Just ask Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Elgin Baylor what winning an NBA title would have done for their careers. So what would another NBA championship mean to the legacy of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen?
Kobe best Laker ever? » With a fifth title, Bryant would match Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and George Mikan with the most titles in franchise history. Kareem is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer; Magic and Shaquille O’Neal have three NBA Finals MVPs; and Jerry West is the player on the NBA logo. But it’s Kobe who already has the most points in Lakers’ history and he’s only 31 years old.
Every Batman has his Robin » When does a post player averaging 20 points and nearly 11 rebounds a game in the playoffs get overlooked? When his name is Pau Gasol. It took a while for Scottie Pippen, James Worthy and Kevin McHale to get the credit they deserved. And if the Lakers’ 7-footer can dominate the Celtics’ physical front line, then the Spaniard should be mentioned among the top championship sidekicks.
Among the greatest? » Pierce is an eight-time All-Star, but has never made an All-NBA first team. If he wins his second NBA Finals MVP, he will be on a list of multiple winners that include (since 1969): Willis Reed, Magic, Kareem, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Shaq and Tim Duncan. Not a bad group of top-50 players of all-time.
Defensive specialist » There is no one in the league that has a prettier jump shot than Allen. But he’s more than just a shooter. He outplayed Kobe in the 2008 NBA Finals. Allen averaged 20.3 points on 50.6 percent shooting from the field while holding Kobe to 25.6 points on 40 percent shooting. If he’s able to contain Bryant once again, Allen could finally get recognized for his defensive abilities.
