LA's Idol

It was a big night in downtown LA. The American Idol final was at the Nokia Theater and the Lakers played San Antonio in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA at Staples. I'm here to tell ya, the REAL star tonight was Kobe Bryant.

Right now, the Spurs are the Lakers' rival. Sacramento and Dallas have claimed to be at times, but, let's face it, it ain't a rivalry if one team (the Lakers) always wins when it counts. Also, while it might happen in a couple of weeks, the Lakers and Celtics (the TRUEST rivalry in the NBA) have not played in an NBA finals in 22 years (I felt gray hairs sprouting when I read that the other day). True, the Lakers have not held up their end of the bargain the last couple of years not getting out of the first round of the playoffs. But, in the last 9 years San Antonio has won 4 titles and the Lakers 3.

LA started slowly and, due to poor shooting, dug themselves into a 20-point whole midway through the 3rd quarter. That's when Kobe cranked things up and led them on a 14-0 run. He hit the shot that put them ahead with about 2 minutes to go. Just as importantly, Kobe set the defensive tone for the end of the game. When it was all said and done, the Lakers won 89-85.

One can perhaps criticize Kobe for being aloof and how he handled his off-season displeasure with management. However, it's hard to imagine anyone in the NBA right now with his talent, desire to win and ability to perform well in the clutch. He is the MVP.