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Police report no arrests in celebrations
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- In an impressive reversal from last year's
post-championship melee, police said Saturday that they made no
arrests after the Lakers took their second consecutive NBA title
Friday, beating Philadelphia.
Throngs of police on foot, horseback, motorcycles and bicycles
made sure there was no repeat of last year's riot, spurred by the
basketball team's victory over the Indiana Pacers.
"It was a very good evening," said Los Angeles police Lt.
Horace Frank.
When several fans set small fires in the street in front of
Staples Center on Friday night, police swarmed in to stop them. A
few fans threw rocks and bottles at some officers, who responded by
firing rubber bullets.
Original reports had police making at least one arrest but
authorities revised that figure Saturday. No property damage was
reported.
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and star Kobe Bryant recorded public
service announcements that aired during the final minutes of the
game urging exuberant fans to celebrate responsibly.
A sellout crowd of more than 18,000 had paid $10 a pop to watch
the giant screens inside Staples as the Lakers clinched their
second consecutive league title with a 108-96 victory at
Philadelphia.
The Lakers were expected to return home Saturday at 4:45 local time, and
a downtown parade honoring the two-time champions is scheduled for
11 a.m. Monday.
"Back-to-back championships are great," said Joel Rodriguez,
19. "Now we are the city of champions. The championships make this
city look better. Instead of being a city of homelessness and
drugs, we now get more respect."
Sports bars throughout L.A. and its suburbs overflowed with
purple-and-gold clad partiers.
At Universal Citywalk, where the game was also televised on a
giant-screen TV, some 1,500 jubilant but generally well-behaved
Lakers fans lingered long after the game to whoop and cheer loudly
over the victory.
When the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in Los Angeles to win
the NBA title last year, the city's first major pro sports
championship in 12 years, a small mob of hooligans roamed the
street and staged a mini-riot after the game. Two police cars and a
TV news van were torched and destroyed and damage totaled $750,000.
Eleven people were arrested that night.
Devoted fan Ralph Rivera of suburban La Mirada said he was
pleased to see the beefed-up police presence this year.
"I didn't like what happened last year," he said. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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