Sorry to Kobe (and my fantasy team), but the Lakers are better off without him for now. They proved it in a 98-94 win against LeBron James and the Cavs yesterday.
- R. Nelly
"Hells no!” I yell from my perch upon my parent’s king sized bed upstairs.
It’s Thursday night and the Rockets/Nets game just went into overtime on TNT, meaning I’m stuck watching game garbage for another five-minute period.
At 9:49, the Lakers/Cavaliers game is scheduled to air. It’s a game that I’ve anticipated since, well, the beginning of the week! I even managed to wake up in time to see a 2:35 showing of White Noise just to free up the rest of the night for this match-up.
Let’s be real. I wasn’t interested in the actual game, but rather the match-up of two of the League’s MVP candidates this season: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
As NBA analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith says, Kobe is a superstar — meaning his team either lives or dies with his performance. Without its superstar, a team that once was sugar turns itself to sh*t in a hurry.
So you can imagine my reaction as I’m stuck staring at the 7’5’’, Chinese giant, Yao Ming fall to the floor like he was Mini Me, and long-time NBA nomad Bob Sura and his fake-as-Pamela tan score 35 points!
Sura
Finally, after half a quarter of the LeBron/Kobe game has passed, TNT shows a game update. And what do my poor eyes see?
Kobe Bryant being carried off the court by Brian Grant and Devon George!
Not only was Kobe half the reason that I wanted to see the game, but he’s also the heart of my fantasy team!
With Kobe out indefinitely with an ankle injury and the Rockets/Nets game STILL in overtime, I had a sudden and strong empathy for Ron Artest.
Legs outstretched on the bed’s cloud blue comforter, I began to feel woozy like I was begin injected with sleeping gas. Head swirling in a bunch of dense nothings, I hear commentator Steve Kerr say, “This could be the end of the Lakers’ season right here.”
As NBA analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith says, Kobe is a superstar — meaning his team either lives or dies with his performance. Smith contends that without its superstar, a team that once was sugar turns itself to sh*t in a hurry.
The Cavs lost because they were playing against a TEAM, not its superstar.
Here’s some quick notes I took on the game:
- Splint! Scheduling of an MRI tomorrow!
- Lackluster • \lak-"l&s-t&r\ • adjective: the lack of luster
- Sasha who?
- Careless slop! Ugly!
- Mishandled passes by the Cavs
- Donald Trump, Chris Rock, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson
Okay, so here’s where I get a bit preachy, but it’s the heart of this article so PLEASE read on:
Regardless what stars are playing, basketball has always been a team game. Face it, teams are not successful with one “superstar” running the show every night.
Yesterday, everyone was saying that the Cavaliers lost because they focused their game plan too much on shutting down Kobe. And, because he got injured, the team was flustered on how to play the Lakers.
Well you know what? That’s not why they lost. The Lakers played more of a team game WITHOUT their star, and the Cavs relied almost entirely on LeBron.
The Cavs lost because they were playing against a TEAM, not its superstar.
Would the game have been more exciting with Kobe playing? For sure! Would Sports Center be gushing with highlights ‘till 5 p.m. the next day? Without a doubt! Would the Lakers still have won the game?
I’m not so sure.
Sorry Steve and Jet, the Lakers are NOT done with Kobe on the sidelines. They might actually be BETTER! If Kobe can realize that he needs to play the team game when he returns to the court, I’d seriously watch out for the Lakers as legitimate contenders in the West.
But I guess, sometimes, we all need a wake up call to see what’s really important.
And that includes Kobe Bryant.
