Watching basketball all week long, I am in agreement with the all other NBA fans who are in agreement that this is the best basketball we have seen in a long time. The NBA usually does not become interesting until April and May, and even then it has been criticized as being overly predictable. This year, March is already bringing us the most competitive and intriguing basketball, with several teams having legitimate title hopes.
I have had the honor of watching the Lakers throughout the years, and today I must admit that the magic is back in Los Angeles. The reason why the Lakers have shot up to the top of the list of championship contenders is not just because of the acquistion of Pau Gasol, resurgence of the promising Andrew Bynum, and revival of Lamar Odom as a premier do it all player, but also because of Kobe Bryant's leadership and killer instinct. Down at the half against Portland earlier in the week, Kobe fired up his teammates by yelling "this is the playoffs!" in the locker room, explaining that they need to make comebacks in order to win a playoff series. Kobe is by far, the best closer the game has seen since Mike. When the game is on the line, there is no player whose hands you would rather have the ball in than Kobe Bryant. No other team has a player who even comes close to Kobe.
Except for Cleveland. Against the Bulls today, the Cavaliers found themsevles down at home in the fourth quarter. Then King James takes over: Lebron comes off a pick, elevates and dunks. As the crowd exploldes, Lebron follows it up with a steal and pops a three on the other end. Bang, just like that Cavs up by six with two minutes to go and they go on to win.
I am dreaming of an NBA Finals with Kobe and Lebron trading big shots down the stetch for seven games.
