How important was Ron Artest in the Los Angeles Lakers march to a second consecutive NBA championship in 2010?
Try to imagine former Laker Trevor Ariza defending Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant or the Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce in the postseason, and you may get a clearer picture.
Artest had his moments on the offensive end for the Lakers, and none were bigger than his last second shot to defeat the Phoenix Suns in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals, or his three pointer in the closing minutes of Game Seven of the NBA Finals against Boston.
But Artest's offense was secondary to the stifling defense he played on Durant and Pierce, and the playoffs were an illustration of why he was so coveted by the Lakers.
Artest helped change the league's perception of the Lakers as a soft team, and the acquisition of Matt Barnes in the offseason looks like another step in that direction.
Many observers questioned whether or not the quirky Artest could blend in with the Lakers' precision-based scheme, and to be fair, there are merits in that line of thought.
Artest never appeared fully comfortable within the co ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Hadarii Jones
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August 21st, 2010 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
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