Behind Kobe, Lakers are ready to be champions

On top of that, he's good for 5-6 rebounds a game and stellar defense (both team and individual, especially when winning or losing depends on his ability to stop the other team's best perimeter guy and he becomes the best lockdown artist since a ticked-off MJ in his prime).

Was Michael Jordan a better player than Kobe Bryant? Yes.

Was Michael Jordan a more skilled player than Kobe Bryant? No, and I say that with confidence.

But as Kobe might say, I shouldn't shake that tree, because a leopard might fall out, in the form of angry Jordan loyalists (I swear by MJ, too, but I'm also objective). Then again, it might already be too late for that. Oh, well. Fill up the comment box with

Anyways, I can also say with confidence that Kobe has never been a more complete basketball player than he is right now. He's 29 and at that point in an athlete's career when his combination of athleticism, skills, and intelligence meet to form the most effective version of him. It also helps that he's playing on a great team, with a perfect No. 2 to his Dr. Evil in Gasol, a perfect No. 3 star in Odom, and the deepest collection of role players in the league: Fisher, Radmanovic, Walton, Farmar, Vujacic, Turiaf, and even Mbenga.

(And no, I haven't forgotten about you, Andrew and Trevor, I just haven't seen you in awhile. Hope to see you soon.)

Kobe is most impressive when he doesn't have to carry the team everynight, and to me was more impressive this season than he was two years ago when he averaged 35 a game on a mediocre Lakers team. He's able to do more because he has to do less.

He's in his ideal situation, it would seem: He's The Man on a championship contender and he doesn't have to win every game by himself. He won Game 2 with a spectacular performance and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of the win Monday nght. Gasol was the star of Game 1 and it was a complete team effort in the blowout that was Game 3.

He lifts his team up, and they do the same to him. A month-and-a-half from now, they may lift up the trophy together.

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