Bryant and Derek Fisher each have four titles, their redemption arriving a year after they faltered badly against the Celtics. There was no such cowering against the Magic. In a series defined by comebacks, overtimes and missed opportunities, the clinching game felt anticlimactic. After Rafer Alston’s 3-pointer early in the third quarter, the Magic was within striking distance, 58-53. Lamar Odom responded with consecutive 3s as the Lakers again separated themselves by double digits, a margin they maintained the rest of the game. Dwight Howard, who legitimised his status as one of the game’s stars during the postseason, had his night stymied by the defensive efforts of Pau Gasol. “It was like Chinese water torture, just keep dropping a drop of water on your temple,” Bryant said of the talk that he could not win a title without O’Neal. “It was annoying. I was just like, it’s a challenge I’m just going to have to accept because there’s no way I’m going to argue it.”

With the title all but secured, Bryant’s emotions came out when he hugged Sasha Vujacic as the Lakers crowded one another during a timeout, their lead at 97-84, with 40.4 seconds left. His hands free from Mickael Pietrus and Courtney Lee, Bryant leaped in the air as the buzzer sounded and soon he was holding his daughters Natalia and Gianna.