Of course the thought of joining the Miami Heat has occurred to Fisher before, he is staying with the Lakers along with its own superstar team. Derek Fisher issued a statement on Monday saying that he’ll re-sign with his current team. He chose to play alongside Kobe and pursue the sixth NBA title with them.

“I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles. While this may not be the most lucrative contract I’ve been offered this offseason, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin,” Fisher said in a statement on his website. That’s right, on his official website. No fancy one-hour cover from ESPN. He just said it and stayed.

Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant have played in all five of the Lakers’ most recent championships. Like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Fisher became a free agent on July 1. He also entertained offers from several teams including the Heat. The offers were good of course but it’s not good enough for him to pack up and leave the team where he has spent most of his NBA seasons.

“At the end of the day, there’s one person I could not turn away from,” Fisher said. “Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me even when others had doubts.” Who could run away from a friend like that?

“While this may not be the most lucrative contract I’ve been offered this offseason, it is the most valuable,” apparently, he values his friends and his team more than he values money. An attitude “The King” doesn’t possess.

The Lakers has already posted the information and details of their parade to celebrate their16th NBA Championship. According to their site, the Lakers will host a celebratory parade for all local fans on Monday, June 21, starting at STAPLES Center and traveling south on Figueroa Street to Jefferson Boulevard, just north of the USC campus and Galen Center. The same route they trekked last year for winning the 2009 NBA championship.

The parade will begin at roughly 11 a.m. PST to give time for the players, coaches, and their families to all get on board the man floats that will come down the route. Then, a convoy of double-decker, open-air buses and other attending vehicles will carry Lakers coaches and staff, members of the Buss family ownership group, team officials, and the Laker Girls to the conclusion of the two-mile route.

Unlike last year’s celebration, there won’t be a rally inside the Coliseum anymore. Instead, the players will address fans from the floats on Monday. Yeah, it won’t be as extravagant but it doesn’t mean it won’t be as exciting for all the Lakers fan out there.

The city officials are anticipating between 500,000 and 2 million attendees. So, if you want to come on out and enjoy with the team and fellow fanatics, they recommend that, if possible, you should just take the Metro Rail system to the Pico/Chick Hearn station adjacent to the parade route rather than attempt to drive into the STAPLES Center and Figueroa area. There will be parking spaces surrounding STAPLES Center and the Figueroa corridor. And be sure to be there the night before to avoid traffic.

Photo: Bob Rosato/SI

All hail the mighty Lakers. We were not disappointed. It was a well-played 2010 NBA Finals.

On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 16th NBA championship, dramatically turning the tables around from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7. It was a nail-biting game.

“This one is by far the sweetest, because it’s them,” Bryant said, who scored 23 points throughout the game. “This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up.”

They really did. It was an awesome display of team effort. There was Ron Artest who scored 20 points for the Lakers, Derek Fisher’s 3-points that evened out the score in the fourth quarter, Lamar Odom and, let us not forget, Pau Gasol whose 9 points during fourth quarter were so significant. These players shot and rebounded like their life depended on it. It’s now or never.

“Well, first of all I want to thank everybody in my hood,” Artest said in an interview after the game. “I definitely want to thank my doctors … my psychiatrist, she really helped me relax a lot.”

“I’ve got to take a deep breath. I’ve got to take some time to think about this,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said and expressed that this could be his last season, “This was great. I’ll wait to make that decision in a week.”

Even though was not at his best in Game 7, Kobe Bryant still secured the Finals MVP award after averaging 28.6 points in the series.

But let us also give credit to the Boston Celtics. That team played so well and showed plenty of hearts to win the game. It is worth noting that Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, scoring 18 and 17 points respectively, were awesome in the court.

Well, that’s it for the 2010 NBA Finals. Until Next year.

Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers won the game 6 of the NBA Finals, 67 – 89, over the Boston Celtics, tying the series 3-3. Both teams show no sign of giving up which makes this series really interesting. The Lakers really did an impressive job last night to extend the series to game 7.

“It’s really a high-tension situation,” Jackson said. “Players have come down to putting a lot on the line at this particular point. A lot of times, it’s not about the coaching at that point. It’s about who comes out and provides energy on the floor and plays the kind of game and dictates the kind of game they want to dictate.”

Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol nearly had a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.

Then there’s Lakers reserve Shannon Brown. We know he can dunk but boy, that guy sure can dunk. And he chose Game 6 to show off some of his dunking skills.

Game 7 will be on June 17, 9 p.m. and it still at Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA. Who will be the champion of the 2010 NBA Finals? Los Angles Lakers or Boston Celtics.

