THE SPORT COUNT

The Magic have given the Lakers a real fight.

In the first game of the finals series, the Lakers looked absolutely dominant, the Magic completely outmatched, the talent gap between the two teams vast.

The imagination of serious basketball heads ran wild, conjuring images of LeBron and his Cavalier mates going toe-to-toe with Kobe Bryant and his crew, challenging them on every possession, fighting for every rebound. It seemed like an injustice that The Manchild, Hedo, and Rashard had stolen from us the showdown we deserved: The King and The Black Mamba.

In the second game, that feeling faded, and the 100-75 scoreline in game one looked like an aberration; a result dictated by the nerves of the Orlando players, a surprisingly engaged Los Angeles crowd, and Kobe Bryant playing at the peak of his game.

And in game three, the developing sense that Orlando deserved their spot in the last dance was assured. It was clear: they’d earned the right to be there. They were the best in the east, a (sporadically sputtering) offensive juggernaut, a tenacious defensive crew anchored by a beast in the middle.

But if the Lakers had won game three — making a sweep the most likely outcome — the average basketball fan would have been sorely disappointed. Hell, the Lakers would have been too. Their victory would have been cheap.

Cheap. The worst label that can be affixed to glory. That grotesque asterisk. Barry Bonds’ home run achievements? Cheap. George W. Bush’s Florida win in 2000? Cheap. For the Lakers to be ‘true champions’ — with the ideas of fairness and equity of ability attached to that — they needed a tough opponent.

That’s true of all the Lakers, but especially Kobe. If he wants a ring sans Shaquille, as the best player on his team, he needs to avoid that asterisk.

Had the championship scoreline ended up at 4-0, no one would have remembered how hard the Magic had fought throughout. The series would have fizzled, becoming nothing more than a slow death march for the Floridians, and an extended championship parade for the Lakers.

The Lakers will likely get their rings. Only three teams have ever recovered from being down 0-2, and the Magic appear too streaky, too dependent on the three-ball, to be the fourth. But the fact Orlando has taken a game — the only finals win in franchise history — ensures the Lakers can’t be labelled as cheap champions.

The Lakers will deserve their rings.

The Spurs hardly earned their 2007 title.

Unlike, say, the Spurs in 2007, when they demolished a poor Cleveland team who’d weaseled their way through a weak conference on the back of stellar efforts from LeBron James. The Cavaliers shouldn’t have been there, and the Spurs never faced adversity. It was a cakewalk. A 4-0 embarrassment.

Unlike the Rockets in 1995, who beat up a young Magic team, and didn’t have to face Michael Jordan, freshly returned from retirement, and still easing into game shape.

Unlike the Pistons in 2004, who defeated a Lakers team who had completely imploded. The series finished 4-1. That Lakers team stole a game, but they weren’t a match for the Pistons who, despite a significant lack of real talent, at least played well as a team.

As they say in politics, you’re defined by your opponent. For your championship to count, you need to have been beaten, bloodied and bruised.

The Magic aren’t giving the title away. They’re giving the Lakers all they’ve got. And so, when the Larry O’Brien trophy* heads to California, justice will have been served.

There will be no asterisk.

Posted By: Anton

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*This feature originally misidentified the NBA championship trophy as the Maurice Podoloff trophy. That is actually the regular season MVP trophy.