Kobe Bryant Increases His Lead Over Lebron With 4th Career All-Star Game MVP

LOS ANGELES, CA.  It was something that NBA Basketball fans of the world never really got to see: Micheal Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant when both were close to their primacy.

However, the 2011 NBA All Star Game was yet another chapter in Kobe vs Lebron (AKA Dwayne Wade's Sidekick, now), and despite having the support of his two superfriends teammates, DWade and Chris Bosh, Sidekick still missed out on the big prize of the night: All Star Game MVP.

Bryant, once again, was the star that burned brightest, on this occasion, in front of his home town, "Hollywood" crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. He put up 21 first-half points on his way to 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in leading the West to victory.


Kobe still soars higher than Lebron whenever there is a big prize on the line.

Sidekick once again settled for a distant second prize (possible foreshadowing to come?). Lebron put up a triple-double to become only the second player to do that in an NBA All Star Game.

Michael Jordan, of course, was the first, although the feat resulted in a victory for Jordan's East team in 1997. As we've come to know, Sidekick can put up gaudy numbers, but not to carry his team to a win when it counts.

The NBA All Star Game MVP Award was Kobe's 4th of his career, tying Bob Petit for most in NBA history. When it counted, Lebron couldn't stop Kobe from extending his lead in career accomplishments, and Sidekick falls further behind in the comparisons.

Kobe has won his championships and individual awards while Lebron has been an elite player in the league, which for all intents and purposes, remove Lebron from any conversations for Greatest of All Time... Only Greatest of All Time Disappointments given his talent and physical gifts.

The pivotal moment of the game that captures the careers of Kobe and Lebron in a single illustrative snapshot was when Kobe had a fast break and saw Lebron out of the corner of his eye pursuing. Without hesitation, Kobe accelerated, knowing Lebron would try to sneak in from behind and block the shot, and threw it down.

Kobe laid to rest any talk of Lebron is better than Kobe in just one great moment.

The play captures the Killer Instinct that Michael Jordan had and that Kobe has shown throughout his career; Lebron has always been criticized for not measuring up in this respect, and for all those who keep believing that some day he might develop a Killer Instinct, he won't--he joined DWade's team because he is not that type of player.

He's the guy that can sneak up on you when you're not conscious of him, but if it's the final play of the game and you key your defense on him, he can't get it done. That's what superstars do. That's what closers do.

That's what Kobe did tonight.

DRose Outduels DWade To Claim Jordan Mantle In "The House That Michael Built" As Sidekick Watches From The Sideline

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.  It seemed that a lot of people were disappointed when Lebron announced his "Decision" this past July, however Derrick Rose was not necessarily one of them. 

DRose raised his game higher than any other star in the United Center tonight.

Rumors emerged that DRose did not want Lebron to come to Chicago because he wanted to be "The Man".

Then, DRose stated in an interview before the season that he wanted to be MVP, the Most Valuable Player, in the league.

Well, as of this week, Rose is the frontrunner for the award according to ESPN. And while in Miami, it will always be DWade's team, there is no doubt that Derrick Rose is "The Man" on the Chicago Bulls; and he has delivered in the clutch, when it mattered most.

In many ways, DRose's entry into the NBA mirrors Lebron's: both were super-talented, homegrown products drafted #1 Overall by their local team and heralded as the hometown hero who would save their respective NBA franchise. However, that is where the similarities abruptly end.

After promising to bring a championship to the championship-deprived city of Cleveland, Lebron's decision to leave town to join a stacked team in Miami revealed his complete selfishness and lack of integrity and perserverence. His announcement of "The Decision" in a one-hour special on ESPN was a self-aggrandizing act of pure hubris. While Lebron chose the easy way out to get his championship, the people of Cleveland were witness to nothing but a single NBA Finals appearance and several early playoff exits.

Rose is essentially the anti-lebron; he is a modest, hard-working phenom who relishes the burden of the Jordan legacy, including the effort it takes to be the best. While Lebron and his posse played with the emotions of GMs, cities, and teams' fans, Derrick Rose played the point for the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the World Basketball Championships this past summer.

Then he got in the gym, and in his understated, modest tone, "I've been working on my shooting range." All the way out to 3-point range; he is shooting 3-pointers at 37.9%, higher than Lebron's 35.8% clip for the season. Just as Jordan worked to add new facets to his game, Rose has gone from great to unstoppable.

Lebron quit as Rose and Wade battled for the Legacy of Jordan

On the other hand, when faced with stepping into Jordan's shoes, Lebron ran away as fast as he could to join another Chicago product who found inspiration in the miracles Michael Jordan performed as the face of the Chicago Bulls.

Dwayne Wade, more than any other player on the Heat, embodies the will to win that helped Jordan claim 6 NBA Championships. Wade's incredible performance in the 2006 NBA Finals was one for the ages.

How appropriate that Lebron "not Jordan" James stepped aside to allow two Chicago boys to duel for the Legacy of Michael Jordan.

And in the end, it was Derrick Rose who claimed the win and the mantle of heir to the Jordan Legacy in Chicago. In the victory, Rose put up 34 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and most importantly for the young man and the city of Chicago, the win.

The true Legacy of Jordan was to not only say what you are going to do, but to do it.

Los Angeles Lakers Come Out Flat Versus DWade's Sidekick and the Miami Heat, Will Just Have To Win When It Really Counts

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.  Things got a bit testy approaching half-time of the game that was hyped as the potential 2011 NBA Finals matchup. The Los Angeles Lakers had fought back from a quick start by the Miami Heat, and Ron Artest and Lebron had just been called for double technicals.


Artest successfully exposed Dwayne Wade's Sidekick's messed up hairline.

It was looking as if the Lakers might use the halftime break to shrug off poor starts by both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol and compose themselves and make a game out of one of the most anticipated games of the season for NBA fans. Alas, it was not to be.

The Lakers could not reign in the Heat, and although they were able to cut the lead to under 10 points several times, they were unable to break through and take the lead. Finally, the Lakers simply ran out of time.

After the game, Kobe broke his week-long media silence with very candid words about the effort that has seen the Lakers suffer back-to-back bad losses to Milwaukee and Miami:


Despite their clear frustration at dropping an opportunity at making a statement to the Miami Heat and the entire league, Kobe and the Lakers have been here before. This was their second consecutive Christmas Day loss to a team with Dwayne Wade's Sidekick on the roster; last year, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers that took the Christmas Day match up in Los Angeles.

Despite the loss, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to gather themselves and won the NBA Championship. If there is something that Kobe has over Lebron, it is his ability to lead his team to a win when it counts. That is why the only stat that matters is the 5 NBA Championship rings that Kobe has versus zero for Sidekick.