Image by Getty Images via @daylifeLOS ANGELES — Just when was the exact moment in the offseason that the Los Angeles Lakers and Phil Jackson became destiny's darlings, the Lakers headed toward a third consecutive NBA championship and Jackson certain to culminate his Hall of Fame career with a historic fourth three-peat?
Maybe it was when eccentric forward Ron Artest, a first-time champion with the Lakers in June, changed his jersey number from 37 to 15, what he wore in college at St. John's. He did this, he says, as a response to LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade to create a formidable title challenger with the Miami Heat. No. 15, Artest says, means he is recommitted to "48 minutes of hustle, hustle, hustle."
Maybe it was when another eccentric Lakers forward, Lamar Odom— who added "world champion" to his bio playing for the U.S. national team this summer — got the following text from his reality TV personality wife, Khloe Kardashian: "The unbelievable is achievable."
Maybe, more likely, it was when Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, showed up to training camp as motivated as ever to win another title. That would match him with Michael Jordan, against whom Bryant and his career are often measured.
A sixth title "would be special, but it has nothing to do with Michael," Bryant says. "It would be special to win again. That's why I'm here, to help us get to that mountain again."
Or maybe the next title was nailed down the minute the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in June to win their second in a row and Jackson simply couldn't resist the symmetry of bowing out with a fourth three-peat, not to mention giving the franchise 17 titles, the same as the archrival Celtics.
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