HoopsVibe

There was also star power. Boston and L.A. have creme de la creme players like Ray Allen, Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, and Paul Pierce, all of whom sensed this was more than your run of the mill regular season match-up.

 

With so much hype and talent, it was fitting that Bryant, the game's greatest player and brightest star, decided the outcome with a fade-away jump-shot. Entertainment aside, the Lakers showed us three things that make them great.

 

 

Bynum's size is a luxury. As a legitimate seven-footer with a wingspan like a 747, the youngster towers over Boston's posts and is on par with the Cleveland Cavaliers' Shaquille O'Neal. Best of all, he plays in the paint as his stat line on Sunday showed: 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks.     

 

 

These Lakers are glamorous: most players, including the reserves, have publicists; Lamar Odom, because of his marriage to Khloe Kardashian, is a front cover fixture on those trashy magazines your girlfriend owns; Bryant is, and always has been, must-see television, and Coach Jackson has an ego bigger than most celebs sitting courtside at Staples Centre.

 

Just because they're Hollywood doesn't mean they won't get physical. Against the Celtics, Artest mixed it up with Garnett and Gasol didn't back away when challenged by Rasheed Wallace. Then, in the final minute, Artest bullied his way through the paint for a clutch basket and used his sizable frame to prevent Pierce from scoring.

 

 

Imagine having a sore back, wrecked finger on your shooting hand, struggling from the floor, and still winning the game with an impossible jumper over near perfect defense. Well, that's what Bryant did versus the Celtics. 

 

Black Mamba's ability to forget the past and focus on the present is astounding. We shouldn't be surprised by such heroics. Bryant's play never suffered when dealing with sexual assault charges, the World Wars with Shaquille O'Neal and Coach Phil Jackson, and some all too public trade demands.

 

So why would injuries and an off shooting night stop him from nailing a difficult game winner against an arch rival? Bryant's mental toughness makes him a once in a generation superstar and gives the Lakers an Ace of Spades down the stretch.

 

 

The world champions get distracted, though. Twenty-four hours after their emotional win against Boston, L.A. lost to the Memphis Grizzlies. Of course, these are the much improved, tough at home Grizzlies.Still, even the great Lakers have, at times, an Achilles heal. And it showed again on Monday.