Like Jeter and Manning, Kobe Leaves Us With Thrilling Finish

The great ones don't need to leave the sports world with an exclamation point in their final game. Their body of work speaks for itself and the one final memory isn't necessary to cement greatness. It is an added bonus. Some of the best have struggled with retirement, unsure of when to call it quits. Brett Favre and Michael Jordan come to mind. Others, like Barry Sanders, seem to leave us too soon. In the past few years, we have been blessed to watch three stars in three different sports retire at the right time, and give us one more memory to hold on to.

Kobe Bryant became the latest superstar to close out his career -- 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers that included five championships, an MVP award and back-to-back scoring titles. His 60-point game in the season finale was a vintage Kobe performance that included deep threes, fadeaway jumpers and enough bricks to build a house. But nevermind the bricks or the inefficiency because the point is this: Kobe gave us one more lasting memory. Sports are meant to be fun and Wednesday night at the Staples Center was fun with a extra side of amazing.

Earlier this year, Peyton Manning closed the book on an illustrious career, riding off into the sunset after a Super Bowl victory over the Carolina Panthers. Manning, who has gone through his fair share of injuries in recent years like Bryant, wasn't the Manning of 2008, but he was still something to marvel at.

In 2014, Derek Jeter finished his 20 year career with an opposite field walk-off single in the final game of the regular season. The hit was textbook Jeter and added to an already rich legacy in Yankee pinstripes. Sure, it wasn't 2001 Derek Jeter diving into the seats and going to the playoffs, but it was a final memory that we will never forget.

For me, I don't know the NBA without Kobe Bryant, I don't know the NFL without Peyton Manning and I did not know the MLB without Derek Jeter. Those three have been in the league since I was a young boy. I have binders at home with their trading cards, I have worn their jerseys and I have watched them play countless times. It never gets old watching the great ones.

But when Jeter hit the ball through the right side on September 26, 2014, I knew I would never see him swing a bat again. As Peyton held up the Lombardi trophy in February, it was clear that this was it. And as Kobe poured in basket after basket Wednesday night, I wanted the game to last forever. I wanted three overtimes and I never wanted to stop watching Kobe play. But the clock hit zero on the game and simultaneously hit zero on Kobe's career.

After 20 years for Jeter and Bryant, and 17 for Manning that's it. There is no more, but there are the memories and the final ones are memories I'll have forever.

Kobe Bryant's Exit Leaves a Hole in the NBA

Third on the all-time scoring list. Seventeen All-Star selections. Two-time NBA Finals MVP. Two-time NBA scoring champion. Five rings. The career of Kobe Bryant, which once seemed it could go on forever, will come to an end at the conclusion of the season. It has been a career of great triumph and, with less than a full season to go, it's time to realize the talent and personality that will be hanging it up for good in just a couple months.

Kobe has five rings to call his own after a 20-year career

When I was growing up, it was Kobe Bryant's league. Being born in 1994 and being too young to ever appreciate Michael Jordan and the 90's Bulls, my first NBA memories involve the Los Angeles Lakers' dynasty in the early 2000s which, of course, was led by Kobe Bryant. LeBron James was still in high school, and guys like Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry weren't even in the public eye. It was Kobe who filled the highlight reels on Sportscenter while becoming Nike's newest poster child. And while there was plenty of drama surrounding Kobe during that time, whether it be childish fights with Shaquille O'Neal or the infamous sexual assault case, it was obvious that Kobe was the best player in the league.

Yet Kobe brought more to the NBA than just talent. Ever since Kobe entered the league, he's had a chip on his shoulder that is unmatched by any player in today's game. He never cared if you liked him and he wasn't bothered by the public's opinion. He was in uniform every night with the mindset to win, and nothing short of that was acceptable. He was a perfectionist, not only for himself, but for his teammates. It didn't matter whether you were the last guy on the bench or a future Hall of Famer in the starting five, Kobe Bryant expected you to do your job, and he would let you know if you didn't.

