Sense of Inevitability

These are some of the headlines in local LA newspapers regarding last night's Lakers' game.

Magic One And Done?

Lakers' Bryant A Lock For Finals MVP

Lakers Not Too Excited Yet But Magic Should Be Worried

And then the content is even better. In the first quarter, things were pretty tight and the game really looked like it would go back and forth for the entire contest. Then with some of the bench players on the floor, the Lakers took it up another level and started pulling away from the Magic. All of a sudden the defense started swarming Howard and closing out on jumpshots. The Lakers hadn't played with that much energy the entire postseason. You know what else? Instead of dedicating himself entirely to pass-first options, Bryant attacked, and attacked, and attacked all night long.

Sometimes in sports you get a sense of inevitability from certain teams. Here are a couple of examples:

• 2005 MLB playoffs - In the ALCS, the Angels went up 1-0 on the White Sox and looked poised to take a 2-0 lead when AJ Pierzynski took first as the Angels ran off the field on what should have been a strikeout. From that point on, the White Sox rotation locked down and the Angels were doomed and so were the Astros. You just knew that once they got going against the Angels, they were going to sweep the 'Stros.
  
• 2007 MLB playoffs - With Cleveland up 3-1 on the Red Sox, the Sox started to mount a comeback and destroyed the Indians the last three games of the series. I mean crushed, pounded, humiliated, everything. They won the last three games by a combined score of 30-5. After that, you just knew they were going to handle the Rockies, and they did, sweeping them in four.
• 2008 NBA Finals - Although it didn't really seem like it with getting extended to seven games in each of their first three series, once Boston won Game 1 in LA last year, it just kind of felt like they sealed their destiny, didn't it? When Paul Pierce went down things seemed to be in the Lakers favor, but once he came back you just kind of new they would take that game and then the series. Kobe never looked comfortable, and then they killed the Lakers in Game 6 to claim the title.
  

Yeah, it's only one game, but Kobe was dominant in a way that he's never been in the playoffs before. Although they were close to beating Phoenix in 2005, you just knew he couldn't carry them the entire series by himself, similar to what just happened to Lebron James in the Eastern Conference Finals last week. But last night felt different. I don't know if they're going to sweep, but these Lakers feel strong. It doesn't like like Kobe can be denied.