Setting it straight....!!!!

For those who know me well enough - know that I'm an avid sports follower - and that basketball is my favorite sport to play, follow, and watch. In addition one may also know that I have no favorite team that I either route for on a yearly basis or am I one to buy that teams' memorabilia and/or paraphernalia as well. However, in the same breathe one may also know that w/ in the past two plus-years I've become a huge Kobe (Bryant) fan ... more or so a huge "Black Mamba" fan.

Now, I know you're like "how am I contradicting myself in the same sentence?" Well it goes like this...

Ever since I could remember, I never liked a particular team in any sport but I always loved watching sports and how certain players' outplayed, outworked and basically demolished their opponent(s) on the particular playing spectrum they played on.

Now, to take it back to last night's 2009 NBA Finals Game 1 where the Orlando Magic and its impressive Defensive, Dunking, and Rebounding Stalwart Dwight "Superman" Howard squared off against the NBA's reigning MVP, who many consider along w/ me - is still the best complete player in the game today, Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant or Kobe "The Maestro" Bryant for an opportunity to hoist the infamous "Larry O'Brien" trophy. I have to say one or two things followed by a caveout to try and get my point accross. Lebron has some work to do to catch up to Kobe's game.

Yes! Lebron James is this years NBA MVP, but after watching Kobe do what he did to the same team - that was a 1 sec shot and close OT game away from sweeping, supposedly the pre-game photo taking, commericial heavy, best team in the NBA - has me really looking a little closer to who is actually the best player in the NBA today. Needless to say, my vote still goes to the 13-year NBA veteran out of Lower Merion High School.

Why do I say this w/ strong conviction is quite simple. Beyond Kobe's team winning last night and he basically putting up the same numbers as Lebron did - the way he played (e.g. scored, passed and rebounded) and how it was all done with a level of confidence and determination that I did not see in Lebron eyes during the Eastern Conf. Finals. You could tell and feel and how Kobe approached last night's game and how he performed - that he was not going to allow the Lakers' to loose this game. I also noticed that Lebron has no patent move that he can depend on whereas "Black Mamba" has more than I need to even mention right now...b/c I'm sure we all know this well enough to not even challenge.

Now, here's my caveout... I'm a true "Witness" and a fan of King James game and think he's one of the top 3 to 5 players' in the game today, but to say he's the best player in the game @ this juncture in his career is giving this man too much than what he deserves. However, I do think that once he develops a patent move like the ones they used to have for my old school Sega Genesis players' who used to play "Bulls vs. Blazers" and etc. He can and will go down as one of the best to have ever have laced them up under the watchful eyes of Commissioners' David Stern, Larry O'Brien, Walter Kennedy and Maurice Podoloff.

Until then I'm setting it straight... Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant is the best player in the NBA today, and not Lebron James.

Holler w/ your thoughts & perspectives....