Only after reaching the goal they've targeted since training camp did they untuck their jerseys, uncork some champagne and finally cut loose a little bit.

A grinning Kobe Bryant leapt high in the air and pumped his fist as the final buzzer sounded Sunday night. His teammates draped championship towels around their necks and formed a swirling mass of euphoria around him. And throughout the arena, purple-and-gold-clad Lakers fans flooded the lower level to be part of the celebration.

Three hundred sixty-two days after last year's bid for a championship came crashing to a halt in Boston amid stale cigar smoke and green and white confetti, the Lakers showcased the maturity they've gained since that defeat. Behind 30 points from Bryant, 17 from Lamar Odom and 14 from Pau Gasol, they secured the franchise's 15th title, vanquishing Orlando in five games with a decisive 99-86 victory.

"Now when I go to Disneyland, I can enjoy the moment," Bryant said. "I don't have to answer questions about `what the heck happened to you guys,' you know what I mean? From that standpoint, the summer is going to be much more enjoyable."

If the memory of being yanked apart at the seams in Boston last June has both haunted and driven the Lakers all season, any semblance of bitterness finally melted away in Sunday night's raucous celebration. They toasted a championship that ended the franchise's six-season title drought and forever enhanced the legacies of those who achieved it.

Bryant elevated his status among the sport's all-time greats, capturing his first Finals MVP award and first title without Shaquille O'Neal.

Phil Jackson won his 10th title to surpass Red Auerbach for the most in league history, an achievement he said he'd commemorate by smoking a cigar in honor of the legendary Boston coach.

Gasol and Odom experienced the sweet sting of champagne in their eyes for the first time, vindication for all the times critics called them too soft or erratic to help lead a title push.

Said Gasol: "It's a dream come true."

Said Odom: "I've known what I wanted to do since I was 10 years old, and now it's finally here."

For Orlando, the loss saddled an otherwise sweet season with a hint of a sour aftertaste. The Magic was a blown Courtney Lee layup and a Dwight Howard free throw away from defeating the Lakers in Games 2 and 4, but Orlando offered little resistance after the opening quarter in Game 5.

"We did a lot of things nobody thought we could do, so there's no need for us to hold our heads," Howard said. "We came a long way."

The game swung in favor of the Lakers midway through the second quarter thanks to a 16-0 spurt keyed by Ariza's three-point shooting and swarming perimeter defense. The former Orlando forward haunted his old team by scoring 11 of his 15 points in the quarter and grabbing a pair of steals to extend the lead to 12.

Whereas Orlando had been the league's most feared three-point shooting team entering the series, the Magic made only 2 of its first 19 in Game 5. The Lakers , meanwhile, shot 8 for 16 from behind the arc, none bigger than two back-to-back threes from Odom to extend the lead to 11 in the third quarter and snuff out Orlando's last real threat.

Even though the Magic ousted Boston weeks ago, the Celtics still had a presence at the Lakers' coronation. A fan wearing a green Celtics T-shirt held up a homemade sign in the first half that read, "Go Magic, Keep Auerbach on top."

By midway through the third quarter, he'd gone home.

"I've always felt as a coach you had to push your team, but this year I told them they had to push themselves," Jackson said. "They pushed themselves, and I really feel strongly this win is about them."

Reach Jeff Eisenberg at 951-368-9357 or jeisenberg@PE.com