2010s NBA Finals, Ranked: 2

Looking back at the 10 NBA Finals played during the 2010s, I bring you the sixth of a seven-part series where I rank them

Oct 20, 2021

I’ll be honest: I looooove the 2010s decade of NBA basketball. I might be somewhat biased towards it, simply because it’s the period of time in which I got into watching, enjoying and talking about basketball, but it’s still great nevertheless. The amount of all-time greatness we witnessed in it is startling and would take a while to put into words, but those that have been around know how great basketball was during that span.

In terms of talent alone, the decade might go down as the second-best (behind the 2000s), and the historic moments that happened on the basketball court are ones that will live forever. More specifically, the moments we witnessed during some championship series were remarkably great, and deserve their spot in a museum to celebrate basketball's greatest moments. However, since I'm not a museum director, I'll do the best I can to commemorate my favorite decade of NBA basketball and its moments: rank those series.

In appreciation of the 2010s and all those memorable moments it gave us, let's reminisce on the very best matchups (in most cases) each season had to offer: the NBA Finals of the decade. As the series that crowns a champion and acts as a ladder that a player can use to establish himself as one of the best in history, we saw some great series and individual performances during the 10 Finals of the 2010s. With that in mind, let's rank 'em! (because what else are we doing?).

Before I resume my rankings, let’s look over the criteria I used:
Historical Precedent: record(s) broken in series, impact series had on a player’s legacy, and everything else like that.
Competitiveness: number of games in series and margin of said games.
Rewatchability: being able to rewatch the series and enjoy it impartially.
Injuries: key injuries that impacted the result of the series.

This is part six of a seven-part series. You can find part one here, part two here, part three here, part four here, and part five here.

Without any further adieu, let’s continue the ranking with the second-best NBA Finals series of the 2010s:

2. 2010: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers won 4-3); MVP: Kobe Bryant (28.6pts, 8.0reb, 3.9ast, 2.1stl, 0.7blk on 40.5/31.9/88.3 shooting)

Kobe Bryant was blessed with an incredible situation to start his career: he was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the best sports franchises ever, immediately after being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. There, Kobe was surrounded by good players, All-Stars, Hall of Famers, one of the most dominant players of all time in Shaquille O’Neal, and one of the best coaches ever in Phil Jackson. He was blessed in an excellent situation, something you wish upon all young players. However, there the issue lies: from a fan’s perspective, Kobe was too blessed for a superstar (you know, superstars have to play with bad teammates to be glorified ;) ).

Of course, Kobe had his bad moments (this one is pretty famous), he began coming off the bench and gradually improved until becoming one of the greatest players in the 2000s decade. But, at the start of the 2010s, Bryant’s legacy was being the Robin to Shaq’s Batman. And while being better than Shaq at the time he was in his prime was nearly impossible, not being the best player in at least one of three championships was something that people didn’t appreciate, and probably something that isn’t ideal for one of the top 10-15 players in league history.

The argument against Kobe grew even more when O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat and they quickly won a championship with Shaq as the second-best player (though Wade carried them in the Finals, that much is clear), while the Lakers sucked with Kobe at the helm. The ‘Black Mamba’ was smart; he knew the things that were said about him. That’s precisely why he asked for a trade in 2007 to go to a contending team.

The Lakers, of course, rushed to make the contender on their own, acquiring Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. Both Gasol and Bryant, along with a good supporting cast, led the Lakers to the Finals that year to face the Lakers’ eternal rivals: the Boston Celtics, led by their new Big Three in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (Big Four, depending on your thoughts on Rajon Rondo). Boston won the battle in six games, the last one being one where the Celtics obliterated the Lakers in Boston by 39pts, the second-largest margin of victory in Finals history.

Not only did the Lakers get TKO’d, but Kobe disappeared (11pts on 3-15 shooting in the final three quarters), and, after the game, some Boston people threw objects at the Lakers’ bus, which didn’t have security to escort them, on the way to their hotel. It was an experience that some players on the team will never forget. For Kobe in particular, he admits the experience is one that tormented him for years.

Searching for redemption, Bryant and the Lakers entered the next season with a vengeance, winning 67 games and coming away as the champions after defeating the Orlando Magic in five games. Kobe was the MVP of the series, and he was finally able to win a championship as the leading star. However, it didn’t hit the same: even though the Magic were a great team that deserved to be in the Finals, a matchup against LeBron James would’ve produced a better narrative, and the only reason the Celtics didn’t make it far was because of Kevin Garnett suffered a knee injury at the end of the regular season that kept him out of the entire offseason. The next year, after substituting Ariza for Ron Artest, the Lakers won 57 games and once again reached the Finals. Their opponent? A *very* familiar foe…

After winning the championship with their recently formed trio, the Celtics were well on their way to win back-to-back championships. However, KG’s knee injury stopped them from doing that. They went to seven games in an amazing first-round series against the Chicago Bulls (this series had EVERYTHING), before being dispatched in seven games by the Magic in the semifinals.

