Lakers celebrate championship with fans (Feature)

By Paul Levine Jun 22, 2010, 0:53 GMT

Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Lakers threw a party Monday to celebrate their second consecutive NBA championship, and thousands of fans joined in the celebration.

The Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in game seven Thursday night to win their 16th title, one less than their bitter rivals, in a classic showdown between the most successful teams in league history.

After allowing a weekend to allow their victory to sink in, Kobe Bryant and Co rode on flatbed floats to waive to the wildly cheering but orderly crowd, standing 30 to 40 deep behind barricades.

Team brass trailed the caravan in double-decker buses, and cheerleaders rode on fire engines as the song I Love LA blared along the 3-kilmetre parade route, winding for about an hour around the downtown Staples Centre.

The celebration took place under bright, sunny California skies with the temperature about 25 degrees Celsius.

Bryant got a kick out of celebrating his fifth NBA title and second finals MVP trophy with the loyal fans.

'It's fun to see our fans and to interact with them,' he said. 'To see all the emotion they put behind us is pretty cool.'

Naturally, Lakers forward Pau Gasol was proud of the achievement, and voiced his thanks for the support of the fans, some of whom lined up for a spot in the street as early as Sunday to toast their heroes.

'We put so much into it, and obviously our fans have, too,' the Spanish native said.

'It's an incredible feeling; it's just an amazing success for our franchise. It's hard to win one, let alone two back-to back. So next year we're going to have to do it all over again, hopefully.'

Gasol hopes to start off the summer by embracing the moment.

'I'm going to let it settle in, digest everything, breath a little and get some rest,' he said, 'and at the same time enjoy the moment.'

Lakers veteran point guard Derek Fisher, who will be fitted for his fifth NBA championship ring, was in awe of the gigantic turnout to salute his teammates and cheer as they lifted the golden Larry O'Brien trophy.

'We know we have fans, but when you see this it's crazy,' Fisher said. 'You don't fully understand it until after it's done.

'When you're playing you're in the moment, and you're just trying to win. After it's done, that's when you feel what's happened, and to win the championship against the Celtics and see what it means to the fans is unbelievable. There's no other better feeling.'

Moments after reveling in the celebration, fans began to disperse in an orderly manner as street cleaners quickly began to pick up the debris and players drove away in limousines.

Forward Ron Artest, enjoying his first NBA championship in his first season with the Lakers, said the storied franchise is readying for a second three-peat, but not just yet.

'We got to put that work in this summer,' he said. 'We do that, then we'll write history again, but first we got to party for another week.'

Added Bryant: 'When next season starts, we'll be ready, that's for sure.'