Road To Redemption

Ron Artest will not be forgotten. Of course, for all the wrong reasons. He earned himself a dubious spot in NBA history after charging into the Detroit crowd, resulting in a year-long suspension. You may remember him also holding up a CD next to his face, promoting his girl group while being interviewed after the news of his suspension was released.
My personal favorite Ron Artest moment came just a few weeks ago when he convinced Craig Sager to say "Queensbridge." Convinced really isn't the right word. More like if I ask you five times in a 30 second clip, you're forced to comply.
I could be talking about a number of things after the Lakers won Game 7, clinching the franchise's 16th championship. They're now one behind the Celtics for the all-time lead. A short list of talking points:
Kobe wins ring number 5
Great defense, bad offense
Lakers 26 percent shooting in the first half
The absence of Kendrick Perkins
Andrew Bynum limited to 19 minutes
Rajon Rondo's stat line: 14 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds
Kobe Bryant pulling down 15 boards
A Brian Scalabrine sighting!
Ron Artest's performance in Game 7 is far more interesting to me than any of those topics. Think back to July of last year when the Lakers decided to sign a 30 year-old headcase, better known for his off the court issues despite being an all-pro defender. The Lakers chose not resign Trevor Ariza, a player five years younger than Artest who showed flashed the ability of a quality player on both sides of the ball. Many people questioned that move, especially me.
The critics were out come playoff time, as Artest had a terrible regular season, posting close to career lows in points, rebounds, and assists. He also made some head-scratching decisions, most notably the three pointer he hoisted up at the end of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals that almost cost the Lakers the game. Of course, he did end up winning that game for them.
Here we are in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Greatest rivalry in basketball, and I think it's safe to say all eyes were not on Ron Artest. His performance in the 2nd quarter was quietly the key to the Lakers victory. Down 7 and looking particularly sluggish offensively at the end of the 1st quarter, the Lakers desperately needed a spark. They got it from Artest who accounted for 11 of the the team's 20 points, and came up with two big steals that changed the course the quarter would take. The Lakers would outscore the Celtics by three in the 2nd quarter to narrow the lead to four at the half.
Artest would top off his performance with a three that put the Lakers ahead by six late in the game. It proved to be biggest of a barrage of threes at the end of the game. Artest finished with 20 points and 5 steals.
In the post game interview the first person he thanked was his psychiatrist for helping him relax. While most probably laughed, there was something very touching about that to me. None of his know him and what's going through his head, probably not even his psychiatrist. But I appreciate someone who can be that open and honest during the emotional high-point of their career.
Queensbridge. Yeah, I said it.