Garnett came back, but the Celtics played worse as they only won 50 games (won 60+ games the previous two years) and they finished fourth in the conference. They easily defeated the Heat in five games (shoutout to Dwyane Wade for a hell of a performance to avoid a sweep), beat the team with the best record in the league in the Cavaliers in a six-game series, and eliminated the prior season’s Eastern Conference champions Orlando Magic in six games. With that, the Celtics and Lakers were set to face off for the twelfth time in a Finals series. This one was big for both teams: the Celtics looked to win their second title in three years, and the Lakers looking for a repeat and to avenge their loss in ‘08, with Kobe in particular looking to legitimize that he could beat the top team without Shaq.

In the first 30 seconds of Game One, Ron Artest and Paul Pierce got tangled up on a boxout in which both fell on the floor and caused a small scuffle; it was Lakers/Celtics, the eternal rivalry, and that showed how intense the series was going to be and that both squads were going to have to battle to the limit to win it all. The Lakers took that game, 102-89, behind the stellar performances from Bryant (30pts/7reb/6ast on 10-22 shooting) and Gasol (23pts/14reb on 8-14 shooting).

After not making a three in Game One, Ray Allen made seven threes in the first half of Game Two (started the game 7-7), finishing with eight (record at the time for most in a Finals game) and 32pts. Allen gave a clinic on how to effectively move without the ball, but it was Rajon Rondo with the ball that led the team’s offense; he had a triple-double (19pts/12reb/10ast) and, along with Nate Robinson, helped Boston dominate the fourth quarter (10 and 7 points respectively), 31-22.

Rondo made multiple key plays down the stretch of the game, including a layup to give Boston a 91-90 lead, blocking Derek Fisher on the game-tying three attempt with 2:16 left, a jumper to put Boston up 95-90 with 1:49 left, and a steal on Kobe with less than 40 seconds left to put the Celtics up 99-93. Boston closed the game on a 16-4 run to tie the series 1-1.

Now, the Lakers would go to a court where they had been humiliated two years prior to play three straight, with the Celtics having a chance to end the series at home. Kobe would have something to say about that though: he scored 29pts with 7reb/4ast/3blk, and along with Fisher’s 11 fourth-quarter points, the Lakers won 91-84 to take a 2-1 lead. The score was tight, 78-76 to be exact, with a little over four minutes left in the fourth, but Los Angeles outscored Boston 13-8 in the remainder of the game (including this HUGE Derek Fisher and-one) to take the first of three in Boston.

Bryant would score 33pts with 6reb in Game Four but the Celtics’ bench was the real star of the game, especially down the stretch. They scored 36pts, Glen Davis had 18 (9 in the fourth; this stretch encapsulates his play), Nate Robinson had 12pts (6 in the fourth), the second unit as a whole had 21 of the C’s 36 fourth-quarter points, leading them to a 96-89 victory to tie the series. Pierce led them with 19pts/6reb/5ast.

Kobe, once again, shined in TD Garden, scoring 38pts (28 in the second half, 18 in the fourth period) in Game Five, hitting tough shot after tough shot after tough shot. However, he didn’t receive much help as Gasol was the only other Laker to score in double figures (and he only had 12pts). Boston, on the other hand, had a balanced attack led by their Big Three of Pierce (27pts, 11 in the third quarter), Garnett (18pts/10reb/3ast/5stl/2blk; 10pts in the second half), and Allen (12pts, 10 in the second half) along with a great game from Rondo (18pts/5reb/8ast on 9-12 shooting). The C’s star trio scored 32 of Boston’s 47 in the second half to take Game Five, 92-86.

LA now faced a 2-3 deficit heading back home, but staved off elimination convincingly to force a Game Seven. They took the first half 51-31 in a game where Boston’s last lead was 12-10 with 7:36 left in the first quarter. The duo of Kobe (26pts/11reb/3ast/4stl) and Gasol (17pts/13reb/9ast/3blk) was the key in the game.

Besides being destroyed and having to play a Game Seven on the road, the Celtics lost Kendrick Perkins because of two torn ligaments in his right knee that ultimately forced him to miss the seventh game. Perkins was the enforcer for the Celtics defensively, and they especially needed him against the frontcourt of Andrew Bynum and Gasol. Even so, an extremely close Finals between the two most successful franchises in NBA history got what it deserved: a Game Seven with the stakes as high as possible; the Lakers got their revenge, or the Celtics got them for the second time.

Fisher opened Game Seven with his first three of the entire series, while Rasheed Wallace (substituting Perkins in the starting lineup) scored a two-point jumper. Not having Perk hurt Boston badly, as the Lakers grabbed 10 offensive boards in the first period alone. However, they couldn’t take advantage of the referees letting both squads play (rightfully so), and with ‘Big Baby’ Davis leading the charge with 6pts off the bench, the Celtics won the first quarter 23-14 thanks to a 13-3 run.