Kobe sank two free throws after rupturing his Achilles

That's the kind of attitude and personality that, though it can be taken negatively by a lot of people, defined the killer instinct and attitude that the league will dearly miss. Kobe is the last of a dying breed in that his toughness and competitive drive is unlike anything the NBA has to offer now. While his body has failed him these past couple years, his mindset hasn't changed. He fights back, defies the odds, and pushes himself harder than anyone he's ever played with or for. There are few defining moments in anyone's career that personify an athlete more than the two free throws Kobe made after rupturing his Achilles two seasons ago. He was barely able to walk, and yet a lifetime of battling and embracing the grind the game presented was summed up in those two free throws. There was no backing down. And in today's league where guys get taken off in wheelchairs, or they get carried off the court because of a cramp, or they refuse to play because their kid's high school graduation fifteen years down the road keeps them on the bench, it shows you how intense and truly tough Kobe was and is.

So now here we are, with the end drawing close and Kobe's illustrious 20-year career coming to an end. It's obvious he's not the player he used to be, but if the media and fans continue to make fun of and laugh at the poor stats that Kobe's posting, they're missing out on the celebration of one of the best players to ever play the game. This season should not be about comparing his stats to the stats he posted when he was 25, this season should be about reflecting on a phenomenal career and appreciating a player that brought identity and success to the game of basketball. So stop the comparisons, stop the jokes, and stop the criticism. He's not Michael, he's not Magic, he's Kobe Bryant, and the league won't see a player like him ever again.

Injury-ridden Postseason Calls for Shorter Schedule

Derrick Rose. Rajon Rondo. Danny Granger. Kobe Bryant. David Lee. Russell Westbrook. What do all of these players have in common? Answer: All of them are sitting out injured while their teams compete in the NBA Playoffs. Yes, the playoffs are definitely in full swing, but something just doesn't seem right. So many of the game's brightest stars are sidelined with injuries that fans have had to watch the likes of Andrew Goudelock and Nazr Mohammed play key roles for their teams. While those stories are nice, the game is not putting the best product on the floor in the most competitive time of the season.

With the news that Russell Westbrook would miss the remainder of the season, the West suddenly became a little bit more open. Now, rather than an obvious Heat-Thunder rematch, the Spurs, Nuggets or Clippers may emerge. That is, if the Nuggets can first get past the Warriors who have injury troubles of their own. David Lee tore his hip flexor after Game 1, but Golden State has bounced back nicely. Still, can they maintain their play without one of the most productive big men on the court?

In the East, two of the game's best point guards are absent from the postseason. Rose has missed the entire season while Rondo has been out since late-January. While the Bulls look like they will defeat the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, there is no doubt a healthy Rose would help this team tremendously. For the Celtics, a first round exit seems imminent and, while Rondo may not have been able to prevent that, he would have helped the C's cause greatly because of his quickness and the Knicks' point guards' age.

And then there's Kobe Bryant. Why I must see ESPN debate his tweets is beyond me and it definitely doesn't seem right. The fact that the playoffs are on and the Lakers should be in an enticing series with San Antonio, but don't have Kobe is just plain wrong. One of the league's best players is sidelined in one of his final seasons. That's a major blow to the game and it's been a major blow to that series as the Spurs have mopped the floor with the battered Lakers.

On top of all that, players like Joakim Noah, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson and Steve Nash have battled injuries that have kept them off the court or limited their minutes in the first round. Far too many stars are dealing with injuries for this playoffs to be as great as it's potential.

But how to prevent something like this? In reality, this can't be prevented. Injuries happen all the time and for whatever reason the stars are falling like dominoes. That said, the NBA could shorten their regular season schedule and that may help. During the lockout-shortened season the schedule was just 66 games long compared to the normal 82. Adapting the 66-game schedule would benefit the competition, the health and the players.

82 games is a lot and it means that not every game means something. There are plenty of throwaway games and that's why teams rest their better players often. David Stern has said he would like to limit this somehow and the simple solution would be to shorten the schedule. By doing so, the regular season would be more competitive and teams would not have the luxury of so many throwaway games.

The shorter schedule would also help the health of players as the wear-and-tear on their bodies would not be as great. This could potentially mean that less stars are injured and the playoffs would have the best players on the floor. It's a move that the league should look in to because it helps them out in multiple ways.

The NBA is entertainment and the best entertainment is when the best players are out there. This playoffs may still be good, but it won't contain the brightest stars. That's something that the league can't have and it's something the fans don't want. If the NBA wants to improve their product then my advice is to shorten the schedule.

Phil Jackson: The NBA's Most...Unwanted?

Jackson captured 6 rings in Chicago

News broke about a week ago that Phil Jackson was "itching to return to the NBA". It was not exactly hard to believe after the urgency he approached the vacant Lakers job after Mike Brown was fired early on in the season. Now, any human being that knows who Phil Jackson is and knows of his history would have to assume that Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss would have skipped the interviews and hired Phil Jackson as soon as Mike Brown emptied his locker. Yet in a move that confused and even angered the basketball world, the front office of the Lakers hired the underachieving and overrated Mike D'Antoni.

I still have not gotten over that move. Yes I understand that with Steve Nash at the point you have someone who has run the offense and is a Hall of Famer to say the least. The front office also said that D'Antoni was a better "fit" for this particular Lakers squad. How? How does that make sense when you have three starters in Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, and, obviously, Kobe Bryant who have run Jackson's triangle offense and have won championships under him? Sure the point guard is the captain of the offense and controls the show, especially with such a brilliant play-maker and leader like Nash in that role, but why would you choose to have one player who knows the offense rather than three?

D'Antoni's first year has not been one to remember

So right off the bat the Lakers made a mistake just by misjudging their personnel on the floor. That doesn't even come close to the mistake the Lakers made in choosing the personnel they would have on the bench. These two coaches could not be any different. Phil Jackson is perhaps the greatest coach of all time and his eleven championship rings speak for themselves. He knows how to handle egos as well as having multiple Hall of Fame players on the floor at the same time. D'Antoni on the other hand couldn't have any success with what should have been a pretty successful Suns squad not to mention a contending Knicks team. Yet D'Antoni was pushed aside in both jobs and proved he couldn't live up to the expectations of a large market team like New York.

However, what's done is done and D'Antoni is in charge of what has been a disappointing and in some ways embarrassing Lakers team. Injuries are a factor, yes, but the bottom line is when Pau Gasol was out D'Antoni still had three future Hall of Famers on the floor. I can't help but think Phil Jackson would have whipped this team into shape and made them a top three team in the West like they should have been.

Fast forward to today with Phil Jackson itching to return as a coach. Cleveland, though not as appealing as coaching in Chicago or LA, is a team on the rise with a star point guard in Kyrie Irving and the possibility of LeBron James returning seems likely. The obvious choice is Phil Jackson, right? Guess not, the Cavaliers brought Mike Brown back in place of Byron Scott. I just don't understand the decision. Yes Mike Brown had success with the Cavaliers. Yes he coached them to a Finals appearance in 2008. The bottom line is, however, that he is not Phil Jackson. His career has not been full of success like Phil Jackson's. He does not win like Phil Jackson. Mike Brown is not Phil Jackson.

Will Brown and LeBron be reunited in Cleveland?

It doesn't make sense to leave Phil Jackson out in the cold. Two teams have now turned him down in favor of mediocre coaches. The Lakers could be in a much better spot than they are and the Cavaliers future could look a little brighter if they had Jackson on the sidelines. I'm a fan of Phil Jackson and the decisions made by the two clubs that turned him down will forever confuse me. The Cavaliers stated they thought Jackson would "not be interested in the job" and stopped pursuing him. The offer could have at least been put on the table for Jackson to take or leave rather than just writing him off from the start due to a hunch or something a source had said. To me, they should have at least confronted Jackson and had him tell the organization to their faces that he was not interested. With that being said, what has the world come to when Hall of Fame coaches with eleven rings are turned down for coaches that combine to have no rings?

Kobe's Great, but How Great is He Really?

The sports world yearns for superstars in every sport in every season. We want to root for those who have achieved feats that only the best can achieve. We want to glorify those that outperform the rest of the professionals around them. At the same time, as fans we are quick to heap praise on athletes without really studying the past and making an educated comment. So often we proclaim athletes as "the best" or "top five..." and that may not be the case. Sure, there are plenty of great players to set foot on the hardwood, but sometimes we are too quick to say that someone is better than so-and-so or one of the top five best players ever. Take Kobe Bryant for example.

I want to make it clear before I go any further that I am not diminishing anything Kobe has done in his brilliant career. He is one of the hardest working, most dedicated players that the game has ever seen and he has maintained a consistency over the course of his career that is hard to match. His stats are impressive and he has five rings to go along with those numbers. He has an MVP on the shelf and two Finals MVPs as well. His resume is loaded and he will go down as one of the greatest players to play the game. However, how great is he compared to others? So often fans put him in Michael Jordan's territory or say that he is a better player than LeBron James. Does he have an argument to be the best Laker of all-time? No doubt, but it's not by much.