(Photo: AP)

The scores are in for the NBA finals ballgame war and the Boston Celtics won Game 5 92-86 Sunday night at their home turf against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics now leads the series 3-2.

Kobe, well Kobe was his self on this game, shooting in hoops like his life depends on it. Three pointers out of nowhere, and when I mean nowhere then I mean it, way out of three point land. Kobe just gave it his all with his great shots from close range to perimeter shots and have I mentioned the three point shots? 38 big points! But it was still not enough to win game 5.

“Defensively, we weren’t very good at all,” Kobe Bryant said. “Last game it was the fourth quarter, this game it was the third quarter. We didn’t get any stops. They got layup after layup after layup, and you can’t survive a team that shoots 56 percent.”

Well, if the LA were all about Kobe, the Celtics won because they were a team. Their offenses were good but their defense was superb. The thing is, Kobe gets the passes and the points but his other teammates weren’t productive at all. Paul Pierce shined at this game, he redeemed himself and lived up to that team captain rank he holds and Rondo is just too quick and too hot for the Lakers to handle. Pierce got a second highest game score of 27, Rondo and Garnett 18 a piece and Gasol (LA) and Allen 12 points. The other LA players, Odom and Artest, just weren’t in it for this game.

This is a crucial, pivotal game for the Boston Celtics. The first team to win back to back on this finals bout, it means they have the momentum. They have the edge and the Lakers are now sweating their pants out thinking what they did wrong and what they should do. Game 6 and 7 (if there is a game 7) is in LA territory so we shall see how this works out.

Thursday night, Game 4, Boston beats the Lakers in a 96-89 score.

“They’re not going to back down from us,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “We’re not going to back down from them.”

Boston Celtics have Glen “Big Baby” Davis to thank for their victory. Davis scored 18 points on seven of 10 shooting in just 22 minutes off the bench to spark Boston’s resurgent game under the basket fourth quarter.

“Just will, that’s all it is,” Davis said. “This is what legends are made of, this is where you grasp the moment. … Just play in the moment.”

“I felt like a beast,” Davis told reporters after Boston’s back-up players had put away the Lakers. “I’m going to be honest with you — I just felt like I couldn’t be denied.

“There’s not too many times you get a chance to be in the finals and be a part of something so great that you can never really imagine yourself even being here.”

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Pau Gasol had 21 for the Lakers.

“They got all the energy points, the hustle points, second chance points, points in the paint, beat us to the loose balls,” said Bryant. “That’s how the game turned around.”

Game 5 will be on Sunday, June 13 at 9PM EST, and it will still be at @TD Garden. It may be an advantage for the Boston Celtics but who knows. After all, NBA is “Where Amazing Happens” so we just have to tune in.

For Game 6, and Game 7 if necessary, the venue will be at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Reuters

Apparently, the home-court advantage does not work anymore. Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics was overpowered the Lakers 91-84 on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers is now leading with 2-1 in the best-of-seven series over Boston Celtics.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points but it was his backcourt side-kick Derek Fisher, who scored 11 out of his 16 points in the final period, helped them win the game. With just 48 seconds remaining at the fourth quarter, Fisher made a three-point shot to let Lakers’ lead, 87-80. Who was not impressed by that? Even Kobe was awed.

“Derek being Derek. He makes big plays all the time,” Bryant said.

How did he do it? “Just faith,” an emotional Fisher said after the game. “We worked hard in this game. Sometimes, things don’t go right. You just have to keep working. … We’re not done yet.”

Then there’s the Celtics. Unlike games 1 and 2, Kevin Garnett did well tonight. He led his team with 25 points and six rebounds. But it was a bad night for Ray Allen. He is one of the league’s top shooters yet missed all 13 of his attempts and finished with two points. Those men tried their best too. But their best was not good enough.

There are still more games to play. Games 4 and 5 will be Thursday and Sunday at the TD Garden (Boston) at 9 p.m. EDT. And Game 6 (if necessary) will be back in Los Angeles on June 15.

On Friday, the Boston Celtics paved their way to the NBA finals after beating the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Champions in a 96 – 84 score. Meanwhile, with Kobe scoring 37 points, the Los Angeles Lakers eliminates the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 last Saturday’s Western Conference Finals, 111-103.

So it’s going to be Lakers versus Celtics. Los Angeles versus Boston at the NBA Finals, again. You just can’t ignore the intensity of rivalry between these two teams. Boston beat Los Angeles in the 2008 finals. And Bryant. The MVP that year was not given to him. It went to Celtics’ Paul Pierce.

