Super Lakers back on top

The Los Angeles Lakers are back on top in the world of basketball as they become the 2009 NBA champions.

The LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson hugs Kobe Bryant following their victory over the Orlando Magic.

ORLANDO // The Los Angeles Lakers are back on top in the world of basketball as they became the 2009 NBA champions. They convincingly defeated the Orlando Magic 99-86 on Sunday to claim the series 4-1 and give the Lakers a 15th NBA title and their first since 2002. The victory also gave the Lakers' Phil Jackson a record 10th NBA title as a head coach, surpassing the Boston Celtics' legendary Red Auerbach, who won nine in a 10-year period, while the Celtics still hold the most titles as a team at 17.

Jackson had won six with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls and this was his fourth title at the helm of the Lakers. "Having won 10 championships is a remarkable accomplishment, there's no doubt about it," Jackson said, While the Magic staked an early lead, Kobe Bryant kickstarted the Lakers with a 16-0 run in the second quarter. He finished with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists en route to his fourth title. Bryant's teammates provided plenty of support, with Lamar Odom notching 17 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol added 14 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks, becoming the first Spaniard to win an NBA title.

Bryant's brilliant performance earned him the Final's MVP trophy. His hanging bank shot with 5:54 left in the third quarter will go down as the iconic move of the series, and will probably end up in a television commercial. As for the Magic, they fell apart in the second quarter and never came back. The team's deft shooting went cold, ending up 29.6 per cent on three pointers and 62.5 per cent from the free throw line. Rashard Lewis led the team with 18 points.

To most pundits, the series was more a question of how many games it would take the Lakers to win four rather than if the Magic would win the series. It was a foregone conclusion largely after going 3-1 up in the series that Kobe would win the Finals MVP and that coach Phil Jackson would pass the Boston Celtics' coaching legend Red Auerbach in winning his tenth championship. That being said, the Lakers had to get the job done and they did so in convincing fashion. While the quest to win an NBA championship normally starts in October, the Lakers began their title hunt following their Game Six loss in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics last June, which they had lost 4-2 in convincing fashion.

"While we were disappointed, we all sat around the hotel lounge, talking about what we were going to have to do to win it all. "That set in motion what happened today," concluded the Lakers' Derek Fisher. Going forward, only time will tell if Odom and Trevor Ariza will re-sign with the Lakers let alone if coach Phil Jackson will now retire for good. Taking a page out of Jackson's zen approach, Odom urged everyone to "enjoy the moment and leave the business of basketball aside".