Laker blurb. Champions baby! But to all serious-ness.

This all starts last year. Trevor Ariza came to the Los Angeles Lakers and made an enormous impact, his defense smothering, his shooting getting better and better. But the best thing of all, is the Ariza is a local product of Southern California. Late in the 2007-2008, Ariza suffered an ankle injury, but came back early and still competed in the playoffs. To no avail, Ariza's presence did no help. Look at this years Finals. Orlando's Jameer Nelson had a breakout first half of the season, giving the Magic a starting point guard presence not found in the Finals. If you watches both Finals series, you could see the difference of performance with Ariza. Nelson did proove he could compete at a high level, as he earned himself an All-Star selection before separating his shoulder, leading to surgery. But this was early in the season. Injuries take even the best players out of their groove. Ariza's ankle. Nelson's shoulder. But what about Kobe Bryant's fingers? or Andrew Bynum's knee, still not fully healed? Or Kevin Garnett's injury, leaving the Celtics another man down, unable to repeat their performance of 2008? An injury can devastate any season, but the 2009 Lakers fought through injury and earned the NBA Championship. But look back at Nelson. His passion for the game. His willingness to push himself, and his body, back from a reconstructive shoulder surgery, to compete, and play big minutes, for the Magic. These same Magic will appear in many playoff series, just like the one just completed, but so will these same Lakers. The parody over the league is amazing. You still have the Celtics, the Cavaliers, the up and coming Nuggets, Hornets, Jazz, Heat, and every other team in the league poised at making a run. The Lakers had the mentality this year to get the job done. The Magic saw just what it takes to get the job done, although unsuccseful in their task. The Magic may not win the title in 2009-10, but they will be a strong contender as long as Dwight Howard is healthy and competing a high level of play. In the press conference after Game 5, Howard felt that Ariza and Lamar Odom were two huge factors in the Lakers 4-2 series victory over the Magic. Looking ahead to next year, as long as the core of the Laker roster remains healthy, and role players, depending on which are signed, resigned or traded, make a contribution, this team can still win championships with Bryant, Bynum (staying out of foul trouble), and Gasol at the helm. Each and every member of this 2009 Laker team was a contributor. Derek Fisher came through huge time after time. Ariza, offensively and defensively and Odom, who some analysts said was one factor as to if the Lakers would win or lose depending on his play. The bench was inconsistent, but still managed to get the job done when it mattered most. Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Josh Powell, the seldom used D.J. Mbengma, Sun Yue, and Adam Morrison (who the Lakers still have not found out what he can do). As Laker fans, we will cherish this win for days to come, but when next season starts, the hunger comes back, and it is time to dance, yet again.