Kobe may not need Shaq to carry him after-all. And honestly I think this stuff is sometimes over dramatized. Not to say that the Lakers Championships in early 2000's were not heavily earned with the help of the Diesel. Because he was indeed the catalyst of those teams.
But let us not forget that they were Kobe's introductory years into the NBA. It should be noted he came right out of High School. And frankly no guard can carry a team all alone. Yes people are screaming right now, Michael Jordan did it. Lest we forget that he did have Pippen and later Dennis Rodman. Check your history and check out how he did without a sidekick.
Anyhow back to the discussion at hand. Since the days of Shaq, Kobe has established himself as the cream of the crop. One could I argue, as I would that LeBron is even better, but we are talking 1 and 1a here.
Last year Kobe led his Lakers to the finals but he faced the three headed monster of Boston. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen were a formidable foe. Without Garnett this season Boston fell short to Orlando.
And so it looked that Kobe and LeBron were on a crash course and then Dwight Howard had something to say about that. Ironically I thought that Orlando was a tougher match up for the Lakers than Cleveland would have been. I would have picked the Lakers in 5 against Cleveland.
But here we are at Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals and the Lakers are staring down history and Kobe can taste it now. The beauty of Kobe Bryant is that he has the shark like killer instinct. He will not overlook the Orlando Magic but he will step up his efforts and the demands he has on his teammates to stay focused. Only a great game from Orlando will prevent Kobe from destiny.
Kobe Bryant is a superstar and this will be his shining moment.
Keywords: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq
