Kobe Bryant's Ruthless Nature Will Shut Down Jeremy Lin

Kobe Bryant is a 14-time NBA All-Star, and nine-time All-Defensive first team player. He regularly scores close to 30 points or more every time he steps on the floor. He's proven to be a competitor on a nightly basis for the majority of his career.

Jeremy Lin has just three consecutive games under his belt with 20+ points and seven-plus assists. He has no All-Star appearances, or any accolades of note thus far in his career. It's unclear if his recent performances are luck or skill, or some combination of both.

Now these two men will be squaring off tonight, as the New York Knicks host the Los Angeles Lakers, in what should be a packed Madison Square Garden.

It’s extremely obvious who is going to win the matchup between the two guards.

No offense to Lin, but Kobe has been around this league a long time, and has made a habit out of destroying his opposition. Mentally or physically, Bryant is going to take his man out of the game, and make him work each and every trip down the court to try and make something happen.

If the Knicks new starting PG happens to draw No. 24 on defense, it’s going to be an even tougher day.

Black Mamba is an effortless scorer and can, frustrating as it is for the defense, make seemingly any shot from anywhere on the court.

Lin has yet to see a player of Bryant’s caliber for the majority of an NBA game, let alone to try and guard him.

However, all these factors are side notes to the real reason why Kobe wants to tear Lin apart.

“Lin-sanity,” as it has come to be known, is getting way too much media attention, and is being overhyped.

At least Kobe has to be thinking that.

His cold response to reporters asking about Lin and “Lin-sanity” last night proved he’s not even respecting the man, according to Jimmy Toscano at The New York Post:

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“What? No idea,” Bryant said last night after the Lakers’ 88-87 overtime win over the Celtics. “I know who he is but I don’t really know what’s going on too much with them.”

Pressed further, Bryant said, “I don’t even know what he’s done. Like, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I’ll take a look at [the tape] tonight though.”

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Lakers teammate Pau Gasol added that it wasn’t going to be easy for Lin, now that he’s made a name for himself:

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“Probably now teams are going to be ready, because now it’s not really a lucky game or a coincidence,” Gasol said. “He’s proved that he can play and play at a high level so now players are going to respect him more and going to scout him more and probably he won’t be able to get away with some of the stuff that he probably did during this period of time.”

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Kobe is going to continue studying tape today, realize how to beat Lin and spend tonight exercising that knowledge on the hardwood.

He’s a crafty veteran who dominates the Garden, and will make sure that the public remembers his name at the end of the night, not Jeremy Lin’s.