Kobe Bryant's Stellar Performance vs. Nuggets Shows He's Still the NBA's Best

Kobe Bryant may be inching ever closer to 34 years old, but you wouldn't have a clue after watching him against the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

Granted, he looked relatively mortal at the Pepsi Center for Games 3 and 4, scoring just 22 in each of the away contests.

And an argument could certainly be made that a guy shooting 43 percent from the field should be hoisting up more than 26 attempts per game, whether that guy happens to be a legend or not.

Such is the scrutiny that accompanies leading a team like the Los Angeles Lakers.

Justifiably or otherwise, anything short of miracle-working is open to criticism. Notwithstanding the accuracy of such criticism, there is still no denying that Bryant is the guy you want on your side.

Even more than LeBron James or Kevin Durant, Kobe remains the gold standard among superstars capable of singularly taking games over.

In a losing effort, Bryant drained four three-pointers in the last 4:45 in Game 5 against the Nuggets.

Though he missed his last three attempts, Los Angeles wouldn't have had a chance without his decisive intervention in a game that had all but spiraled out of control (to the tune of a 15-point deficit halfway through the fourth quarter).

Yes, Kobe missed 18 of his 32 attempts, but that says more about his teammates' lack of assertiveness than it does poor shot selection. And those misses certainly weren't the reason Los Angeles lost this game.

That had more to do with the Lakers' failure to stop the likes of JaVale McGee and Andre Miller, a defensive breakdown that Kobe could do precious little about.

Bryant carried his team to victory with 38 points in a narrow Game 2 victory, and he's done more of the same all season long—for an entire career, in fact.

Just as it's always been the case with Bryant, it's the timing that stands out even among the gaudy numbers. So long as No. 24 is on the floor, very few games are ever out of reach—a truth all the more pertinent in clutch postseason contexts.

LeBron may make a more well-rounded impact and Durant may be closer to his prime.

But Bryant is still the one you want taking the last shot—a reality unlikely to change anytime soon.