Kobe Bryant, Lakers will win the title because Adele swept the Grammy's

“But you played it. You played it. You played it. You played it to the beat.”

Lyric from: Rolling in the Deep from the album 21

Written By: Adele, Paul Epworth

Performed by: Adele

Adele, Photo Courtesy of Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

 

The San Antonio Spurs look invincible right now. They don’t just look like an unstoppable force ready to claim the Western Conference but one that will reign supreme as the 2012 NBA Finals Champ set to maim whatever team manages to come out of the East.  

But there is more to an NBA Champ than looks. You need a favorable matchup, a healthy roster and a little luck. It also doesn’t hurt if your fate is married to a rare happenstance in the universe.

The Los Angeles Lakers took a beating last night in game 6 of their series with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets took an early 13-0 lead and let it fuel their fearless effort for the rest of the game as they force a game 7 back in LA on Saturday night. Kobe has said that he will be happy to have Metta World Peace and his energy back for that game and, no one will bet against the Lakers in a game 7 at home.

And here’s a little more added confidence that the Lakers won’t lose in the first round, this year Adele took home six awards from the 54^th Annual Grammy Awards. The last two times an artist won six or more awards in one night at the Grammys, the Lakers were crowned NBA champions that same year. Can they 3-peat?

On February 23, 2000, Santana won eight Grammy Awards tying a previous record set by Michael Jackson in 1984. Santana’s win set a new record however, in that it was the first time a group, band or duo had won that many awards in one evening. Santana won Album of the Year for their Supernatural but also won awards for a diverse array of collaborations along with wins in vocal and instrumental categories.

The Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in 6 games to win their 13^th championship in 2000. The Lakers signed Phil Jackson on as head coach within days of being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals the previous year and his famed triangle offense immediately paid big dividends. Shaq was named finals MVP and fourth year man out of Lower Merion High School Kobe Bryant got his first of five championships with the franchise.

Beyonce was the big winner two years ago at the 52^nd Annual Grammy awards in 2010. Jay Z’s better half took home six awards that evening, including Song of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” and one for her remake of the Etta James classic “At Last”. At the time, Beyonce was the first woman to win 6 or more awards in one night.

In 2010, the Lakers were looking to repeat against the Boston Celtics, having beaten out the Magic for the title in 2009. The C’s were only two years removed from their latest championship which they had won against the Lakers in 2008. The series went 7 games and did not disappoint. It was the first NBA Finals to go 7 games since 2005 and again revived one the NBA’s oldest rivalries. In the end the Lakers prevailed. Kobe was named Finals MVP and won the 5^th title of his career, one more than Shaquille O’Neal and his second one without the diesel as his teammate.

This year, Adele swept the 54^th Annual Grammy Awards winning six including Album of the Year for 21 and Song of the Year for “Rolling in the Deep”. She matched Beyonce in trophies and as the second woman to win six. She surpassed Amy Winehouse for most wins by a British female artist in one night. Winehouse won five in 2008.

This NBA season has been a strange one for fans and players alike. The season was delayed as the collective bargaining agreement was finalized. Teams played more back to backs and injuries seemed more gruesome and more costly. The Lakers had the added responsibility of getting used to a new coach, responding to Lamar Odom’s trade demand and watching the Clippers stake their claim in LA acquiring Chris Paul from the Hornets after the league vetoed the Lakers request to have him all their own.

Now the third-seeded Lakers face a must win game 7 against a six-seeded Nuggets team that has every reason to believe that they can get it done. But is fate on their side?

Adele is only the eighth artist to win six or more Grammys in one night. Before the Lakers made their Grammy history connection in 2000, the Chicago Bulls were the last team to twice make the connection winning NBA titles in 1991 when Quincy Jones took home six trophies and in 1993 when Eric Clapton took home six. The Bulls did not 3-peat in that fateful happenstance and I doubt that anyone noticed.

And if the Lakers win the NBA Championship this year they likely won’t notice this obscure 3-peat either. Instead it will be a nice, nothing little stat to go along with three big ones-18 franchise championships, Mike Brown’s first championship and Kobe’s sixth championship matching Jordan’s championship wins with the Chicago Bulls.