Kobe Bryant Solidifies His Place Among All-Time Greats

Love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant has truly solidified his spot among the best players ever to lace them up and play basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers’ star guard led the franchise to the 2008-09 NBA championship on Sunday night with a decisive Game 5 victory, 99-86, over the Orlando Magic in central Florida.

Don’t think that Kobe didn’t take it personal that people were trying to throw salt on his three prior NBA championships (won with Shaquille O’Neal). He turned the hate into desire that propelled him toward this championship and turned him into the kind of leader who helped mold a talented group of players into a championship team.

Congratulations to Bryant (MVP of the Finals), who I contend is the best player in basketball today and to Coach Phil Jackson, who set an NBA record winning his 10th championship as a head coach.

ESPN Gathers A Panel To Discuss Kobe Vs. LeBron

I am not sure I agree with some of the analysis that compares and contrasts the two best basketball players in the NBA: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

The depth and breadth of the comparisons make the article an entertaining read. This is an older story, and even more dated since the Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs, but it’s still intriguing.

ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Roundup-KobeLeBron

Are The Magic In Trouble?

I knew that Orlando faced an uphill challenge trying to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. But, never in my wildest dreams did I suspect the Magic could be jackhammered into the Staples Center court as badly as they were on Thursday night. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers earned a 100-75 win and, to be honest, it didn’t even seem that close. When focused, the Lakers were the best team in basketball this season. When I looked at the final four teams in the NBA’s conference finals (Cleveland, Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando) I had them ranked this way: 1. Lakers, 2. Denver, 3. Orlando and 4. Cleveland. Since the Lakers knocked off what many people believed was the best or second-best teams in the playoffs (the Nuggets), in the conference finals, I imagine a large number of basketball fanswere willing to put their money on the Lakers to be handed the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy.

In Game 1, the Lakers did nothing to tarnish their image as the top team in the NBA with a 25-point win over Orlando. Look, I suspect the Magic will bounce back and make the series far more competitive than it was in Game 1. But, can Orlando win? I just don’t see how it can be done … not based on what I thought going into the series and what I saw in Game 1.

Orlando will have to run and gun a lot more to have a shot against the Lakers. Inside, Los Angeles can compete with the Magic’s strength (Dwight Howard) by countering with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The Magic have the speed and quickness edge on the perimeter, but the Lakers have Kobe Bryant … aka The Black Mamba. The Magic come off of having to guard LeBron James and they get the man who I feel is the best player in the NBA: Bryant.

The Lakers have the edge in skill.

The Magic have the edge in speed and quickness. That means Orlando needs to get out in the open court to get more open shots and scoring opportunities for Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. This also will help open up the floor to get some dunks in transition from Howard. Having to bang inside against Bynum and Gasol – at both ends of the floor – will take a toll on Howard in this series.

Before the series, I suspected the Lakers would win in six games. I still think that is a solid pick. But, if this series is going to go six games, Orlando will have to play a heck of a lot better than it did in Game 1.

Dahntay Jones Avoids Suspension … For Now

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that Denver Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones will not be suspended for his dangerous and intentional trip of Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Kobe Bryant during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Wrote Stein on ESPN’s Web site:

Denver Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones is on the brink of a one-game suspension after the NBA upgraded his Game 4 trip of Kobe Bryant to a flagrant foul.

The foul — deemed a flagrant foul 1 by league officials — is Jones’ third flagrant of the postseason and his second in the past two games in the Western Conference finals. That gives Jones three flagrant-foul points in the playoffs, with players receiving an automatic one-game ban when they exceed three points.

The league confirmed Tuesday night that Jones’ third-quarter trip — which was not spotted by the officiating crew — has been reclassified as a flagrant 1.It also confirmed that Andrew Bynum’s fourth-quarter flagrant 1 against Denver’s Chris Andersen has been downgraded to a personal foul.

The NBA didn’t quite have the guts to do what needed to be done. Instead, the league seems to have decided to let Jones (earning a reputation among some people as a dirty player), in essence, suspend himself with his next flagrant foul. I can understand not wanting to let a suspension play a factor in this important playoff series, but that was not Jones’ first cheap shot of Bryant. On the other hand, the league needs to be tougher on habitual offenders in regard to dangerous plays like that one.

Heaven only knows what referee Bennett Salvatore (who called nothing) was looking at … standing right in front of the play.

I still contend, buig playoff series or not, Dahntay Jones deserved a one-game suspension for the trip (that followed up the dangerous push of a mid-air Bryant).

ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4207241

Blaming LeBron James Is Silly

I’ve been amused listening to some of the criticism being heaped onto the broad shoulders of Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar LeBron James in this playoff series against the Orlando Magic. In all honesty, these are individuals who need to have their heads examined. LeBron has been brilliant in this series. If anything, what has been exposed is the fact that his supporting cast is not quite as strong as a lot of people wanted to believe (after an impressive regular-season run). Don’t get it twisted, the supporting cast is not bad. Look, Mo Williams is a fine pro basketball player (an all-star this year) and the Cavs have a few other guys who are solid contributors. But, lets be honest, LeBron’s supporting cast (solid as it is) clearly is not in the same class as supporting casts enjoyed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony. So, we can kill that noise right now. LeBron has put this team, franchise and city of Cleveland on his back. At this point, in a series between evenly-matched teams, LeBron could use a little more help carrying the load.

Dahntay Jones Gaining A Reputation As A Dirty Player

Dahntay Jones, of the Denver Nuggets, is gaining a well-earned reputation as a dirty player. The NBA needs to come down hard on Jones for his push in the back of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant followed by an inexcusable dirty trip of Bryant in Game 4. Jones has to be harshly disciplined. That trip could have been much more dangerous. He could have hit Bryant in the shin and we could have had a broken leg, an injured ankle or something else serious. There is no place for dirty play like this in the NBA. This is the playoffs and we can expect good, hard and physical play. But, those two plays are indicative of a guy who is doing things outside of good and hard-nosed basketball.

Dahntay Jones must be suspended.