LOS ANGELES — Michael Jordan and the Boston Celtics, be afraid.
Circle June 2012 on the calendar. There may be a seismic shift on the NBA axis emerging from Southern California. And it will have nothing to do with LeBron James.
Two years from now, if things remain status quo in the purple kingdom and King James doesn’t find nirvana, Kobe Bryant may surpass the great Jordan by rolling out a seventh championship.
Bryant has five now, and for emphasis, held up all five fingers to the delirious Staples Center crowd Thursday night.
Two years from now, Lakers owner Jerry Buss may accomplish his dream, topping the hated Celtics for the most NBA championships — with 18. The purple reign may just be getting started with the Lakers’ back-to-back titles clinched on a wonderful evening in La-La land.
Unless King James finds what he’s looking for in Chicago, or with Chris Bosh in New York/Cleveland, a new Lakers’ dynasty appears to be forming.
While Bryant said earlier in the series he “couldn’t give a bleep” where James winds up, he sounded like the free-agent summer storm is the only thing standing in his way of more golden trophies.
Asked if he feared if James and Dwayne Wade or James and Bosh team up next season, the Finals MVP said, “What is it with you? You want to just emotionally drain me. I don’t want to think about that. I don’t want to think about playing against both of them at the same time. I want to enjoy this for a little bit.”
The core group of Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom are each tied up contractually for at least three seasons. Super clutch point guard Derek Fisher is expected to re-sign for two more years.
Phil Jackson? Sources believed he would step down if the Lakers lost Game 7, but can’t imagine him not coming up for a chance at a three-peat. Before Game 7, Jackson said he would know what he is going to do after the game, but would not announce it for a week.
Meanwhile, Celtics coach Doc Rivers sounds ready for a sabbatical to watch his kids play school sports. Rivers hinted Boston’s aging core will be broken up, starting with Ray Allen, who is a free agent.
With the Celtics out of the way, Bryant can hone in on Jordan’s six titles, though when the topic was raised, Kobe demonstrated the love affair he has for the player he patterns himself after to a fault.
“It’s tough for me to really put that in context in terms of he and I goes because 90 percent of what I’ve learned, I’ve figured out comes from him,” Bryant said. “This is not a situation where it’s me-and-Shaq rivalry kind of thing.”
In fact, Bryant got more satisfaction out of passing Shaquille O’Neal’s title haul. There is no love lost between the two. After Bryant’s Lakers lost to Boston in 2008, O’Neal performed a vulgar rap song deriding Bryant’s inability to win one without him.
Bryant got the last laugh Thursday.
“Just got one more than Shaq,” Bryant said. “You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don’t forget anything.”
Bryant, who shot a pitiful 6 of 24 in Game 7 but scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, battled through the playoffs with a barely healed fractured finger still swollen, making it impossible to grip the ball. He also has a bum right knee. The Post reported he likely needs offseason arthroscopic surgery and Bryant confirmed he has to “figure some things out.”
“I was on [empty],” Bryant said. “Man, I was really, really tired and the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me. I’m just glad my teammates got us back in the game.”
Bryant willed the win with his 15 rebounds and hustle plays, invoking Jordan’s modus operandi.
“I had to do something, I had to rebound the ball, it’s whatever it takes to win the game,” Bryant said. “Sometimes shots aren’t going to fall but you’ve got to figure something to help your team win. Nobody was better at it than MJ.”
Perhaps James took notes Thursday night. James could not find a way to will a win over Boston six weeks ago. And despite James’ free agency, the NBA may belong to Bryant a while longer.