A road trip that was supposed to measure the Lakers' toughness and endurance away from Staples Center was bittersweet. Losing Andrew Bynum for 8-12 weeks made many Laker fans nauseated at the thought of another season that may perhaps fall short of their ultimate goal, an NBA championship. This question was quickly answered as the Lakers sent a powerful statement to the rest of the league, as well as two potential NBA Finals opponents, that they will not back down.
Kobe's Broadway-like performance in New York was utterly amazing, and Knicks fans were chanting "MVP!" as he silenced anyone who thought that he was no longer capable of putting on a show of his own. But, it had Laker fans wondering whether or not this Laker team would have to rely on its number one player to win games, or whether the rest of the team would step up to the challenge. The game at the Boston Garden would silence all doubters as the Lakers managed to squeak out a close win as Kobe missed his last five shots of the game, went horrendous 12-27 from the charity strike, and still defeated last year's NBA champs. Celtics fan may argue that the outcome may have been different had KG been in the game for the last few minutes of regulation and overtime, but me remind them that we were missing Andrew Bynum, who had been averaging 26 and 13 before a torn MCL sent him to the sideline. Any more questions?
Cleveland, home of King James and his throne was the last obstacle in an already impressive roadtrip thus far. Coming into the game, James had beaten Kobe in head to head matchups since he first came into the league, but it was Lamar Odom who quickly asserted himself and took the reigns as he exploded for 15 points and 10 boards in the third quarter itself. Odom had numerous quick slashes to the paint and he kept Lebron to a dismal 5-20 from the field, allowing him to score only 16 points and disrupting the Cavs offense. Kobe never really found a rhythym as he had flu-like symptoms before the game, yet he chipped in with 18 points of his own.
With the NBA playoffs slated to begin in two and a half months you'll be hard pressed to find anyone in Boston, Cleveland, or anywhere else in the NBA to disagree that Lakers are the favorites to win bring the title back to the City of Angels.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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