On June 17, 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers of Kobe Bryant won the title in 7 games against the Boston Celtics. A huge achievement for the Black Mamba!
Champion for the last time in his career in 2010, Kobe Bryant went for this ultimate title with his guts. Alongside Pau Gasol, the Black Mamba tore himself away over seven games to take his revenge against the Celtics … victorious 2 years earlier. MVP of the Finals for the second time in his career, he finished his playoff campaign with 29.2 points (45.8%), 6 rebounds and 5.5 assists on average!
However, on December 11, 2009, Kobe fractured his right index finger twice against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rather than having surgery and therefore miss games, the number 24 of the Lakers chose to grit his teeth.
However it was not easy, and the franchise player had to make changes. Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reported on the episode: « He did it by reshaping his shot to put more pressure on the ball with his thumb and middle finger – trying to use the index finger only as a guide. With the help of Lakers assistant coach Chuck Person, Bryant reorganized his entire mechanics. … He continued to play because he was told that the bone fragments could heal while he played, even though he could only play with brutal treatments to minimize the swelling of the finger. The pressure applied to the finger by Lakers assistant Gary Vitti was like squeezing a tube of toothpaste with maximum force. « Still not operated on in September 2010, Kobe would ultimately suffer from the finger until the end of his career in 2016.