Here are some facts to look at when stacking Kobe up against the other greats. As of now he averages 25.5 points per game. That is less than Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor (a former Laker). Kobe's 5.3 rebounds per game are less than the other three as well. His 4.3 assists per game isn't bad, but it too is less than Jordan and Robertson's and just a shade above Baylor's. His shooting percentage is at 45 percent, but that's below Jordan and Robertson's as well. Baylor is right behind Bryant at 43 percent. Clearly, when everything is added up, Kobe's stats are at the bottom of this group when it comes down to him versus other great shooting guards in the NBA.

He does have five championships which is one shy of Jordan's six, but he has been the Finals MVP of just two of those. Jordan was the MVP of all six of his. Then there is the fact that Kobe's numbers in the playoffs are the same as his career numbers. Is he a winner? Obviously. Does he raise his game in the postseason? Statistically no he does not. MJ's averages all went up in playoff time.

Talking awards and accolades, Bryant once again fails to live up to His Airness' legend. He has one MVP award which puts him four behind Jordan. MJ won 10 scoring titles compared to Kobe's two. Where Bryant can match MJ is in All-NBA and All-Defensive First teams. Both players have been named to 10 and nine respectively. Another thing, although it's a small one, is the fact that besides the two scoring titles, Kobe has never led the league in anything. Jordan led the league in steals three different times.

Then there is the question of whether or not Kobe is the best player of his generation? Well, if you consider LeBron James part of his generation then, quite frankly, no he's not. Kobe simply cannot compare to LeBron in any facet of the game. James averages more points, rebounds, assists and steals and shoots a higher percentage from the field. Also, the game plan used to be to make James shoot from deep, but he is actually shooting the same percentage from three as Kobe and he is only going to continue to improve. Obviously, LeBron's numbers are over a shorter period of time, but there's no doubt that James is in the best years of his career and he has quite a cushion on Kobe in every category.

The career of Kobe Bryant is odd. It's a magnificent one no doubt about it, but there are certain things about his career that have question marks next to them. He has five titles, but he wasn't the man on three of those teams. He has only one MVP award and only two scoring titles. Those are things that just don't sound like the stuff of the greatest ever. He's great no doubt, but he is not in the same ballpark as Jordan. He is probably slightly ahead or even with Robertson or Baylor, but you could argue they were better than him too. LeBron James will finish as a better player than Kobe as well if his career finishes the way we expect it to.

When Bryant retires it will be a sad day for the game of basketball. He has provided fans with so many unforgettable moments and he almost always puts on a show. Once he retires then the debate can really begin, but as of now Bryant is not the Greatest of All-Time and he's borderline top 10 of all-time. That's still incredible, but it doesn't seem to be the thinking of most fans. Kobe is great, but the hard truth is that we shouldn't add the "-est" to the end of that great.

Top 5 Dunks of the 2012-13 NBA Season

There is perhaps no play in the game of basketball that can get a reaction out of the crowd like a dunk. The sheer power and force alone is incredible, but then factor in the did-he-just-do-that?! element of them and that's enough to bring anybody out of their seat. What makes a dunk so special? Jason Terry is half the size of LeBron James. Brandon Knight is half the size of DeAndre Jordan. They aren't supposed to stop those two from putting down the hammer and they didn't. Still, fans went bananas and rightfully so. It's an amazing sight to see.

There have been some jaw-dropping dunks of late and it got us thinking: we need to rank these throwdowns. So that's exactly what we did. Here are the top five dunks of this season so far and there are some great ones. Obviously, only five made the list so there are some certain snubs. That's where you come in. Reply with your comment and a link to the video of the dunk you think was top-five-worthy. Until then though, check out who made our list...

5. Kobe Bryant dunks on Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace
You have to show love to Kobe Bryant this season. The Lakers obviously aren't having the kind of season that everyone thought they would, but we can always count on Kobe. He has done everything he can to try and get his team to the playoffs and that certainly looks like the direction they are headed in. Check out this play by Bryant in a game against the Brooklyn Nets. For an "old man" he showed he can still get up and he dunked on not one, but two guys. This is vintage Kobe Bryant and it's also one of the best posters of the season.

