Respect Thy NBA Champion, The Boston Celtics

It was only a year ago that the Boston Celtics were the de facto punch line for "bad team." Going 24-58 will do that. But now they're the definitive basketball champions of the continent. Paul Pierce should just retire now, because his basketball stock can't possibly rise.

The game was almost a formality. Hey, it was nice of the Lakers to show up to the arena and wear different-colored jerseys in hopes that the Celtics didn't have to clinch by doing lay-up drills, but that's what it felt like. I mean, seriously? A freakin' 39-point victory to finish the series? This is what it came to. Somebody fiddled with the NBA Jam cheats for the Boston side and enabled everything but large heads.

Where was the drama? Where was the semblance of a comeback by the venerable Phil Jackson, the assassin Kobe Bryant and his now-trusted teammates? Moreover, when do his trade rumors start up again?

So there you have it. Boston is again a championship town. Phew, that was a harrowing couple of months.