The night where Ron Artest won over the Lakers fans for good

Game 7 of the NBA Finals was in no way short on hype. But it sure was short on offensive execution. The first half was as ugly as it gets as the Lakers and Celtics threw up enough bricks to build another Staples Center. It only seemed fitting that in one of the ugliest first halves of basketball I can remember seeing, Ron Artest emerged and had maybe his best game as a Laker.

Ron had been much maligned throughout the playoffs for his poor shooting, too much dribbling, and overall bad decision making that would at times put the offense out of rhythm. I even remember during a game in the Western Conference Finals, being able to read Phil Jackson’s lips as he told the rest of the Lakers not to pass the ball to Artest. Well in Game 7 last night there was a whole lot of redemption.

This doesn’t just trace itself back to poor offensive possessions by Artest. This goes all the way back to the Malice at the Palace, the brawl we all watched on repeat on ESPNNews back when it happened because of how shocking it was. I remember staying up till 4 AM when it happened in college, and me and my friends just kept watching it because it didn’t seem like that really happened. Only it did. If you would’ve told me then that Ron Artest would be where he is today, at the top of the mountain, I would’ve called you crazier than…well, Ron Artest.

Yet in a Game 7, with all the proverbial chips on the table, Ron Artest was the difference and helped bring another championship to the Lakers. On a night where Kobe Bryant was shockingly channeling his own version of John Starks. 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals for Ron to go along with terrific defense. He carried the Lakers at times during that first half which saw LA shoot under 30%. The comeback wouldn’t have been possible without him (When Pau and finally Kobe led the way, like they’re supposed to do). Not to mention that huge three pointer in the final minutes which essentially clinched things. Holy hell, what a performance from the craziest man on the court.

Then the celebration was on. And Doris Burke attempted to interview Ron Artest. She quickly realized that Ron wasn’t going to be answering any of her questions which made it all the more hilarious. Instead Ron did the thing we would all expect him to do: thank his hood and psychiatrist in the same sentence. It was unlike anything we’ve seen recently.

Finally we have another way of describing Ron Artest other than “one crazy dude.” That would be “world champion.” He sure deserved it on this night. I couldn’t be happier for the guy.

Other Game 7 goodies:

 

-I’ve embedded the video of the madness that was the Ron Artest press conference of last night.  It is epic and amazing:

 

 

–Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop with an excellent video breakdown of the crucial sequences of Game 7.

 

–Andrew Sharp of SB Nation has a must read about why we love Ron Artest, including some fascinating Artest stories I hadn’t heard before.

 

–Silver Screen and Roll has an excellent recap including an important reminder: “There is nothing ugly about winning an NBA Championship.”