[46-36]History in the Making ※ Playoffs Preview!

[Valor]

I hope Dallas can make a push. 2nd in the West isn't too shabby, Kidd is playing like his old self.

Yes indeed, I certainly don't hope for them to sweep the Lakers like IRL but I do hope they put on a good run

John Wall has been killing it! So is Griffin!
But Griffin isn't killin' it much, 13.0 PPG? But 9.7 RPG is pretty good
Nash hasn't been playing well i guess, and so is his team
And wow, thats alot of firing out there!

Griffin's offensive production isn't what it is IRL cause theres Rudy Gay on the Clippers here in virtual life (from the Grizzlies dispersal draft); Nash and the Suns just don't have enough to make the playoffs in the West anymore w/o Amare, and yes, there are a lot of coaches heading for the door

[Valor]

2010/11 Regular Season Awards

Kobe Bryant wins 2010-11 Kia NBA MVP Award
By Official release
Posted May 3 2011 5:30PM



New York -- Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the NBA announced today.

Bryant totaled 1,182 points including 113 first-place votes, from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA MVP fan vote.

Rounding out the top five in voting are Chicago's Derrick Rose (643 points, three first place), Miami's LeBron James (522, four first-place votes), Miami's Dwyane Wade (428, one first-place vote) and Orlando's Dwight Howard (190).

Bryant, who won the 2007-08 Kia NBA MVP Award, led the Lakers to a league-best 63-19 mark. The 14th year veteran led the league in scoring with 27.9 points along with 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals. Bryant also won the 2011 NBA All Star Game MVP honors after a 37 point performance and hitting the game winning shot at the buzzer.

Read More.

Howard gets third straight Kia Defensive Player of Year nod
By Official Release
Posted Apr 18 2011 2:55PM



New York -- Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is the recipient of the 2010-11 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, the NBA announced today. Howard becomes the first player to earn the honor three straight seasons; only Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace, with four each, have won the award more times.

The 6-foot-11 center again led the league in rebounds (13.2) and blocks (2.1). This is Howard's 4th season in which he topped the league in rebounds and the third season for blocks., extending his streak of lead the league in rebounding and blocks in consecutive seasons to 3.

Howard received 585 points, including 114 first-place votes, from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Atlanta's Josh Smith finished second with 77 points and Portland's Gerald Wallace finished third with 70 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

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Bobcats' D.J. Augustin wins Kia Most Improved Player Award
By Official release
Posted Apr 21 2011 3:08PM



New York -- D.J. Augustin of the Charlotte Bobcats is the winner of the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.

Augustin received 400 of a possible 580 points, including 66 first-place votes, from a panel of 116 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Yi Jianlian of the New Zealand Panthers (157 points, 11 first-place votes) and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls (124 points, 16 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.

Currently in his third NBA season, Augustin set career highs in most categories, including points (14.8), rebounds (2.2), and assists (4.5). Augustin started all of the 82 games in which he appeared in, after starting just 2 of the 80 games during the 2009-10 campaign.

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Bobcats' Thomas wins Kia Sixth Man of the Year award
By Official release
Posted Apr 19 2011 6:05PM



New York -- The Charlotte Bobcats' Tyrus Thomas is the winner of the 2010-11 KIA NBA Sixth Man Award as the league's best player in a reserve role, the NBA announced today.

Thomas received 513 of a possible 585 points, including 96 of a possible 117 first-place votes, from a panel of 117 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers finished second with 244 points while Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks finished third with 76 points.

Being the first man of the bench for the Charlotte Bobcats, Thomas averaged career highs of 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per contest.

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John Wall named 2010-11 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year
By Official release
Posted May 4 2011 4:47PM



New York -- John Wall of the Washington Wizards is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2010-11 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today. Wall received 107 first-place votes (568 points) from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

LA Clippers' Blake Griffin finished second with 266 points and Philadelphia's Evan Turner finished third with 167 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Selected with the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards, Wall led all rookies in scoring (19.2), assists (7.6), and steals (2.2). His stellar play landed him a spot in the 2011 NBA All Star Game, becoming the first rookie to do so since Yao Ming in 2003.

