It was a storybook ending fit for the sports betting city in which it took place.

With the hometown star standing on top of the scorer's table, purple and gold confetti raining down from the skies of the legendary Staples Center, it became very clear that this was one of those rare occasions in Hollywood where the sequel was actually better than the original, at least for the winning side.

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to an 83-79 win over the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the NBA Finals Thursday night, delivering the franchise its 17^th NBA championship.

24 months after falling to Boston in the 2008 Finals, Bryant saluted the City of Angels with five fingers in the air, symbolizing the five championships that the Lakers have won since the superstar was traded to the team after the 1996 NBA Draft. For all of the talk about how the series had been anti-climactic, Game Seven was a basketball betting classic.

While Los Angeles was excellent down the final stretch, the team's performance throughout the first 36 minutes was not, as the Celtics led by as many as 13 points early on. Trailing after each of the first three quarters, the Lakers continued to chip away at Boston's lead until finally rallying to pull ahead in the final frame. Pau Gasol scored 20, and added 28 rebounds, while Ron Artest finished with 20 points, his highest offensive output of the series.

Through all the drama however, it was Bryant who stood tall at the end, earning his second NBA Finals MVP award.