“We’ll see, we’ll see how much we matured,” Bryant said. “They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much we’ve grown.”

“It means a great deal,” Lakers veteran Derek Fisher said at his postgame press conference. “Not just for me, but for the team, for the organization, for the city of L.A. For all of our fans. It takes a tremendous amount of effort and heartache and pain and injuries. A lot of 2, 3 in the morning, landing in another city, and trying to do everything you can to get back to this position, where you have a chance to win a title. So we feel good about this part of the accomplishment, but we’re still a long way away from really where we want to be, and that’s champions.”

“We remember more than anything losing on our home court, a situation where we had some defensive lapses and they took advantage of it,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “This year we have homecourt advantage, and we look forward to the rematch with great intensity.”

Well, let’s just see on Thursday at the Staples Center. It’s going to be an interesting Finals.

NBA FINALS SCHEDULE 2010 – Best of Seven
Game 1 – June 03 at 9PM EST @STAPLES CENTER LA
Game 2 – June 06 at 9PM EST @STAPLES CENTER LA
Game 3 – June 08 at 9PM EST @TD GARDEN BOSTON
Game 4 – June 10 at 9PM EST @TD GARDEN BOSTON
Game 5 – June 13 at 9PM EST @TD GARDEN BOSTON
Game 6 – June 15 at 9PM EST @STAPLES CENTER LA
Game 7 – June 17 at 9PM EST @STAPLES CENTER LA

So who are you rooting for? Lakers or Celtics?

It was in 2002 since L.A. Lakers’ last championship. And since they beat Orlando Magic 4-1 in the 2009 NBA Finals, Lakers’ fans are gonna party hard.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stated on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, that a total of $850,000.00 was given by private donors named Casey and Laura Wasserman, Jerry and Margie Perenchio, Haim and Cheryl Saban, Eli and Edyth Broad, Joe and Sharon Hernandez of Melissa’s Fruits and Vegetables, Ed and Gayle Roski and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. That amount would be enough to cover for the police and traffic control in the city. Another $1 million in production costs will be paid by Lakers and AEG, which owns Staple Center.

“At a time when the unemployment in the city is 12.5%, and 21,000 people have lost their homes due to foreclosures, it is important for us to celebrate this great day,” Villaraigosa said in a news conference at the Lakers practice center in El Segundo.

And then he added:

“We intend to do everything we can to minimize the cost to the city. If we hadn’t had a parade, you’ve have had a whole bevy of other people criticizing.”

The mayor and other city officials received a lot of critics regarding the possibility of using the city money for the celebration. Because of this, they sought for donations to cover up the expenses.

The Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship victory parade will be on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, and will begin at 11am pacific time. The event starts at Staples Center and ends at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The gate of the Coliseum will open around 9:30 and they are expecting 95,000 fans to attend. So, if you’re a Lakers fan, be there early and stay away from trouble.

L.A. Lakers just won their 15^th NBA title after beating Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals with the score of 99 – 86. It’s only appropriate to have a celebration after this victorious event. But the question is whether there will be a parade or not?

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said to the reporters during the West Hollywood in its annual Gay Pride Day parade, L.A. Lakers should have a victory parade.

“The idea that we wouldn’t have a parade is untenable, (and) should we be fortunate enough to win I expect that we’ll have a parade. I also expect that we’ll figure out how we fund it, working with the private sector, to help us do that.”

But how can the government, who faces a possible $200 million in forced budget cuts, spend $1 million or more for paying the police, paramedics, cleanup crews and crowd control for organizing a victory parade? That would be very very costly. Villaraigosa have no comment regarding that matter and it still remains unclear.

According to NBCLosAngeles.com, the team has met with Los Angeles police and other city officials to plan a parade that could be as early as midday Wednesday. The parade would start at Staples Center and go down 2-1/2 miles of Figueroa Street to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a city council member said Friday.

The firm that operates Staples on behalf of the team has rented the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a post-parade rally, police and Coliseum officials said Friday. Details of the event in the 94,000-seat facility are being held until they can be announced on Lakers broadcast-rights stations after a championship is clinched.

But some city officials are vocal against the said parade.

“We can’t afford to cover the costs. How could we make a decision about people’s jobs and then sponsor the parade?” said City Councilwoman Jan Perry told the Los Angeles Times.

“City employees have been asked by their employers to take a massive pay cut. We do not believe it is appropriate in this economic climate for taxpayers to be funding a parade.” said Barbara Maynard, spokeswoman for the Coalition of L.A. City Unions, representing about 22,000 workers.