Los Angeles Lakers: Promising Future, or Flash of Brilliance?

Kobe Bryant took a stand Sunday night, and Mitch Kupchak took to his own defense with a statement of his own Monday. With shots being fired off the court, Kobe and the Lake Show looked to do some damage on the court. The Los Angeles Lakers looked to redeem themselves Monday night with an energizing 103-92 win at home. After falling to the Portland Trailblazers 96-107 in their first meeting in January, the Lakers proved that winning at home is still one of their stengths.

Kobe Bryant Makes All the Right Moves

Most star players put on an exciting show every now and then. Last night, Kobe Bryant put on a performance in four acts, courtesy of the Portland defenders. If it wasn't moving the ball around the court, or the head-faking, it had to be the step back fade away. The ability the Black Mamba has to create space against defenders, at times, seem unfair. Scoring 28 points in a 13-26 performance, Kobe Bryant proved why he is still the most exciting player in the NBA to watch.

My favorite part of the night came when TNT's Reggie Miller eluded to Kobe using, as he put it "The Dirk Step-back Shot." Overhearing this, Kobe Bryant couldn't help himself shouting to Miller "Dirk does it well, but I do it better." Anyone care to disagree with No. 24?

Andrew Bynum Was Unstoppable

With Andrew Bynum scoring 14 points and pulling down 19 rebounds, it's pretty easy to understand why he was selected to the Western Conference All-Star team. Numbers don't always tell the full story, and thus was the case last night, as Bynum muscled his way around Portland, proving sheer dominance down-low the whole night.

Pau Gasol Won't Go Quietly

Before the game even started, Pau was asked by TNT's Cheryl Miller what he thought about Kobe Bryant's comments the night before. Pau, always diplomatic, shied away, reserving the right to use the "tough loss" comment as a way to stay away from any further controversy.

To me, Pau's answer to that question came in the fourth quarter around the 9:44 mark, when Matt Barnes fed him a lob that Pau dunked with two hands. Seeing that dunk made me think, "Who in this league, besides a star point guard, is worth giving up Pau?" Then I watched the play again and decided "A star point guard may have to wait one more season."

Steve Blake—Where Have You Been?

The biggest surprise of the night had to be Steve Blake. Last year, Laker fans rejoiced when he became a Laker, but by season's end, he left everyone confused by his lack of offense. Last night, Laker fans remembered why they were so happy for him to be a Laker, that's if you think a 17-point performance and shooting 5-6 from the three-point line is good—all this coming off the bench. Heck, let's not kid ourselves. last night, Steve Blake was great, and one could only hope this is a momentum sparker versus a glimpse of sheer shooting talent.

Defense vs. Offense

This game started with Lakers firing on all cylinders. Passing, defending and scoring were masterful early on. It took the 8-minute mark in the second quarter for the Blazers to get into double figures, but more promising was the Lakers leading 37-7 until Portland got out of the slump.

Yes, the defense has been steadily improving, but last night the Lakers showed that, once executed properly, their offensive talent takes the cake every time. Getting stops is always important, but when you're able to get a stop and capitalize by scoring on the other end that wins ball games. So, was last night's game a wake-up call for the Lakers, or did they merely pound a team they should have never lost to in January?