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Lakers' Phil Jackson named 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year
By Official Release
Posted May 1 2011 5:08PM



New York -- The Los Angeles Lakers' Phil Jackson is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Jackson totaled 475 points, including 76 first-place votes, from a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

In his 20th season as a NBA head coach, and what was widely assumed to be his last season, Jackson led the Lakers to a NBA-best 63-19 record as the two time defending champions will look to complete their second three-peat under the helm of Jackson and his legendary triagle offense.

This is the second coach of the year award for Jackson, who is the winningest coach in NBA history with 11 NBA Championships as a head coach. Jackson also has two championships coming as a player with the New York Knicks in the 1970s.

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Unanimous picks Wall, Griffin leads T-Mobile All-Rookie team roster
By Official Release
Posted May 11 2011 2:16PM



New York -- T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year John Wall of the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin, the overall No. 1 selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, headline the 2010-11 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team as unanimous selections, the NBA announced today.

Joining Wall and Griffin on the T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team are Philadelphia's Evan Turner (56 points), Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins (54 points), and Toronto's Ed Davis (44 points).

The T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of New York's Landry Fields (43 points), Golden State's Ekpe Udoh(26 points), the Timberwolves' Wesley Johnson (19 points), Dallas Maverick Dominique Jones (18 points), and Manny Harris of the Cleveland Cavaliers (14 points).

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Bryant, James Highlight 2010-11 All-NBA First Team
By Official release
Posted May 12 2011 2:42PM



New York -- Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, the 2010-11 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, and LeBron James of the Miami Heat, winner of the two previous MVP awards, highlight the 2010-11 All-NBA First Team. Bryant was the lone unanimous choice, receiving all 119 first-place votes. Joining Bryant and James on the First Team are Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of guards Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets and Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets, forwards Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, and the Bucks' Andrew Bogut at Center.

The All-NBA Third Team includes Rookie of the Year John Wall alongside Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder at guard, Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol at forward, and Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz at Center.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

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Bryant named to All-Defensive team, tie NBA mark
By Official Release
Posted May 9 2011 2:19PM



New York -- Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, winner of the last three Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, headlines the NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today. Howard totaled 56 points overall, including 27 First Team votes.

Also selected to the All-Defensive First Team are guard Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat(39 points), forward Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks (38 points), forward Gerald Wallace of the Portland Trailblazers (33 points), and guard Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (33 points). Bryant has now earnt All-Defensive First Team honors for the ninth time, tying Michael Jordan and Gary Payton for the most in NBA history.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of guards Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, and Stephen Jackson of the Charlotte Bobcats, forwards Lebron James of the Miami Heat, and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and center Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons.

The voting panel consisted of the NBA's 30 head coaches, who were asked to select NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Two points were awarded for a First Team vote and one point was awarded for a Second Team vote.

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[µTorrent]

Kobe and Phil back on top! Love it!

[Valor]

Kobe and Phil back on top! Love it!

I'm really happy to see Lebron not winning the MVP I guess the Lakers' 63 wins helped in that (Although I wish Rose and Thibs had won the awards instead...)

[George7]

Bobcats did pretty good in the individual awards

Not that bad a season for the panthers.Not finishing last is a good job for a new team.

[µTorrent]

Valor, I would love too see Kobe having 2 3-peats

[Valor]

Bobcats did pretty good in the individual awards

Not that bad a season for the panthers.Not finishing last is a good job for a new team.

Yup, despite being the worst team in the league they still managed a couple awards I'm really happy about the potential the team has shown over the season, hopefully can build upon that

Valor, I would love too see Kobe having 2 3-peats

Haha it would be nice indeed, but we shall see. 2K seems to favor the Heat from all the associations I've seen around here

Simming the playoffs, Finals Preview coming soon!

[µTorrent]

Valor, Probably, 2K11 favors the team where LeBron is
Thats from what i've expirenced.

[Valor]

2011 NBA Finals Preview



If the conspiracy theorists are correct, this is the dream Finals that David Stern have been trying to get for years.

Lakers and Heat. Kobe and Lebron.

It seems like just yesterday we were tuning into the P.R. nightmare that was “The Decision” and vilifying the South Beach trio for what appeared to be a premature title celebration before they even played a game together. The Lakers, on the other hand, are trying to go for their second three-peat in Kobe and Phil's era.

Now in the blink of an eye, Lebron is four wins from his first ring, while Kobe is going for his sixth.

