L.A. Lakers (101) - Orlando Magic (75)
Played at Staples Center on Thursday June 4. With a haughty performance from Kobe Bryant (40 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists) the Lakers imposed over Orlando Magic whose best player was the pivot Dwight Howard (12 points and 15 rebounds). Pau Gasol also played a great game scoring 16 points and 8 rebounds.

L.A. Lakers (101) - Orlando Magic (96)
Played at Staples Center on Sunday June 7. In a tight match decided in overtime, Kobe Bryant (29 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists) and Pau Gasol (24 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists), were greatly assisted by Lamar Odom (19 points, 8 rebounds off the bench) to lead the Lakers to victory. As for Orlando, Rashard Lewis (34 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists), Hedo Turkoglu (22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Dwight Howard (17 points, 16 rebounds) were not good enough to avoid the Magic from falling a second time.

Orlando Magic (108) - L.A. Lakers (104)
Played at Amway Arena on Thursday 9, June, Orlando Magic won on their own court their first match of the series, but the Lakers are still leading 2-1. Orlando pulled a good match with outstanding performances from Dwight Howard (21 points and 14 rebounds), Rashard Lewis (21 points), Rafer Alston (20 points), Mickael Pietrus (18 points) and Hedo Turkoglu (18 points, 6 rebounds 7 assists). Los Angeles had Kobe Bryant as their best player scoring 31 points and 8 assists. Pau Gasol played a regular match scoring 23 points and only 3 rebounds.

Orlando Magic (91) - L.A. Lakers (99)
Played at Amway Arena on Thursday 11, June, another exiting match was decided on overtime. The Lakers won on Magic's court and now they get closer to win the championship. Los Angeles' star Kobe Bryant scored 32 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, followed by Pau Gasol (16 points 10 rebounds), Trevor Ariza (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Derek Fisher who scored his 12 points on decisive moments of the match. As for Orlando, Hedo Turkoglu (25 points) and Dwight Howard (16 points, 21 rebounds, 9 blocks) were Magic's best players.

Orlando Magic (86) - L.A. Lakers (99)
Played at Amway Arena on Sunday 14, June. In a match already decided by the Lakers by the beginning of the second quarter, Phil Jackson's team claimed the 2008/09 NBA championship. On this game -as well as all games along the series- Los Angeles had as best player their Playoffs MVP Kobe Bryant (30 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds), with amazing performances from Pau Gasol (14 points, 15 rebounds), Lamar Oddom (17 points, 10 rebounds), Trevor Ariza (15 points) y Derek Fisher (13 points). As for Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis played a fair game (18 points, 10 rebounds) but the 12 points from Rafer Alison, Courtney Lee and Hedo Turkoglu were not enough to match Los Angeles.

L.A. Lakers - Orlando Magic. Staples Center. Wednesday, June 17 2:00 AM GMT.

L.A. Lakers - Orlando Magic. Staples Center. Friday, June 19 2:00 AM GMT.

And West surprisingly switched sides and went with James, the former No. 1 overall pick out of a Cleveland high school. West brought Bryant to Los Angeles in 1996 after trading Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the Philadelphia high school standout. West is credited for assembling the Lakers' four NBA championship teams in the 1980s and the franchise's three consecutive NBA champions from 2000-2002. The 70-year-old former All-NBA guard and former Lakers coach said that James can be "the greatest player ever to play the game", even greater than Michael Jordan. "LeBron James will do the same type of things because he's getting better," said West, now GM of the Memphis Grizzles. "He's a much more effective shooter. When he's making his shots from the outside, you can't play him. He's just too big, too strong, too quick. And he has incredible body control." But whoa, whoa, whoa. Better than Jordan, who has won six NBA championships? And Bryant, who has three league championship rings. Now, LeBron is a better team player than Kobe, and the 24-year-old Cleveland forward has better career averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals, but King James can't be crowned until he's won a NBA championship like the 30-year-old Bryant, who won three NBA titles a couple months before his 24th birthday. First, LeBron has to lead the Cavs past Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals that begins tonight. The Magic won the regular season series 2-1 and "beat the hell" out of Cleveland, according to James' teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas, in Orlando's 116-87 home romp for the Cavs' worst loss this season. But Cleveland, which posted the NBA's best record this season, swept its first two playoff opponents to bring an 8-0 postseason record into the conference finals against Orlando, and James deserves most of the credit. He is averaging a playoff-best 32.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists.

To be sure, there's something otherworldly about this season's Lakers. I don't know whether to ask for an autograph or proof of residence. Are you really of this planet, Andrew Bynum? Can I see some ID, Sasha What's-Your-Name? (Hint: Sounds like "dig a ditch.")
Sometimes these Lakers are superhuman, sometimes not. At times, they play sort of bloated -- you know, overfed -- as if they just finished a big holiday meal and waddled onto the court to play a pickup game against the other uncles, only because the nephews kept insisting.
This gaseous approach to the game I can accept from the Clippers -- find it almost entertaining. From the sleek Lakers, a franchise staffed by Maseratis and Ferraris, it doesn't feel right at all.
I can't imagine the e-mail agony Kobe endured the other day from mental-health types over his description of the Lakers as "bipolar." The strident, almost maniacal thought-police are never more stirred up than if you use schizophrenia or bipolar in an inexact way. The only thing worse is saying something heartless about dogs. Then you may as well be dead.
But to the layman, bipolar was a perfectly apt description of these Lakers, hot one quarter, cold the next, exuberant today, depressed tomorrow.
Are they so skilled, so confident that they are better than anyone else, that they have the luxury of playing hard only when absolutely necessary? Or is the season so long, so hard on the legs and lower back, that it is best to pick your moments? I'd find that easy to believe, even as the fans demand virtuoso performances every evening.
Overseeing all this is Dr. Phil, not exactly warm and fuzzy, but neither is he the demanding scold. The creaky-cool Jackson seems to want to reach his players on an intellectual level, which he does with rather mixed results. Good luck. It must be like teaching Latin to a canary. Utrum per hebdomadem perveniam ("If I could just get through this week"). Squawk.
At times, Staples' resident genius seems almost too respectful of the men, many of whom are really just spoiled boys. When we feel disgust over their halfhearted play, we want to see similar disgust on Jackson's part. When we don't get that, we feel exasperated, angry that he is passive-passive instead of passive-aggressive. After all, aren't coaches who fly off the handle an American birthright?
He strikes us, when things aren't going well, like one of those parents trying to be a friend to his children rather than a demanding dad. As with any parenting situation, outsiders like us always seem to know better.
All Jackson has done, with this composed approach, is collect more rings than Cleopatra, more championships than all of Rome. He has done it with gods like Jordan and Bryant, and divas like Rodman and Shaq. He is almost presidential in his patience, the only adult in an arena full of spitting, hyperventilating maniacs. Man, that must get old.
Yet, he has joined the likes of Kobe, Tiger and Manny as mythic contemporary sports figures who need only one name.