I have been reviewing The Game's various entries, and it occurred to me that perhaps I write about Kevin Garnett too much. Could this be the reason why people are constantly teasing me about some secret manly love I have for KG, that perhaps I have stepped over the line of unabashed admirer into "Play Misty For Me"-style fanatic? Or could it be that some of you are so sad and heartbroken and envious that you don't have anyone as special as KG in your lives? I know that's how I would feel if I had to root for the likes of Ray Allen or Chris "Ed Martin Just Died And I Can't Be Seen At His Funeral" Webber.
So, from here on out, we will be KG-less, except on those occasions when he does something truly superlative, even by his standards. Yesterday was such a day (37 and 22), but I won't bother to write about it, other than to say that ESPN now appears to be turning their star-making machine on for a campaign to make KG the MVP. Let's start there...
KOBE
Well, we all knew the man could score, didn't we? But tell me Laker Nation isn't on the collective ledge after Shaq sat out a game with what he calls "bad pain" in his already-troublesome knee. All those scenarios that had the Lake Show roaring back and being somebody's nightmare were absolutely predicated on the health of Shaq and Kobe, in that order. A Shaq-less Kobe can still drop 40 whenever he needs to (in fact, he'll do it much more often), but can he get the Lakers a win? I'm sorry, but you CAN'T let the Knicks come in and steal your candy at home when you are fighting for a playoff spot. They act like they're going to get a bye into the post-season. That's not what it says here. Says here that the in-fighting is about to go very public over Kobe taking all the shots. Sure, there isn't much talent on that roster, but don't you think that part of the reason the other guys aren't producing is that Kobe's too damned hard to play with? Read Charley Rosen's latest stuff on the Lake Show, and you'll hear the same refrains that we heard early on, that Kobe's greatness comes at the expense of getting other teammates in the flow. And that's coming from other Lakers and the Laker coaching staff. I don't want to name any names, but I can think of at least one MVP candidate that improves his teammates immeasurably, and still is managing to get the wins...
Spurs On A Roll
I've always been one of those people who don't understand how the Spurs are as good as they are. I mean, Tim Duncan, OK. But that road trip they just went on was nuts, and they go 8-1? The Mavs might be on cruise control, but the Spurs are breathing down their neck right now.
The New West
With the Lakers struggling and reeling from Shaq's balky knee, that changes the situation in the West substantiall. It used to be that there were Four Powers (Dallas, San Antonio, Sacramento, Los Angeles), and thus, not getting a top four seed not only meant you played on the road, but you played one of the Top Four. But this year, it's looking very much like that fourth team is going to be coming from the group of Portland, Utah, Phoenix or Minnesota. Which means that getting the #5 seed isn't quite the kiss of death it used to be.
