I know, this is likely last on your viewing palate today, with what has the propensity to be the biggest football game in the history of the universe, but I've seen more than enough Laker fans out there that hopefully can look past the "smarmy 12 year old" tag.
Utah @ Lakers - 9:30pm ET
It finally looks like the Kobe drama has somewhat subsided, and maybe... just maybe, he'll stop being a pest off the court, and keep being dominant on the court. I've said it before, and i'll say it again. I don't like Kobe; but I will sure as hell miss him if he is gone.
I think a lot of Lakers fans take Kobe for granted. I've complained about Kobe's selfishness for years, heck, I even took the Clippers for a test drive at one point, but the bottom line still remains; we all secretly want Kobe to stay in town.
When the Lakers dropped their opening night game to the Rockets 93-95 and Kobe posted 45, I was immediately taken back to the past two seasons where Kobe ran the court, took 2500 shots, and yelled at everyone that missed a jumper.
Then, Friday, in Phoenix, the Lake Show pulled off that seemingly impossible bounce back, where the team takes everything they should have done the game before, and applies it to the next game.
That Phoenix game was one of the biggest statements the Lakers could have mad.
Kobe held himself (held himself?) to 16 points, while getting everyone involved (thank you god!).
FIVE LAKERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES? I don't think I've seen that in years.
Vlad Man Radmanovic put up 19, Kobe had his 16 and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum pulled down 13 rebounds and tacked on 14 points to boot. Derek Fisher put up 14, and Sasha Vujacic, who might I add is fooling everyone with the long hair, added 12.
Basically, the Lakers have all the momentum in the world going into tonight's game against the 2-1 Jazz.
Lakers fans can only hope for performances like Friday's, especially if they want to get through the tough upcoming stretch of games in one piece.
One thing Friday's game did do, was possibly suggest the idea that Kobe doesn't mean so much to the team, and that they could survive without them. Then again, how often are you going to see this line up post 5 in double figures?
Me and you are definitely on the same wavelength. I "hate" Kobe too, but I definitely appreciate his talent. Personally I think it's all the ridiculously stupid Kobe lovers who are blind to the man's every fault that inspire as much hate for Kobe as there is out there.
Honestly, I didn't have a huge problem with the way he came out attacking in the first game. Sure 32 shots ain't great, but eh. I don't really want him playing the facilitator role as much as I just don't want him killing Laker runs by forcing shots. The 11 boards was really impressive though. And his D on T-Mac in the first game was even more impressive.
The thing that everyone forgets is that if Kobe leaves, as long as that amazingly stupid Ben Wallace/Ron Ron trade doesn't pop up again, we'll get players in return for him. It won't be the current squad. Ben Gordon is a great offensive force that may not be as good as Kobe, but he'll definitely be able to carry the scoring load on a more balanced Laker squad. I mean Deng was always the variable piece in the deal and people act like Ben Gordon is chopped liver cuz his D ain't up to stuff, but as a scorer, he can definitely hold his own and would definitely take the sting out of a Kobe-less Laker squad.
SLSHUSKER: The Lakers do not need more talent. Look what we did to Phoenix and Utah when the players were all on the same page.
Live I've been saying to all of you skeptics for months, the talent is already there. We just have to grow as a team, play with effort every night, and remain consistent. It's as simple as that.
We have the best player in the game. We have arguably the best coach in the game. We have size. We can run and gun with our excellent point guards. We have athleticism. We can run the triangle if the game demands a half-court tempo style. And above all, we are young and hungry. And this is what kills it for the rest of the league.
I will keep saying this to the entire planet: The LAKERS ASSAULT IS COMING. Stay tuned haters, especially all of you Phoenix and Utah fans. By June, no team except for maybe the Spurs or the Rockets, will be able to contain Kobe and Bynum.
I'm a realistic observer of the vast world that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers. You can thank Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac for making that possible. The greatest person of all time is Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn. There's no getting around that. Me? I'm eighteen years old and working my way to a journalism degree.
It finally looks like the Kobe drama has somewhat subsided, and maybe... just maybe, he'll stop being a pest off the court, and keep being dominant on the court. I've said it before, and i'll say it again. I don't like Kobe; but I will sure as hell miss him if he is gone. 
