Psst…hey…don’t tell anybody this but…you know that guy who plays for the Lakers? Kobe Bryant I think is his name. Yeah, well, you might not know this but if the Lake Show wins the NBA title this season, which would make it a three-peat, yes another three-peat. Well…that Kobe guy would have as many rings as Michael Jordan.
Ok, so maybe you did know that. If you’re reading this blog you’re fully aware. If you’re an NBA neophyte then you’d assume the Miami Heat have it in bag. Almost like how everybody just knew the Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to win it all last year…and the year before that.
Truth be told, all this Heat-nauseam is a good thing for KB24 and his teammates.
By now you’ve almost certainly had your daily dose of Heat. If not, then just tune in to ESPN and check out their 24/7 coverage sure to make you wish Brett Favre was flip flopping on retirement again.
Again…this is a good thing.
With one fist full of rings, Kobe is within Lamar Odom’s reach of equaling MJ. Surely this story would have been the most talked about topic this preseason were it not for LeBron James’ decision to take his ego talents down to South Beach
Had LeBron stayed home in Cleveland and if Chris Bosh would have…well…he doesn’t matter…then every man wearing purple and gold at the practice facility in El Segundo would have been cornered and grilled about their role in helping to push Kobe to true basketball immortality.
Instead, we’re being fed a steady diet of all things Miami Heat which is great news for the Lakers!
Hard to believe that a team with Ron Artest, Matt Barnes facing a court case and Phil Jackson making his last stand is actually flying under the radar.
But that is a great thing!
Seemingly all of the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of LeBron and all eyes are on Eric Spoelstra who has to be worried about getting Stan Van Gundy’d by Riles.
Meanwhile, the two time defending world champs are packing for Europe where their preseason will begin with much fanfare but little to no hype.
Hey, hype is great for selling tickets. Don King made a nice living doing just that. Winning speaks for itself though. The thing about hype is that it can be done by anyone. Funny thing about winning is that only one team can wear the crown at the end of the season.
For Kobe Bryant and his Jordan-Quest, the Heat hype is a blessing in disguise.
Now if by chance the Lakers and Heat square off in the NBA Finals…well…I’m sure there’d be plenty o’ hype for Kobe’s quest. Of course should the Lakers win there’s also the notion of what the headlines might be should Kobe get a chance to pass Jordan the following season. But it’s far too early to hype that up what with Carmelo Anthony looking like the next in line to grab some off-season headlines of his own.