With the football season officially over – and no that unnecessary Pro Bowl doesn’t count – this is the time where the sports media world begins to scrounge for any and every story it can get its hands on.
Witness this week’s topic: Can LeBron beat Kobe’s 62 at the Garden? Me, personally, I don’t care. And personally, when LeBron said that he wasn’t a video game the other night and couldn’t summon 60 or 70 points on a whim after a win over the Raptors, I took it to heart.
The guy’s competitive, certainly. He’s not above reaching for a milestone. And although he says he doesn’t keep an eye on stats, he somehow realizes when he’s remarkably close to a triple-double. Witness the way he lunged for that final ball with two seconds left to secure last night’s triple double.
But he did want to prove something last night. He wanted to show the world who might be the all-around better ball player and set the stage for what should be a soap operatic like duel at Quicken Loans Arena at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
But let’s go back to the former for a moment. James hit 52, dished out 11 assists, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots. Kobe: 61 points, three assists and no rebounds. Ummm…you tell me who had the better game.
At this point, there is no debate. James did. As for Sunday’s game. That should prove interesting. The Cavs went to the coast a few weeks back without Z and Delonte and laid a big fat rotten egg. Much of that was due to what the Lakers and Phil Jackson threw at them.
Now they get Z back and chances are I’ll be ambivalent about this game if the Cavs win. Why? The Lakers lost Andrew Bynum to a knee injury this week. The excuse we had is now one they do. We shall see what happens, but I’m also expecting more in the way of a duel between LeBron and Kobe.
Kobe served notice against the Knicks. LeBron answered. Now it’s on.
And while “will LeBron beat Kobe this week” was the huge topic, it sure as hell wasn’t a story. That comes Sunday.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The Lakers losing Bynum is far more of a loss than the Cavaliers losing Ilgauskas and West. Ilgauskas and West are both role players, disposable pieces replaced. Bynum is not a role player and was playing like a beast down low. That will be a killer if he’s out for the playoffs.
With Nelson gone until next season, if Orlando isn’t able to acquire somebody like a Marbury or a Felton by the trade deadline, the Cavaliers will never have as good a shot as they will this year. Put this LeBron James on the lousy Cavaliers team that went to the Finals, and they’d have won two games against San Antonio.
It just occurred to me that the Lakers were missing Jordan Farmar that first game, which offsets West not playing. So all they were missing is Ilgauskas, and when Ilgauskas is out, that’s when Varejao plays his best ball. So no real loss.
By the way, what in the world is a 7′2″ or 7′3″ guy who wouldn’t know “an assist” from a hole in the ground doing hovering way outside and taking three-point shots? Look, it’s admirable that after 11 years or whatever that a guy is trying to add a little something to his game, but who does he now think he is, Dan Issel? Please, Z, leave it for a game of H-O-R-S-E on the practice floor. I know you’re a weak inside player, but still, you’re the only 7′2″ or 7′3″ guy they’ve got.
The Lakers losing Bynum is far more of a loss than the Cavaliers losing Ilgauskas and West.
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Posted by one alan t, so now it’s clear for all to see; poor alan was dropped as a baby.