Game seven of the NBA Finals was supposed to be Kobe Bryant’s legacy game, the stage that would help him elevate to the status of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Instead, the Black Mamba played one of the worst offensive games of his career and was bailed out by one of the most unlikely of sources: Ron Artest. When it mattered most, Artest had one of his best games as a Laker, playing masterful defense and contributing big buckets down the stretch as well. Without Artest’s help, game seven would have gone down as Kobe’s biggest gaffe ever.

Every NBA fan knows that Artest’s career has been all over the map. From rap albums to the infamous brawl in Detroit to talk show appearances in his boxers, Artest has been interesting, if nothing else. Early in the Finals against the Celtics, it had appeared that Artest – frequently referred to as a head case – was once again getting lost in his own mind. After struggling to look like an NBA player at times in the series, his game seven performance was nothing short of spectacular.

On the stat sheet, Artest’s game doesn’t look that impressive; Kobe was still the game’s leading scorer, after all. Those who actually watched the game would have a different story. As Kobe continued to brick shot after shot in the early going, Artest got off to a very good start offensively, keeping the Lakers in the first half when they really had no business being within striking distance at all. Artest continued to be aggressive throughout the game, eventually nailing a crucial three-pointer with under a minute to go in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory.

What was more impressive, though, was his defensive tenacity, which was the main reason the Lakers brought him over from Houston in the first place; it certainly wasn’t to sell loads of Los Angeles Lakers tickets. Artest applied unbearable pressure on the Celtics’ perimeter players, racking up five steals and many more deflections in the process. It was clear from the outset that the Celtics were going to try to bully the more talented Lakers to earn a title, and the plan would have worked without Artest on the floor.

But this was Artest’s type of game, a grind-it-out, physical display of defense-first basketball that thwarted those plans. Mostly thanks to him, the Lakers can no longer be considered a soft team that wilts under physical pressure.

The other player who stepped up his game was certainly Pau Gasol. Much like Bryant, Gasol struggled at the offensive end, particularly at the free-throw line. Amidst murmurs that Gasol was a soft player, Gasol manned up and grabbed 18 huge rebounds, many of them coming on the offensive glass. Gasol also had a key block on Kevin Garnett late in the game as Garnett went up for dunk along the baseline.

Also proving to be capable of grinding it out was Bryant, who never lost his intensity and offensive aggressiveness, even when it looked like he couldn’t buy a bucket. Some credit certainly has to go to the Celtics defense for not allowing Bryant to get to any of the spots on the floor he tried to get to. With his shot not falling, though, Bryant kept his focus and found other ways to contribute, snagging 15 rebounds to help close out the Celtics. He also hit a bevy of clutch free throws and turned out a very solid fourth quarter after looking atrocious for 36 minutes. Without the rest of his team, however, those clutch free throws would have never materialized, and his offseason would be filled with game seven nightmares instead of victory parades and interviews with President Obama.

For a player who often gets called out for being overly critical of teammates, Kobe Bryant never needed them more Brand Levitra than he did in game seven of the NBA Finals. Ron Artest and Pau Gasol are now a part of his legacy that he cannot ignore. It was also good to see Artest, who has always been a likeable but confused player, turn out a key performance on the NBA’s biggest stage. He may or may not be certifiable, but Artest should now get his fair share of kudos around the league. And plenty of it should come from Kobe.

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