Los Angeles responded to start the second with an 11-0 run (6 coming from Artest) to get back in the game. Artest finished the quarter with 12, but Paul Pierce’s 9pts in the period gave Boston a 40-34 lead. They extended the lead up to 13 in the third (49-36), but LA closed the period on a 17-8 run to cut the deficit to 53-57 entering the final quarter of regular play.

After Kobe made three free throws, a tough shot missed by Ray Allen and an and-one by Artest, the game was tied at 61. Allen broke the tie with three free throws, but Derek Fisher, someone who had made multiple key baskets throughout his tenure with the Lakers, made a three to tie it again with 6:12 left to play. Nothing was for certain except one thing: Lakers/Celtics was going to be decided in legendary fashion.

The defense played in this game was incredible (especially with the refs allowing them to play physically throughout), causing every player to have problems in finding a rhythm offensively. Bryant was one of the main guys to be affected, but he found a way to not only impact the game (great defense and rebounding), but to create offense down the stretch: he scored two free throws to untie it, and a jumper over Ray to give Los Angeles a 68-64 lead with 5:21 left to play. Timeout Boston. This was the Lakers’ largest lead of the contest, and it seemed like a double-digit one in a Game Seven and the crowd was super into it; the momentum, for the first time all game, was with the Lakers.

Gasol made two free throws, Pierce scored a jumper, Bryant split a pair at the foul line, Garnett threw down a dunk, Gasol made 3-4 free throws, Pierce made two foul shots, but a tough Gasol double-clutch short jumper (defended by three people!) put the Lakers up 76-70 with 1:30 left. Timeout again called by Boston. The time for the C’s to make a run was now or never.

Off the timeout, Rasheed Wallace made a huge three of a Pierce skip pass kept them alive. The Lakers needed to respond and, to no one’s surprise, the ball was in the hands of Kobe. Allen and Wallace doubled, which forced him to give it up to Artest and quickly retreat to get the rock back. Artest jab stepped, didn’t even look Kobe’s way, and elevated for a three with Pierce right on him… “Bang!”. The Lakers went up 79-73 with 1:01 remaining. With kisses to the sky, Ron Artest and everyone thought that was the dagger. But Boston kept fighting; Ray Allen made a big three with 51.3 left to make it a three-point game again. The Celtics still had life.

Kobe misses a three that would’ve for sure been the dagger, but Gasol got another offensive rebound and Bryant subsequently drew a foul on Wallace, his sixth of the game. Kobe made both, making it an 81-76 game with 25.7 left, timeout Boston. Allen left a three short, Rondo chased the offensive board and made a corner three. 81-79 with 16.2 left. Sasha Vujacic checked in and made the two biggest free throws of his life to put LA up 83-79 with 11.7 remaining. Boston called their last timeout, and they needed two baskets. Pierce got the inbound and dribbled, gave it to Rondo who fakes and elevates for three, which is short. Gasol gets the rebound, passes it to Odom who throws it ahead to Kobe and he dribbles the clock out pointing up… they had done it.

The Lakers repeated as champions, getting vengeance against their eternal rivals in the Boston Celtics. Kobe won his fifth championship and second Finals MVP, exorcising the demons that had chased them for two years, and consolidated himself as one of the best players in history by beating the Celtics without Shaquille O’Neal.

Game Seven was terrible for both offenses: Kobe scored 23pts on 6-24 shooting, Artest had 20 on 7-18, Gasol had 19 on 6-16, Pierce had 18 on 5-15 and Allen had 13 on 3-14. It was an old-school game in which defense was the order of the day, and the Lakers found a way to win. Whether it was because of Perkins’ absence or LA’s will to win, Los Angeles dominated the boards and got to the foul line: Kobe captured 15rebs, scored 10 in the fourth and attempted 15 free throws, Gasol had 18reb (along with 19pts, 4ast and 2blk; he was the best player on the floor), the Lakers had 23 offensive rebounds and 53 in total (Boston had 40), and attempted 37 free throws (Boston attempted 17).

Even though Perkins not being in uniform for Game Seven was a noticeable loss, the Celtics still had chances and multiple opportunities to win this game. It was a legendary ballgame between two fantastic franchises, and someone had to lose. Although many believe that Pau Gasol “saved Kobe’s legacy”, the reality is this: there are multiple ways to positively impact a game, and Kobe did so in many of them, and even made shots in the final five minutes. Kobe Bryant proved that his legacy is more than being Shaq’s Robin, and put himself in the conversation to be one of the top ten players in NBA history.

Outside of the last two games, both teams had all of their key players available (especially their best players). Five of the seven games were decided by single digits. And while yes, only two of the five had a margin of six or less (Game Seven being the only one decided by less than five), the series was close all the way, and everyone watching at the time was witness to that; the winner of the series was something that at no point could be determined with confidence.

It was another chapter in the story of the Lakers/Celtics in the Finals, the last one featuring Kobe Bryant, it was the best thing to ever happen to Bryant in his entire career. It was competitive and it gave us one of the best games in history (the last one). This series could’ve been the best, along with the previous two on my ranking, which also have good arguments.

Kev's Reflections

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