The Masked Mamba

Posted by Dan Dragicevich.

After Kobe Bryant broke his nose in the all-star game, he seems to be once again on a mission to prove himself.

Once the all-star break ended and the regular season picked back up again, Kobe Bryant told the media that he had no enemies or rivalries in the league. Although he may not show his aggression toward other players, he sure uses it for determination.

In the three games after his injury in the all-star game, Bryant has posted tremendous numbers by scoring more than 30 points in all three games. He has posted scores of 31, 38, and 33 while shooting at a percentage of over .450 from the field. In the pre-game interview before Sunday night’s game against the Miami Heat, Bryant expressed how he had no animosity towards Dwayne Wade after the aggressive foul Wade had on Bryant in the all-star game. This is a perfect example of how Bryant is one of the more wise veterans playing the game.

For someone to say that they are not upset at someone for breaking their nose and giving them a mild concussion in an exhibition match is obviously lying. Bryant never said this, but how could he not be pissed off at Wade for that? Although what Wade did wasn’t a cheap shot; there is still no reason why someone should be playing that aggressive of defense in an all-star game. In my opinion, Bryant is playing this off perfectly because by saying he isn’t mad he can pretty much do what he wants. In last night’s game against the Heat, Bryant could have taken advantage of the situation and fouled Wade as hard as he wanted and it wouldn’t have been known as a “revenge” hit because he said he wasn’t mad. Although Bryant didn’t actually foul him hard in that game, he metaphorically did by posting up 20 points on Wade in the first quarter and then methodically winning the game for the Lakers by hitting timely shots. Bryant ended the game with 33 points and a Laker win and to him that is the most important thing.

As I said before, Kobe has been an unstoppable force these past three games and it seems like if he wants to score 30 in a given night then he will. Kobe is that kind of special player that can almost do what he pleases on the court. Of course he wants to make his team better and to win games, but if he wants to prove a point and post up 30 points in 3 straight games then that is exactly what he will do.

Battle for L.A. Supremacy

Posted by Dan Dragicevich.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are finding it tough to stay on top of the division as the new-found Clippers team is starting to gel together.

In terms of basketball. the city of Los Angeles has been, and very well could be, "Laker City" forever...Don't tell this to Clippers fans though because as of the new shortened NBA season, Clippers fans have finally begun to realize why they became Clippers fans in the first place.

With the new additions of the highly sought after point guard Chris Paul, the streaky shooter in Caron Butler, and the ever so reliable Chauncey Billups, the Clippers are atop the Pacific division in the Western Conference with a record of 15-7 which makes the ahead of the Lakers by 2.5 games who have a record of 14-11. The Clippers have been able to put this kind of record together though the terrific play of Paul and Billups in the backcourt and with the play of Deandre Jordan and Blake Griffin in the front court. Jordan and Griffin have really helped the Clippers out through the energy they bring every game and with Jordans tremendous ability to hit the glass and block shots. Griffin on the other hand, is an offensive weapon who has continued his onslaught of posterizing other opponents with his monstrous dunks as he is arguably the most exciting player to watch in the league.

As for the Lakers, they still have Kobe Bryant who needs no introduction because he is one of the greatest of all time to play the game. Alongside Bryant there are a lot of young players who have stepped up such as Andrew Bynum. With Bynum and Pau Gasol in the post, the Lakers have one of the best big men duos in the league. Whether or not both those players can stay consistent and healthy is another issue, but the race for the top spot in the division should be fun to watch.

As for injuries for both teams, the Clippers took a blow the other night when they lost Billups for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. This could possibly end up being a fatal blow for them as Billups has played well which taken a lot of pressure of off Paul and Griffin.

On the Other side, the Lakers seem to be pretty healthy leading up to the All-Star break which is great because at this point in the season Bynum's knee is usually flaring up. Let's hope that is a thing of the past and it stays this way, otherwise the Lakers could find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in May. Also, reports have said the Bryant's wrist is finally starting to heal completely which is a good sign because after he had wrist surgery back in December, he decided to play through the agonizing pain which some said might have been a bad idea.