Lakers Moments: Ron Artest and the last-second shot
Golden touch: Lakers forward Ron Artest shoots the game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on May 27, 2010.
The Lakers signed Artest in the off-season to shore up the defense and opened the season 23-4. Kobe Bryant fought off the pain of a broken finger all season, in addition to chronically sore knees. Throw in the annual injury to Andrew Bynum (this time a strained Achilles') and the Lakers did well to come away with the best record in the Western Conference.
In the playoffs, the Lakers got past a tough Oklahoma City Thunder and then swept the Utah Jazz to set up a conference finals matchup with Phoenix. With the series tied, 2-2, Artest tipped in Bryant’s last-second shot to give the Lakers a Game 5 win and help the team advance to the Finals against the Boston Celtics. In a tough, hard-fought series, the Lakers overcame a 13-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 7 to win the game and their second consecutive title.
See Artest's game-winning shot from a fan's point-of-view below.
Read more about 2009-2010 season in All Things Lakers, the L.A. Times' interactive database of all things purple and gold.
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-- Houston Mitchell
Photo credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
