Kobe Bryant Lights Up The Garden

Monday night I arrived at Madison Square Garden to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks. I'm sorry, I came to watch Kobe Bryant take on the Knicks. I got to the arena about 40 minutes before tip-off to watch some of the athletes warm up and to grab some grub.

I can say without hesitation there were more Bryant jerseys than any other in the entire complex. This surprised me a little bit, considering this was my first Knicks game. The general consensus of fans got excited when the Knicks would score, but they got even crazier when Kobe would pull off a nice fade-away jumper.

Early in the game the crowd booed Bryant at the foul line. But as the evening progressed, those "boos" turned into chants for M-V-P. Kobe sure loves being in the spotlight, especially when he is playing for a sold out crowd in the greatest arena in the greatest basketball city.

It's really hard not to appreciate the level of talent this one man possesses. All of the Knicks' fans sitting around me were left slack-jawed after they saw what Kobe could do with a leather ball. Kobe Bryant is definitely a showstopper and is one of the best performers I have ever watched.

Now let's not discount what the rest of the Lakers team managed to accomplish last night. Gasol had a solid performance with 31 pts 14 reb 5 ast. And Trevor Ariza had an impressive 13 pts 8 rebs coming off the bench. Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher were quiet on the offensive side, but Odom had 14 rebs.

For the Knicks, starters David Lee and Al Harrington had All-Star nights with 24 and 22 pts, respectively, and a combined 18 rebs. The Knicks' scoring was certainly more balanced than the Lakers' was. However, The Knicks only converted 7-27 three-point shots.

The Knicks came out playing well together, but they simply did not have enough to slow down the Lakers' fast style of game play.

So in conclusion, Kobe Bryant came to New York looking to shine in the spotlight and he did not disappoint. Whether he had one, two, or even three defenders guarding him, he still found a way to put the ball in the hoop. Everyone in New York was a fan of Bryant that night. Kobe ended the evening with a MSG Record 61 pts. This guy is truly something else.

New York Knicks

Wednesday Vs. Cleveland

Friday Vs. Boston

Los Angeles Lakers

Wednesday at Toronto

Thursday at Boston