4. Blake Griffin windmills off Jamal Crawford through-the-legs alley-oop
Lob City never ceases to amaze the masses and this may be their most creative act yet. Jamal Crawford, who has never been known for his passing, is on the fast break and has a clear path to the hoop. However, rather than just doing the simple layup or dunk, Crawford gets a little fancy and goes through his legs before leaving it for Blake Griffin. Griffin has been on the receiving end of several alley-oops and he knows how to finish a dunk. On this particular play he puts the exclamation point down with an impressive windmill.

3. Harrison Barnes dunks on Nikola Pekovic
This is a dunk that has been forgotten about a little bit, but make no mistake, this is nasty. Harrison Barnes comes down the middle of the lane and gets a nice feed before dunking all over Nikola Pekovic. What makes the play even better is the reaction from the Warriors bench following the jam. Barnes goes up and Pekovic stops his momentum, but it doesn't matter...Barnes still puts Pekovic on a poster and I'm not so sure this dunk isn't worthy of the two spot for that reason. This is no Jason Terry or Brandon Knight. This is one of the strongest guys in the league and Barnes still managed to throw it down on him. Impressive.

2. LeBron James dunks on Jason Terry
Jason Terry got what was coming to him. He mouthed off before the game and then happened to be the one guy back while three Miami Heat players spun him around like a top before LeBron James destroyed him. Terry doesn't stand a chance on this play, but I will give him credit for trying to stop the play. However, when he went up in the air you just knew this wasn't going to end up well for him. Sometimes people complain that LeBron doesn't have enough "signature" plays, but to those people I say here you go. This one will be shown for a long time.

1. DeAndre Jordan catches alley-oop from Chris Paul and dunks on Brandon Knight
We already wrote about this dunk once and there is no doubt that this is the number one dunk of the season and it will take something unbelievable to top it. Near the end of the first half Jordan streaked down the middle of the lane and caught an alley-oop from Chris Paul. What happened after that was an annihilation of Brandon Knight. For whatever reason, Knight jumped and attempted to block the pass, but Jordan would have none of it. With thunderous power Jordan slammed the ball home, sending Knight crashing to the floor and sending the arena into a frenzy. It blew up social media sites and it's going to be shown for quite some time.

MJ Still in a League of His Own as 50th Birthday Approaches

Few men have left an imprint on the game like Michael Jordan did. His Airness, now the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, turns 50 this Sunday and it's a reminder of how much the basketball world still reveres MJ. The six-time world champion for the Chicago Bulls will be celebrated throughout the week on ESPN and, if you're tired of seeing his Slam Dunk Contest highlights from the 80's then keep the television off because those will be run constantly as the 2013 edition of the Dunk Contest approaches. Jordan retired at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season, but he is still a prominent figure in the game today.

Today, we are blessed to watch the jaw-dropping ability of superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. The three can score at will and attack the hoop with reckless abandon. Their numbers are incredible and they have challenged records since they set foot on the floor. However, there is a shadow that hovers over them and it's a shadow that won't disappear any time soon. It's the shadow of Jordan, who is widely-accepted as the greatest player of all-time, and who somehow remains relevant years after retiring.

Take today for example. James is in the midst of one of the most dominant and productive stretches ever after scoring 30 points and shooting 60 percent from the field for the fifth straight game. Despite his feat, sports talk shows have deemed his achievements secondary to Jordan's streak of 10 straight triple-doubles in 1989. Over the years it has been made clear that a player can't revel in his own accomplishments without them being compared to something Jordan did.

Michael Jordan is the barometer by which all superstars are judged on. Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, but did he do as efficiently as MJ once did? James has scored 50 points in nine games in his career, but Jordan did it 34 times during his time. Durant has averaged 28 points per game in his first 43 playoff games, but that's not close to Jordan's 35.4 in the same span. The reality for superstars today is that they can't escape Jordan. He is there at every historic performance and every record with one that matches or trumps all.

It's not just his numbers though. People still care about Michael Jordan as a man and nothing illustrates that better then when he made front page news for wearing cargo shorts on a golf course about a month ago. I'm sure many golfers have made that mistake, but Jordan was a hot topic on ESPN for that small miscue. As recently as this week he was in the news because current Lakers' forward Antawn Jamison stated to the media he believes MJ could still contribute for a team and score double figures despite turning 50 on Sunday. That's respect if I've ever heard it.

