The Lakers did not have the large gap of control over this series that was assumed at first glance

Chauncey Billups on his way to MVP, was killing Payton and Fisher or whoever guarded him. Rasheed Wallace was playing huge making big buckets and Ben Wallace was a glass cleaner.What did this all mean?They couldn play these Finals like they did against Philadelphia in 2001, and New Jersey in 2002. This series was actually going to be a contest. They didn perform to their full abilities and they just didn play smart.Following the Finals, it became EGO Trip 2004. Kobe vs. Phil and Shaq, who was going to be choose? It was a Heavyweight showdown and the lightest of the bunch won out. Phil left coaching just as he had in Chicago and Shaq was traded to Miami for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom and Brian Grant.The team and the power would finally belong to Kobe. Rudy Tomjanovich would replace Phil as coach for the following season with Payton and Malone leaving as well.The team under Tomjanovich actually started the season out at a decent state of 24-19. He was forced to leave for health concerns for Frank Hamblen. Under Hamblen, the team went 10-29 and failed to make the Playoffs for the first time in Kobe career. The irritable parts of Kobe showed through their losses. The reemergence of Phil Jackson would show as the Lakers brought him back for their winning ways.Under Jackson the following year, the Lakers would make the Playoffs and take a 3-1 series lead against the Suns following a Kobe game winning jumper. Yet, Kobe couldn motivate his teammates to give support and the Suns would win the next three games. I remember being irate that the leader ofReebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
this team could not take over and carry his team to a win over a three game span.I had seen that ability from Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett at that time, why not Kobe? He was the killer, the one who had the ability to give the finishing snake bite to the wounded animal. He had once again let me down playing the same ball in the last three games that he did against the Pistons in the 2004 Finals.When Kobe finally got his way and was entering the 04-05 season, Ray Allen was given an interview after the first game of the season. He was speaking to the state of one, Kobe Bryant.He stated this: If Kobe doesn't see he needs two and a half good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship in about a year or two he'll be calling out to Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here,' or trade me, and we'll all be saying, 'I told you so,' when he says that." With that thought in mind, we move into the beginning of the 2007-08 season.As the summer was ending and the Lakers were getting ready to come back from another First Round loss, Kobe followed Allen predictions. He began to complain and demand a trade from the Lakers to a team that could win. I was at a loss, this from a man that had been given the keys to the biggest franchise in the NBA and now he wanted to leave?He had forced the hand of every member in the organization to get the team to his state of play and he still wasn happy. It didn matter that he didn leave for the Clippers during this period of Free Agency. Given what he had constructed, there was no reason for him to even consider another team.All the headaches to start the season even had Lakers fans booing him to start the season. People who had backed him for a decade were now getting the short end of the stick.Had Kobe become so narrowed mind he couldn see his personal effect on the team?He eventually decided to stay with the team after they reasoned there was no true reason to trade Kobe. An angry and selfish Kobe wasn that much different than the normal one. As the pain subsided February 3, 2008 showed up.This would be the day the Lakers would essentially steal Pau Gasol away from the Grizzlies for Kwame Brown. The whining would stop from Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
Kobe as he had a man to do what Kobe couldn do: be a physical beast. Yes, there is another point I make. Kobe is as tough minded a player as anyone when it comes to basketball, but he is not Charles Oakley on the court.Let face it, Chris Childs showed us that when Kobe tried to fight him in the Great Western Forum, that that was one thing he had no skills in. Kobe is not going to bang the boards and give you great interior defense. He is a great perimeter defender; we cannot mix the two up. I agree he is a top 5 defender in the league, but there are many different ways one can be a great defender.With Pau, the emergence of Andrew Bynum and Phil on the sidelines, the Lakers would return to the Finals. Awaiting them, would be the hungry Boston Celtics. This would be the series that Kobe would truly have the chance to make a claim at being Jordan-esque.This was his first time as the main man in the series. Instead of Magic vs. Michael or Barkley vs. Michael it would be Kobe vs. Garnett. To be honest, I was expecting more from Kobe. I was misinformed that again Kobe would not show up in the Finals. His lack of energy in Game 6 was almost as pathetic as Paul Pierce fake injury in Game One. Another season would go by without a title for Kobe.Finally, Kobe and Pau would lead the Lakers to their first title in seven years. I by this point had lost my love for the Lakers. After almost twenty years of love, Randy Newman tune did not flow with me. I decided to give up on being a supporter of the Lakers at this time. I will not be a fan again until Kobe has left the team. Why after 20 years would I leave? Well, Kobe. Kobe has become the embodiment of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and now Los Angeles Lakers of the U.S. They are the media darling of each of their sports. With over glorified members on each of their rosters (Kobe, Alex Rodriguez, ANY Dallas Cowboy).He represents the fan that is not truly a fan. He represents that which uses Kobe as a status symbol, and not as a true love of the art of basketball. He represents the pop rap today that is almost as bad as the supposed rap he did to begin the millennium. He revels in who he is and walks with a swagger that does not allow for thought, just acceptance.I for one will not just accept, I will move for change in the game. Hopefully, when Kobe reaches the end of his career and his skills have diminished, he will become whole as a person and take on a new beginning.I have to Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
believe as much as I hate him, that this will be the time Kobe Bryant truly steps up in the Finals. I am not going to accept last years Finals as a true barometer.This time he will be cool and calm I believe as usual.The key difference will be Pau Gasol. He is the man who allowed Kobe his title last year and should be better this time around against Kevin Garnett. If Kobe and Pau get help from their bench, I see the home court being the difference in L.A. winning this series. In the end though, we play the games to see the outcome not just take it as an assumption.