No matter what the rest of the NBA fans that are both anti-Kobe and anti-Lebron say, this is one of those matchups that everybody has been dying to see ever since "The Decision" occured. Kobe Bryant and the two time defending champion Lakers going up against the most hated professional sports team in the world and their big three.

How the Lakers got here
The Lakers will be making their 4th straight Finals appearance after another brilliant season in which they finished with a league best 63-19 record. Kobe Bryant was honored with his second Most Valuable Player award and Phil Jackson his second Coach of the Year Award.

As the first overall seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers took care of Tim Duncan and the 8th seeded San Antonio Spurs in 6 games, before also knocking off the 4th seeded Blazers in 6.

Kobe and the Lakers then went on to face the 3rd seeded Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, who advanced to the Conference Finals following impressive series wins against Kevin Durant and the Thunder (6 games), as well as a thrilling 7 game series with Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers managed to sweep New Orleans following a dominant series from league MVP Kobe Bryant, and advances to the NBA Finals for the 32nd time in franchise history.

How the Heat got here
After their premature celebration and announcement of multiple titles before playing a single game, the Miami Heat trio backed up their big talk with a solid 54 win season. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh gelled as the season went on and got some help from their role players such as Mike Bibby, Udohnis Haslem, and Mike Miller when they needed it most.

The "Heatles" then proceeded to knock off Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and the rest of the 6th seeded New York Knicks after a heavy weight seven game series, before proceeding to do the same against their nemesis Boston Celtics, who boasted star point guard Rajon Rondo and the "original" big three of today's era of basketball despite not having home court advantage.

Miami then advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals to go up agianst the 4th seeded Atlanta Hawks, who pulled off the upset in the second round against Derrick Rose and the 1st seeded Chicago Bulls in six games following their elimination of Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets. The Hawks put up a honorable fight, but the Heat trio proved to be too much as they once again finish the series in seven games and will proceed to make their first appearance in The Finals in five years with a completely revamped lineup with Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem the only holdovers from 2006.

X-Factors
The Heat bigs need to play big against the humongous front line of the Los Angeles Lakers. Anybody and everybody has to hit the boards and hit them hard. They have a number of guys that can do it, as Wade, James, Bosh, Anthony, and Mike Miller have all had very god rebounding games. However, I think the responsibility will fall to Haslem to do the dirty work inside against bigger opponents

For the Lakers, the X-Factor still lies on perhaps the most perfect sixth man in Lamar Odom. Odom has the ability to outplay the entire Miami Heat bench by himself, whether it's on the boards, running the team as a point-forward, or taking up some of the scoring load off Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. In addition, the defense of Ron Artest will need to be great on Lebron James for the Lakers to successfully send Phil Jackson off with his fourth three-peat.

In the Clutch
This area of the game is no problem for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have the best closer in the game in Kobe Bryant, as well as perhaps the man who has taken Robert Horry's nickname from him in Derek Fisher. The Lakers will get it done when the clock runs down and the game is on the line.

For the Heat, however, they need to learn to put the ball in Dwyane Wade's hands and Dwyane Wade's hands only. Lebron James has always shrunk in stature over the years in clutch situations and he should be off the ball, setting picks, or hitting the offensive glass when the game is on the line. He has appeared as a mere pedestrian in all the close-out game 7s in these 2011 playoffs and Erik Spoelstra needs to let him know what he must do in order for Miami to win.

Prediction
The Lakers swept their regular season matchup against the Heat 2-0 without any major problems. Kobe Bryant averaged 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in those two contests while Lebron James only managed 19 points and 5 assists. Dwyane Wade did average 33 points, but the Heat lost both by double digit margins as the Lakers dominated the boards and kept Miami in check with their defense.

However, the Heat coming out of three seven game series are another type of monster. They willed their way (mostly due to Wade) through the previous three and there is no reason to believe they won't jump on the Lakers given the chance. LA has had a 9 day lay-off and they could be just a tad rusty heading into game 1. If Miami can steal one at the Staples Center, they have a shot at winning it all.

That being said, I expect every game to be ultra competitive with the two time defending champions coming away victorious after 7 games.

[Valor]

Valor, Probably, 2K11 favors the team where LeBron is
Thats from what i've expirenced.

