It was ugly. If you’re looking for a clinic on offensive efficiency or a highlight reel of crisp, beautiful jump shots, don’t watch the tape of Game 7. Seriously. But if you want to know who won the NBA 2010 finals, the answer is the Los Angeles Lakers, and they did it by winning one of the most physically exhausting, nerve-wracking, and statistically bizarre games in the history of professional basketball.
The Lakers took the series 4-3.
That sounds simple, right? It wasn't. This wasn't just another trophy for the case in El Segundo. This was about Kobe Bryant finally getting the monkey off his back regarding Shaquille O'Neal. It was about Pau Gasol proving he wasn't "soft"—a narrative that had followed him since the 2008 Finals. And for the Boston Celtics, it was the "what if" that still haunts Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to this day.
The Weight of the 2008 Ghost
To understand why 2010 mattered, you have to remember the absolute drubbing the Lakers took two years prior. In 2008, the Celtics didn't just beat the Lakers; they embarrassed them. That Game 6 blowout in Boston, where the Lakers lost by 39 points, was a scar that hadn't healed.
Kobe was obsessed. Honestly, obsessed is probably an understatement.
By the time the 2010 rematch rolled around, the rosters were mostly the same, but the vibe was different. The Lakers had won in 2009 against Orlando, sure, but everyone knew the real test was the Green Menace. The Celtics had the "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, plus a rising star in Rajon Rondo who was starting to look like the best pure playmaker in the league.
How the Series Swung Back and Forth
The series was a see-saw. Los Angeles took Game 1. Boston grabbed Game 2 behind a record-setting shooting performance from Ray Allen, who hit eight three-pointers. Then Derek Fisher—the guy who always seemed to hit the biggest shots at the weirdest times—saved the Lakers in Game 3 in Boston.
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Then it got weird.
Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics' starting center and their primary low-post enforcer, went down with a knee injury in Game 6. People forget how huge this was. Without Perkins, the Celtics lost their size advantage. It forced Kevin Garnett to play more minutes at the five, and it opened the door for the Lakers' "Tall Ball" lineup of Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom to dominate the glass.
The Game 7 Nightmare (and Masterpiece)
Let's talk about Game 7. It was played on June 17, 2010.
If you look at the box score, you'd think both teams forgot how to play basketball. Kobe Bryant went 6-for-24 from the field. Read that again. Six for twenty-four. In the biggest game of his life, his shot was completely gone. The Lakers as a team shot 32.5% for the game.
But they won.
They won because they out-rebounded Boston 53-40. They won because Ron Artest—now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest—played the game of his life. He scored 20 points, including a massive three-pointer late in the fourth quarter that felt like a dagger to the heart of every Celtics fan on the planet. When he blew a kiss to the crowd after that shot, it was one of those "I can't believe this is happening" moments.
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Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, looked like he was aged a decade during those 48 minutes. The Lakers trailed by 13 points in the second half. Most teams would have folded, especially against a veteran Celtics defense that was suffocating. But the Lakers clawed back, one free throw at a time. They shot 37 free throws compared to Boston's 17. That's a huge disparity, and it’s still a point of contention for Boston fans who think the officiating was a bit "home-cooked" at Staples Center.
The Statistical Breakdown of the Win
It’s easy to say "the Lakers won," but looking at the numbers reveals how narrow the margin actually was.
Kobe Bryant's Finals MVP Campaign
Kobe averaged 28.6 points per game throughout the series. While his Game 7 was a shooting disaster, he grabbed 15 rebounds in that final game. He willed himself to the ball. This win gave him five rings, one more than Shaq, which we all know was the internal metric he cared about most.
Pau Gasol: The Unsung Hero
Gasol put up 19 points and 18 rebounds in Game 7. He was the most consistent player on the floor. Without his ability to battle Garnett and Rasheed Wallace in the paint after Perkins went out, the Lakers lose that game. Period.
The Celtics' Last Stand
Ray Allen followed up his Game 2 heroics by going 0-for-13 in Game 3. That inconsistency hurt. Paul Pierce was solid but couldn't take over the way he did in '08. Kevin Garnett was still a defensive monster, but you could tell he didn't have the same explosive lift in his legs after his 2009 knee surgery.
Why 2010 Still Matters Today
When people ask who won the nba 2010 finals, they are usually looking for a name, but the answer carries the weight of an era. This was the last time we saw a truly old-school, grind-it-out Finals series before the "Player Empowerment" era fully kicked in with LeBron’s move to Miami later that summer.
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It was the peak of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry in the modern era.
There’s a nuance to this victory that gets lost in the "Kobe vs. LeBron" GOAT debates. 2010 was a triumph of defense and grit. It proved that you could win a championship even when your best player had a "bad" shooting night, provided you had the rebounding and the defensive interior to back it up.
Misconceptions About the Series
A lot of people think the Celtics were the better team and just got unlucky with the Perkins injury. While Perkins was vital, the Lakers were also playing with a severely hobbled Andrew Bynum. Bynum was playing on a torn meniscus that required surgery immediately after the season. He was basically a 7-foot statue out there for half the series. Both teams were broken, bruised, and exhausted.
Another myth? That Kobe "choked" in Game 7. While 6-of-24 is objectively a poor shooting night, his 15 rebounds and 4th-quarter free throws were the reason they stayed afloat. He recognized his shot wasn't falling and turned into a glorified role player who just happened to be the focal point of the defense.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re revisiting this series or researching it for a project, here are the specific threads to pull:
- Watch the 4th Quarter of Game 7: Specifically, look at the rebounding. Every missed shot (and there were many) was fought for like it was the last scrap of food on earth.
- Study Ron Artest’s defense on Paul Pierce: Artest was brought to LA specifically for this matchup. He lived in Pierce's jersey for seven games.
- Analyze the Kendrick Perkins factor: Look at the rebounding numbers in Games 1-5 versus Games 6 and 7. The shift is dramatic and explains exactly how the Lakers found their opening.
- Compare to 2008: To appreciate the Lakers' joy, you have to see the footage of their 2008 dejection. The 2010 win was a direct exorcism of those demons.
The 2010 NBA Finals weren't pretty, but they were the definitive end of an era. It was the last time the Lakers and Celtics met on the grandest stage, and it solidified Kobe Bryant’s legacy as the bridge between Michael Jordan and the modern superstars of today. If you find yourself in a debate about who won the 2010 finals, remember that it wasn't just a win—it was a survival of the fittest.