I'd Like to Thank My Psychiatrist

Last night's game 7 was the quite possibly the single worst basketball game I've ever watched in my entire life, that succession of three-pointers at the end notwithstanding. Plus the Lakers won, which is all kinds of awful.

But one good thing did come from it all — Ron Artest. I've always been a big Ron Artest fan. He may be certifiably insane, but he's also ultra-competitive and one of the greatest defensive players of his generation. He was also a huge reason that the Lakers were able to pull out that ugly game 7 and win their second straight title, scoring 20 points, hauling in five boards and swiping five steals, but most importantly, shutting down Paul Pierce, who had just 18 points on a woeful 5-15 from the field.



Watching him shadow Pierce, it was evident that Ron Artest was put on this earth to guard the Truth. Most players that size up Pierce aren't big enough or strong enough to contain him. Artest has the ideal build, and the ideal game to stop him. That's exactly what he did all series, limiting Pierce to 43.9 percent shooting for the series and 18 points per game. Only twice did Pierce reach the 20-point mark, scoring 24 in game 1 and 27 and in 5. Take those two performances out, and Artest limited Pierce to 15 points per game on 39.1 percent shooting. He certainly earned his ring with his defense, not to mention some huge games and huge plays offensively, including last night's 20 points that were highlighted by a crucial three late. Plus, he brought more entertainment to the postgame festivities than Kobe ever could.





I'll be looking for that single.