Thunder vs. Lakers: Kobe Bryant's Inefficiency Will Once Again Doom Los Angeles

Kobe, just pass the damn ball, man.

Bryant has always been an unapologetic gunner, and while I usually don't have an issue with his style, he must be more efficient against OKC on Sunday.

Kobe is one of the best scorers in the history of the game, and he's on pace to add another scoring title to his resume. At 33 years old, this probably has the Mamba feeling as invincible as ever. But as hard as it will be for him to do, he needs to swallow some of his pride and share the ball with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

In two games against Oklahoma City this season, Bynum and Gasol have combined to take 55 shots. Kobe has taken 49. To put it bluntly, that just ain't gonna cut it.

In the first meeting, Bryant shot a dismal 7-of-24 from the field. He was even worse in the second game, hitting just 7-of-25 field-goal attempts. If he doesn't improve his shooting percentage on Sunday, the Thunder will complete the season sweep of the former Western Conference juggernauts.

That means instead of jacking up fadeaway jumpers with two hands in his face, Kobe needs to be a little more willing to get his big men involved. During his recent sabbatical with a shin injury, Bynum and Gasol proved that they are more than capable of shouldering the offensive load.

With Kobe out, Bynum averaged 23.1 points, while Gasol put up 21.1. The Lakers went 5-2 during that stretch, with their only losses coming against first-place San Antonio and the surging Phoenix Suns.

If they want to avoid the season sweep on Sunday, they should continue to pound the ball inside. Unfortunately, I don't think Kobe's ego will allow that to happen.

With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in town, Bryant will look to prove that he's still the most lethal perimeter scorer in the game. I'm expecting him to come out aggressive and make a few incredibly difficult shots before ultimately shooting the Lakers into the loss column.