before i get started let me say one thing
i totally respect the phoenix suns
they are a unique and exciting team
and we all know they are missing amare stoudemire and kurt thomas

before really i get started
let me say one thing
boy, was i wrong
boy was i foolish
when i questioned whether the lakers could win without chris mihm
i could go into the reason why
but i was short sighted and wrong
go kwame
long live the triangle


okay
now it is the following day after suns laker 4
and i am a little calmer and prepared to think about it
this was such a stunning experience i really jumped out of my skin at
this irish bar
and only now am i getting back to normal

firstly
kobe bryant is joining the greatest players of all time club
i have always known that he was one of the most talented and hard
working that i have ever seen
and anyone who has read my meandering pedestrian blog know how much i
believe in him
but his spiritual growth has allowed him to understand that being a
giving person
is the thing by which all great men are measured
he has always given himself completely to the game
and reaped remarkable rewards from his focus and intense work ethic
but he is now giving himself to his teamates
thinking only of lifting them all together to victory
making them better at seeing what is great in themselves and doing
his all to bring it out
taking as much joy or more in their accomplishments as his own
he is feeling the power of togetherness
and has realized that without it, victory is a lot less fulfilling
he can now be mentioned in the same breath as magic johnson and bill
russell
without anyone batting an eyelid
his growth as a player during his nba career is beautiful
and we basketball fans are lucky to be alive in his era

lamar odom is a great basketball player
for the last month of the season and throughout these first four
playoff games
he is a hero
he is everything lakers fans hoped for
doing it all
every night
and he seems to be getting better
it is such a joy to see
a guy so centered in himself
with such great talent, and the ability to do everything he does at
both ends
inside outside handle the ball get the boards dish the assists
great!

and smush's amazing steal at the end of regulation that set up kobe's
beautiful shot
the steal that made it all happen
in the midst of that we should not forget 3 he hit moments before
that made it all possible
the guy is a hero
always a hero in laker lore forever