his way to the locker room there was a familiar face, that of Magic Johnson, now a Lakers executive.
Losing to the Lakers might not have been the most perfect of ends of Bird's coaching career but he insisted there is no way back.
"I'm not coaching next year," he affirmed. "(After) I just thanked (the players) for the last three years. They worked very hard for me, and I just told them that if they work as hard for the next coach as they did for me, they'll have an opportunity to get back here next year. After the experience that they've had playing in the Finals, I think they know what to expect now.
"It takes about a day for a loss to really set in. But I was very proud of the way we played. I thought we were moving the ball extremely well. I knew going into the game we were going to have to make plays, penetrate, kick, and try to move the ball as best we could.
"Just to try to get open looks, we did an excellent job for three quarters. When it came to the end of the game, we couldn't get the stops that we wanted. For me, it's been a great experience. ... Unfortunately, it's over, but it's time to move on."
The festivities were however marred by rioting sparked outside after the title was sealed. Several cars were destroyed and shops looted as fans were on the rampage while the 20,000 people inside the Staples Center were forced to remain within the building, in scenes reminiscent of the violence which followed Chicago's victory in 1997.
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