Well, now that I've simmed it. Seems like it's on the same track again. Will 2K give Lebron another ring? Or will Kobe win his sixth?

[Martti.]

Kobe must stay on 5.

[µTorrent]

Kobe with 6

[kibaxx7]

Lakers in 6.

[thatwizardguy]

john wall getting roty thats my boy

[Axel The Great]

If the conspiracy theorists are correct, this is the dream Finals that David Stern have been trying to get for years.

Haha, is that directed towards me because of the plotline in my association?

If 2K plays to RL, the Lakers will win. If 2K plays to 2K, the Heat will win. Hope 2K plays its own game so that the lesser of two evils in the Heat will win. Heat coming out of three 7-game series in a row really doesn't help though. Nice analysis/preview of the Finals.

[hova-]

I think the Lakers will win it. It just looks like they have the right answers to the Heat's game. And how shall the Heat stop LA's big men?

[Valor]

Kobe must stay on 5.

Haha you rather Lebron win one?

Kobe with 6

I sure hope so

Lakers in 6.

6 wouldn't be bad, but I'm hoping for another 7 game series though

john wall getting roty thats my boy

He had a great season indeed

Haha, is that directed towards me because of the plotline in my association?

Haha na, just playing to the regular conspiracies but then again your plot fits into one of the many conspiracies so i guess it's a yes afterall!!

If 2K plays to RL, the Lakers will win. If 2K plays to 2K, the Heat will win. Hope 2K plays its own game so that the lesser of two evils in the Heat will win. Heat coming out of three 7-game series in a row really doesn't help though. Nice analysis/preview of the Finals.

Thanks man, but how is the Heat the lesser of two evils!!

I think the Lakers will win it. It just looks like they have the right answers to the Heat's game. And how shall the Heat stop LA's big men?

I do think their size and home court will be the key in this series

[George7]

Lakers in 5!!

[Valor]

Lakers in 5!!

As long as it's Lakers win I'm happy

Finals Recap coming soon!

[Martti.]

Kobe must stay on 5.

Haha you rather Lebron win one?

I want Wade to win his 2nd.

[Valor]

Kobe must stay on 5.

Haha you rather Lebron win one?

I want Wade to win his 2nd.

While I would not mind Wade winning his second (I actually kinda like Wade on-court since he's from Chicago), my dislike for James has me rooting against the Heat every single time

Finals are simmed and Recap is being written at this moment! Stay tuned guys

[Cruzerr]

Being a ex. LeBron fan and a Wade supporter, Im kinda torn who to support. Going with the Lakers. In 6 maby.

[Valor]

Lakers sweep Heat, Completes Three-Peat


Miami, FL -- LeBron James boldy stated at the Heat's overblown celebration back in July, "Not one, not two, not three, not four," talking about the Heat's lust for multiple rings.

Here's a new goal for him and the rest of the Miami Heat. Try winning one game first.

In dominating fashion, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers did a clean sweep of the self-proclaimed "Heatles" and completed their three-peat journey.

That's six rings for Kobe, and none for the King.

There have been plenty of doubts as to whether Kobe is still capable of lifting his team to championships, questions of his age, and suggestions that LeBron James has surpassed Bryant as the best player in basketball.

Really Now?

In the four lone games of these 2011 NBA Finals, all save game 4 (107-100) double digit wins by LA, including the 86-60 beat-down that the Lakers handed Miami in the opening game of the short series.

The Heat's 60 points in Game 1 is the second lowest score in NBA Finals history.

Through the four games, Kobe Bryant displayed his dominance and utterly outplaying the Miami Heat with 33.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 3.8 steals per game enroute to his third straight Bill Russell Finals MVP award.

This also marks only the third time in NBA history that one player has won the All-Star Game MVP, Regular Season MVP, and Finals MVP in one season. Willis Reed (1969-70) and Michael Jordan (1995-96) had also accomplished the feat previously.

In comparson, LeBron James only managed 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest, coming up so little in these Finals that his teammate Dwyane Wade surpassed him in every single statistical category with 23.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists averaged while the third member of their "Big Three" Chris Bosh put up a pedestrian 15.8 ppg and a little more impressive 9.3 rpg.

