The Lakers and Dodgers Have Taken Over the City of L.A. - Daniel Maher

    In a year filled with so much frustration and so many unknowns, at least Los Angeles sports fans can be happy. Both the Lakers and Dodgers won championships this year with the Lakers winning the NBA Finals on October 11 and the Dodgers winning the World Series on October 27, only 16 days apart. This is the closest any professional basketball and baseball team have won championships in a calendar year, and they both happened to be from Los Angeles. 

    For the Lakers, it was their first NBA championship since 2010 and their 17th all time, tying them with the Celtics for the most in history. For LeBron James, this was his fourth NBA title in 10 appearances and first with the Lakers. LeBron also won finals MVP for the fourth time. In his post game interview after the Finals, LeBron described this season as,"the most difficult ever" and his "most emotional", according to ESPN. Obviously, it has been a roller coaster year for everyone, but for this team specifically, when in January had to cope with the loss of Laker legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident. The delay in the NBA season due to COVID made winning the title more difficult, where all the players were stuck in a bubble in Orlando for almost two months. But for sports fans, the title made it all worth it. 

    Just 16 short days later, with L.A. fans still celebrating the Lakers victory, the Dodgers won their first World Series in 32 years, their first since 1988. For the Dodgers, they have won their division every year since 2013, but have never been able to capture the title they sought after. Coming up short in the World Series twice, once in 2017 to the cheating Houston *Astros*, and the following year to the Boston Red Sox, 2020 proved to be their year. The MLB season was shortened from a 162 game season to just a 60 game season to to COVID, but there was also an expanded playoff that resulted in 16 of 30 teams making the playoffs, as opposed to 10. The Dodgers were able to take down the Rays in 6 games to capture their 7th Worlds Series in franchise history, with shortstop Corey Seager being named the series MVP. 

    So while 2020 may still stink, at least sports fans in the city of L.A. can be happy. LeBron adds more excitement to the GOAT debate and Clayton Kershaw has finally kicked the boot on his postseason struggles. I can finally relax knowing my Dodgers have won a World Series for the first time in my lifetime. Next, the New York Knicks just have to win, but lets be honest, that is never going to happen.