Jordan still graces our televisions on multiple Hanes advertisements and it would be a tight contest to see who is shown more during Bobcats' highlights -- him or the actual team. His influence is great, but it begs the question: how has he stayed so relevant?

It's not as if Jordan is always talking to the media or creating headlines for himself. That's not the way he operates and, in fact, he would rather keep to himself. Obviously, he wants us all to know he is still alive and still considered the greatest player ever, but he is not always visible. Magic Johnson is very visible. He is always on television and we see him every week. There was a period of time where Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird were very visible as they worked with their respective NBA teams. Charles Barkley ignites laughter in every household on NBA Thursdays on TNT. In that regard, those players have never been mysteries. We knew where they were and what they were thinking. But not Jordan. Although the ownership of the Bobcats has made him more visible, it still seems that he is in a different world, almost as if he is above everybody else.

Jordan has his flaws, and by now, people have formed their opinion of him as both a player and a man. Whatever you think about him, he is not going away. As fans we will continue to see his name and, more importantly, players such as Bryant, James and Durant will continue to be compared to him. Their successes will be judged on the Jordan standard and it will be decades until MJ is an afterthought.

Gatorade may not have known it would stick at the time, but their 1991 commercial still rings true today. Everybody just wants to Be Like Mike.

The Lake Show is now a Circus

Tonight was just another miserable night if you were an NBA player dressed in purple and gold. The Los Angeles Lakers fell yet again, this time to the Chicago Bulls. And not just fell, they were embarrassed. They played awful, they looked awful, the Lakers as a whole...are just flatout awful. I will say this, I did not mind one bit that the Lakers joined forces. I supported the Lakers and Kobe even up until maybe a week or two ago. I supported the Lakers (sort of) even after they made the dumbest decision any front office could make in turning down Phil Jackson for Mike D'Antoni. Now, when I look at it, I don't respect the Lakers. Why should I?

As incredulous as this is, and I'm even shocked to say this myself, I believe the Lakers' biggest problem is Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant is one of, if not the most selfish player in the league. Not necessarily in his play, but in his attitude. This year has shown Kobe to be one of the worst teammates that I have heard speak this season. I don't mind constructive criticism toward teammates, I've done it myself, but to continually call out your teammates in the media and to continually place blame on others for the lack of success is beyond me. You're one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA, the Lakers are your team. Yet you're gonna treat people like that? How do you expect guys like Pau Gasol, who it would appear that you have no respect for, to want to perform along side you? You're supposed to be a leader, and yet it looks like you're the cancer of that locker room.

Let me continue on that point. Why all of the sudden does Kobe decide to get a Twitter account? I'm not saying that he did it just for extra attention, but it could come across as looking that way. Not to mention the fact that he's going to be tweeting during NBATV's airing of his 81-point performance. How conceited does that look? Instead of watching film from past seasons, film that's only focused on you, why don't you get in the film room and try to figure out why your team is off to an embarrassing 17-24 record?

My next topic would have to be Dwight Howard. The former Defensive Player of the Year doesn't seem to be quite as big a force anymore. He's averaging two less rebounds and two less points a game as opposed to last year when the drama queen was running Orlando. That may not seem like much, but those two points could be a difference in a game and two rebounds could prevent a possible six total points for the opposing team. Those numbers can add up late in games. And speaking of late-game situations. That 50% free throw percentage is dismal. Not to mention the fact that it was reported that he turned down Steve Nash's help when the future Hall of Famer tried to give the big man advice. How stubborn can you get? One of the best free throw shooters of all time is going to offer you help and you turn it down? I'm not a math wiz, but 90% for a career (Nash) certainly seems better than 58% (Howard).

During tonight's game it just looked silly. The Lakers had some plays that were literally laughable. I can remember a play in the first half where Kobe made a jump pass to Howard and Howard fell to the floor trying to receive the pass. Zach Wadley said it best when he said the Lakers "looked like the Bad News Bears". This team should not be playing like this. There is literally no excuse. I'm not rooting against this team at all, I would be ecstatic if they succeeded, but with the personalities and the failure to have any sense of urgency on defense, there's not a real reason to respect the Lakers right now. And as sad as this is to say, Kobe doesn't look like he's going to be giving any advice or leadership any time soon. Let the man worry about himself and work his way toward that scoring record and he'll be just fine. At this rate, it would take a miracle for the Lakers to earn even the eight seed in the West.