Scouting report: This teamhas everything you’d ever conceivably want in a playoff contender — asuperstar, two more scoring options, a low-post player who has to bedouble-teamed, a shot blocker, multiple three-point shooters, a bench that canaffect games, a superior coaching staff, and most importantly, a scorer who’sgoing to get every borderline call in a close game because he’s Kobe Bryant …if they’re healthy and running on all cylinders, they have the highest ceilingof any playoff team … of course, we don’t know if they’re healthy yet, so allbets are off … they’re most vulnerable in round one as they’re working backBynum and Gasol into the rotation, which is what makes a potentialLakers-Warriors series so damned tantalizing.
Biggest strength: Whetherthey win the title or not, it’s been a sincere pleasure as a basketball fan towatch Kobe tap into his talents, trust his teammates, pick his spots, forgetabout statistics and become the player we always wanted him to be. Whether hewins the MVP award or Chris Paul wins it, we haven’t seen two better individualseasons in the same year since Jordan and Barkley in 1993 … and if you throw inthe fact that LeBron is averaging an absurd 31-8-8 right now, you’d have to goback to Bird, Magic and M.J. in ‘88. Holy schmoley. Should I write the word“amazing” again? Probably not. This season has turned me into “The Bachelor.”
Biggest weakness: I knowhe’s been playing out of his mind lately, but I still don’t trust Lamar Odom.During regulation of Monday’s Warriors game, he went to the line in the finalfew seconds with a one-point lead, endured a few taunts andstanding-in-front-of-him maneuvers from Davis and Jackson … and eventually, hehad this weird smile on his face, almost like the smile a boxer gets rightbefore he’s about to get knocked out. Of course, he missed the first freethrow. Mark my words — there’s going to be at least one monster moment inApril, May or June when Odom has to come through in a humongous spot for theLakers. And he won’t.
(Follow-up to that story: In that same game,the Lakers were up two with four seconds left in overtime when Kobe got fouled.Three interesting things here. First, none of the Warriors came within 10 feetof him. Second, he stared down all the Warriors around him, drained the firstfree throw and muttered “Game over, game over” to everyone who would listen.Third, he made the second one and that was that. The lesson, as always: It’sgood to have Kobe Bryant on your team.)
Biggest X-Factor: Bynum.Can he bounce back from the knee injury? Can he get back in shape in time? Willhe be able to effectively defend Shaq or Duncan in round two or round three?Every Lakers fan just stopped breathing for a few seconds.
Unsung Hero: SashaVujacic, quite possibly the league’s best bench player of anyone who plays 20minutes or less. He’s a feisty defender, he shoots 40-plus from three, he canguard anyone and play three positions, he’s a legitimate threat to get punchedin the face during the playoffs, and if that’s not enough, I’m almost positivethat he’s wearing some sort of hair net. We haven’t had aso-much-fun-to-hate-him playoff villain like this guy in eons. He’s like BruceBowen crossed with one of John Lithgow’s henchman in “Cliffhanger.”
Eventual 2007-08 Legacy: Put itthis way — I wouldn’t bet against the answer to this question being, “The yearKobe won the MVP and the title and earned his rightful place among the greatestplayers ever.” As always, stay tuned.