It's not as though Bryant's supporting cast were much better either. Aside from Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom's 11 points and 21 rebounds in Game 3, and Gasol's 24-10 performance in Game 2; Kobe didn't have as much help as you might think, judging from the ultimate result.

With that, the Lakers notched the franchise's 17th title, tying their arch rival Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history.

Want more of impressive history? Lakers Head Coach and this season's Coach of the Year Phil Jackson has now completed his 4th three-peat, and 12th NBA championship as a coach.

Jackson, who has stated his desire to retire at the beginning of this season, maintains his stance.

"I'm done," Jackson said "It's been a great 20 year run for me, but I'm relieved to be finished and happy with the job I've done.”

Thus, the Zen Master, drenched in champagne from the Lakers' locker-room celebration for the 12th and final time, will be riding off into the Montana sunset and leaving behind an almost untouchable coaching legacy, along with some pretty big shoes for whoever his successor might be.

Being coy to the last, when asked upon his thoughts of the team's successful three-peat, Jackson only had two words.

"Well done" he said.

Certainly for the Lakers, it was a job well done. After being somewhat bothered by the Spurs and Blazers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the 63 win Lakers turned it on when it counted most, and swept through the Western Conference Finals against the Hornets, then laid a beating on the immature and boastful Miami Heat.

Yes, perhaps the Heat were just a little immature, and a little arrogant.

Above all else, they are simply not ready.

If nothing, it shows clearly just from LeBron's comments after the elimination; when asked about those who might have enjoyed his struggles in The Finals.

"All the people that was rooting on me to fail," James said, "at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before ... the same personal problems."

Fine. But what about the Heat? Do they wake up to the same life they had before, to the same problems?

What we saw will mostly be what the Heat are going forward: Haslem, Joel Anthony and Mike Miller are signed through 2013-14, with one-year player options beyond that. Mario Chalmers is the free agent most likely to be signed back. Riley will make his pitch throughout the league, hoping to replace this season's role players with new ones -- who will become equally expendable if 2012 proves ringless as well.

"Eventually we're going to build it," Wade said.

And when they do, it still will be about three guys, not 15.

The 2010-11 Heat team wasn't ready. It had not forged itself, developed the necessary callouses or banked a sufficient amount of trust. It tried to short-cut its way to a title, only to be humiliated by the back-to-back champions on the biggest stage.

In the end, the hype belonged to the Heat. The glory, to the Lakers.

As Rudy Tomjanovich once said, Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion.


Series at a Glance: 2011 NBA Finals

Game 1: Lakers 86-60 Heat
Notable Performances
Lakers: Kobe Bryant 34 points, 13 rebounds; Lamar Odom 9 points, 10 rebounds; Pau Gasol 7 points, 12 rebounds
Heat: Dwyane Wade 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists; LeBron James 11 points, 8 assists; Chris Bosh 11 points, 9 rebounds

Game 2: Lakers 106-92 Heat
Notable Performances
Lakers: Kobe Bryant 35 points, 8 assists, 4 steals; Pau Gasol 24 points, 10 rebounds; Derek Fisher 12 points
Heat: Dwyane Wade 27 points, 7 assists; LeBron James 12 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists; Chris Bosh 15 points, 12 rebounds

Game 3: Heat 85-99 Lakers
Notable Performances
Heat: Dwyane Wade 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists; LeBron James 27 points, 6 turnovers; Mike Miller 10 points, 7 rebounds
Lakers: Kobe Bryant 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals; Lamar Odom 11 points, 21 rebounds; Derek Fisher 8 points, 9 assists

Game 4: Heat 100-107 Lakers
Notable Performances
Heat: Dwyane Wade 29 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 7 turnovers; LeBron James 26 points, 7 assists, 5 turnovers; Chris Bosh 28 points, 6 rebounds
Lakers: Kobe Bryant 38 points, 8 assists, 4 steals; Pau Gasol 17 points, 9 rebounds; Lamar Odom 11 points, 9 rebounds

Lakers Win Series 4-0
Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant

[Mavs4Life]

CP3 takes down the Big D. Lakers sweep Heat . They blasted them out in Game 1 & that just left em' dazed & confused.

[µTorrent]

HAHAHAHA! Well, guess LeBron still has no Jordan in his DNA
Well, its just 2K, you never know in real life, but yeah... Great Win for LA, 6 Rings