Sure, last night was a satisfying win on a number of levels. The Lakers beat the Celtics in Boston, snapping their 12-game winning streak along the way, and they did it without Andrew Bynum.
Afterwards, having exorcised some of their Game Six demons, L.A. (its players, fans, and press) swelled with pride, and loudly proclaimed just how “tough” they are now. From the OC Register:
Reflecting on Boston’s physical dominance last June, amplified in rebounding and on defense, Bryant said: “That’s not something I’m going to live with.”
He brought it into the present by adding street-dirty words: “I’m not going to sit here and let my teammates get punked no more.”
And don’t get me wrong, the Lakers should be thrilled that they got some measure of revenge against the hated C’s twice this season, but ultimately, it means nothing until the ball goes up in four months.
Lamar Odom’s words in the post game interview reflected this: “Revenge won’t take place until we see them in a seven-game series, and hopefully beat them.”
In short, wake me up when it’s June.
