Raja gets the 'bow, and now he gets a game off to recover. He deserved the suspension.

Kobe deserved the clothesline.

Sorry Lakers fans (and I count myself as one of them), I'm being objective. Kobe can now officially add Raja Bell to his Rogues Gallery. In fact,  The Ocho's nickname among his peers is probably "He Hate Me". Raja Bell, Shaq, Ray Allen... Why else did Kobe get up with a sheepish grin on his face, besides the fact that he knew that Bell's road rage would likely cost his team his services in a must-win Game 6? Because Kobe knew that he had gotten away with some marginal shots of his own.

I saw the two elbows. The first elbow looked incidental, Bell's flop notwithstanding. The second one was clearly a cheap shot that reminded me of a Bill Laimbeer "Ooops - was that your head I hit with this elbow?" classic.

Even better was David Stern's comment when delivering the suspension, "It was a unmanly act." Did I miss the cross-dressing somewhere? I can tell that His Majesty has played a lot of ball...

The trouble of course is that too many refs are unable to use odd numbers. Refs almost never catch the 1^st or 3^rd punches, they catch the 2^nd and 4^th . Bell has been in the league long enough to know better. Do not shed too many tears for Raja, the man clearly "Jerry!" contestant-level stupidity. His Artest-ian moment of thoughtlessness has his already undermanned team in a deeper hole.

Idea: What the NBA could do in playoffs is allow a replay ref to look at those shots that escape the first view, and assess a technical at the half or dead balls for any flagrant fouls. That way, the sneaky guys get their just desserts. The refs clearly allowed too much to go on for too long, while calling cheap fouls on Kwame Brown.

Having said all that, I had the Suns in 6, clearly that will not happen. (I'm going to go out on a long thin limb and take the Suns in 7.) And Kobe is the reason. In the last regular season game with Phoenix, "Kobi" (note the "I") was determined to show up Raja at every turn, and while he hung 43 on him, the Suns won rather handily. Clearly KobE got the message. A considerably more team-oriented Bryant gives the Lakers the opportunity to use their superior size advantage. Brown and Lamar Odom are looking like Karl Malone and Wes Unseld against the midgets that comprise what passes for the front line of the Suns. 

Heck, even the shy Luke Walton and soft Brian Grant have been spotted taking the ball to the rack for the first time since college. Kobe deserves credit for finally "getting it".

But he doesn't deserve the MVP.

My vote was for LeBron James based on his all-around brilliance in raising the level of his game - and his team's - despite the loss of Larry Hughes for 60% of the season, and the Z-Man for the last month. 31 points, 6 boards and 6 assists - only The Big O and Jerry West have played in this rare air. He's hit big shots when needed all season. He got my vote over my runner up Steve Nash. Yes, Kobe got 3^rd on my ballot. As incredible as his season and scoring has been, Nash played without an effective traditional big man (although Shawn Marion has been a stud, with career numbers). Amare out all year, Kurt Thomas sideline for 30+ games, and Brian Grant basically done. Yet the Suns got a Number Two seed. It impressed me more than the Lakers performance overall.

Speaking of LeBron and the Cavs, shame on the NBA for not showing more of the Wizards and Cavs nationally. This is a great series, even better than I had thought and I had the Wiz taking this in 7. No back down here from me. Look for the Other Guys to decide this series. Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler will provide a bit more than Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. This series features two evenly matched teams on the rise. No tired cynical veterans, just energy and the Next Generation led by James and the Wizards' Gilbert Arenas. I'm enjoying every moment.

In my other bad call, I had the Bulls going down in 6 to the Heat. While the Heat is in position to close this out, it's pretty clear to me that the only reason why the Bulls trail is...well, they believe that the Heat are better. They aren't. I'm not another team in the East is as fast in the backcourt as Chicago with Kurt Hinrich and Ben Gordon, but it is clear that the Heat have been exposed as an old, slow bunch. In the words of analyst Mark Jackson, Gary Payton has gone from The Glove to The Isotoner. Pretty, but not very functional. Being 37 will do that. Jason Williams and Antoine Walker have never been known for defense, and Shaq is only a spot defender, as 340 lbs and an indifference to conditioning have taken its toll. Yet as long as Alonzo Mourning is reasonably healthy, you have a true back line of defense for the quicker Bulls to deal with. Miami needs to close this team out before the Bulls realize that they are the harder working and more deserving team. And is this the coming out jam for Andres Nocioni or what?

Final Notes: I had the Spurs in 6 against the Kings, but I think this goes 7, which should excite their West rivals. Anything that wears down Tim Duncan and Crew is a good thing. Ron-Ron Artest has delivered and Bonzi Wells has been incredible. Remember that the Kings had no problems playing the Spurs WITHOUT Artest in Game 2.

Congrats to the Pistons and Mavs for taking care of business. Rip Hamilton dropped 40 in the clincher. I'm totally feeling it. As for the Nets and Pacers, the Nets should have dumped this team in five games. It should give us pause. However, we may be witnessing the coming out party of a young force in Nenad Kristic. This team needs an enforcer at the 4, but can you handle a three-headed monster of Kidd, Vinsanity, and Jefferson with a low post option? Good luck. I think the Heat won't get past this crew.

Random Thought: I was really hoping to see the Nets and Wizards play against each other in their throwback gear. Sue me. It looks good.