Los Angeles Lakers: Number 24 Is Biggest Obstacle in Title Pursuit

As the regular season wraps up and rappers across the country brainstorm lyrics to notate the similar undertones of its commencement and conclusion, starting from the marginalization of the player's union to the recent suspension of "World Peace", the pecking order heading into the playoffs has essentially been set.

It goes: Chicago and Miami in the East, San Antonio and Oklahoma City in the West and 12 other teams yet awaiting word at baggage claim.

Now, going beyond conventional wisdom, that list should really be bumped to six to include the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies, as both teams have proven they can "hang."

In the same vein, meanwhile, the only thing harder to disregard than the omission of the Los Angeles Lakers from the group of legitimate title contenders is the reason why it is the case.

No. 24.

See, you probably think I'm talking about Kobe Bryant, but I'm really not.

I mean, that would be ridiculous, considering he is a five-time champion and ranks somewhere between the best five to eight players to ever play in the NBA.

No, I'm not talking about that guy.

Believe it or not, I'm just talking about the meaning of what the number 24 currently represents to the Los Angeles Lakers.

But, for the sake of argument and the ethical guideline of journalistic integrity that I am bound to, I'm willing to play devil's advocate on why you may have thought I was talking about Kobe Bryant. 

In fact, let's play name that number.

38: This represents the number of points Kobe Bryant, the Lakers' lone starter in tonight's meaningless Sacramento Kings game, will need to score to recapture the scoring title from Kevin Durant.

7-2: This represents the record of the Los Angeles Lakers in the absence of Kobe Bryant during the regular season.

43: This represents Kobe's shooting percentage during this regular season, which may have been influenced by the disproportionate ratio of shots he took compared to the combined shot attempts of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

7: This represents where Kobe Bryant was placed in a preseason ranking of the best players in the NBA.

38,388: This represents how many points Kobe Bryant will need to score to immortalize his legacy in the annals of NBA lore.

3: This represents how many years Kobe Bryant probably has left in the NBA, with only half that number reflecting how much longer he will stand among the elite. 

6: This represents the number of championships his idol finished off with, and one more than he currently has.

81: This represents how many points Kobe once scored in a game and is likely signified as his single greatest individual accomplishment in the NBA.

1: This represents how many people are thought of with regard to the No. 23, because it also represents where winning ranked on Michael Jordan's list of priorities.

And if tonight's game against the Kings is any evidence, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will have zero to show after the upcoming postseason is over, as he will have proven once again, to his detractors' credit, that he is more concerned with his own individual accolades than his team's.

That, just as the polarizing reputation which precedes him, he cares so much about being remembered as the single biggest cause of the Lakers' success even at the cost of maintaining such a role in their demise.

But, that's assuming, of course, that we were actually talking about Kobe Bryant in reference to No. 24. 

Because I'm sure you're just as inclined to believe that as you are to believe Kobe when he says he doesn't care about the scoring title.

Or anything else that may interfere with the focus of winning a title for that matter.

After all, it's just a number.