The man, the myth, the mamba (Kobe)

Has any player in NBA history had a more incredible experience than Kobe Bryant in the last two years? Let’s think about it for a second. Early last year, Kobe wanted out of Los Angeles because they didn’t seem committed to building a winner. Then he didn’t want to go out, then yes, then who knows what he wanted. The Lakers start off well amid all the Kobe trade rumors and everything is going well in Lakerland until the young and talented Andrew Bynum falls through and is out for the season. Suddenly, the Lakers trade Marc Gasol, Kwame Brown and Jarvis Critterdon to the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol in a move I like to call The Spanish Acquisition. The Lakers are a promising young team and they are moving through the regular season en route to a 57-25 regular season record that was well above the .500 team everyone thought the Lakers would be. They made it through the Western Conference playoffs, untested at all until they reached the NBA Finals, where they met their longtime rivals, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers extend the series to 6 games, but it never really got that close.

Then came the Olympics where Kobe led the Redemption Team to a gold medal. Playing with the best players in the world, everyone commented on Kobe’s work ethic. How he was the first in the gym every morning and the last to leave because he spent more time in the weight room. He talked about how selfless he was in sacrificing his scoring numbers because he wanted to defend and put out the best player on the opposing team every night. In the gold medal game, he beat out a pick set by Lakers teammate Pau Gasol just to set the tone. LeBron and Carmelo Anthony admired how he led the team and how Kobe taught them the importance of defense.

Now, we come to the 2008-2009 NBA season; a season of expectation, a season of promise, a season of destiny. Many basketball fans and analysts who are easily shocked and influenced by the flashy numbers and media hype somehow discount the three titles Kobe won under Shaq. They felt that his career would not be validated if he did not win one. Everyone recognized that Kobe is one of the great players, but they felt that to put him in the category of Magic and Jordan he had to win at least one more ring. The Lakers started fast with the best record in the NBA. Then Andrew Bynum’s annual injury occurs in Memphis, but instead of retiring, Kobe comes out the next night at Madison Square Garden and drops 61 points on the Knicks, the most by an opposing player. This wasn’t Kobe going back to being a scoring machine, oh no, this was so much more than that. This was Kobe telling Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to step up his game. This was Kobe telling LeBron that he still holds the title of best player in the universe. It was Kobe telling the rest of the league that the Lakers weren’t going anywhere and that the road to an NBA championship would have to go through him. This was also Kobe being a leader, something he has been falsely accused of not being throughout his entire career.

The Lakers finished with the second best record in the league, but first in the West at 65-17. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers face a tough Jazz team that they dispatch in 5 games. Next, the thin but defensively solid Rockets lead the Lakers to 7, then in the Western Conference Finals the Lakers take out the Nuggets in 6. Come the NBA Finals. The Lakers face the Orlando Magic. The Magic were the hot pick for how they dismantled the Cavs, but there was one small thought that many missed, the greatness of Kobe Bryant. Kobe averaged over 30 points and 7 assists for the Finals. While he didn’t shoot very well from the field, he was great at both ends of the court. In the final game, he made all the right decisions. As a basketball fan, that was one of the best floor games I’ve ever seen. Kobe made the right passes, knew when to shoot, and played excellent defense. Let’s not forget that he has been playing with two dislocated fingers and torn ligaments on his shot, so he refused to have surgery because he would miss too much time. In an age where players miss games due to a stuck finger, Kobe was being a warrior. After the game, watching Kobe win the Finals MVP trophy, watching Kobe celebrate with the fans, his teammates and his coach made Kobe’s journey worth all the pain and criticism. who endured