Well...There Goes Our "MVP"...Etc.

Last night...my point I have been trying to make since the beginning of these Playoffs was finally proven. With 3 seconds to go...down by 6...Celtics about to complete one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history...a meaningless missed free-throw...Kobe walks off the floor, leaving his teammates to take a meaningless heave at the buzzer. There goes the "MVP" of the league...a player who is supposed to conduct himself with class and heart (just like his commonly-compared predecessor, No. 23)...and take the loss with his teammates, but it was about Kobe as it always is. He whines during the game. He walks off the court before the game is over. He has his ass on his shoulders at the post-game presser. Yep, that's our "MVP"! But, of course, everyone will say it's because Kobe is frustrated and angry at the problems the team has. What!?? This was the Lakers team that EVERYONE and their mother, not to mention their dog, Skip, had picked to be NBA Champions this year. And now they have problems? Well, no sh*t, Sherlocks! But, why stroke Kobe now!? The man can't play with heart, or integrity, or respect. He plays with sole ability and skill. And that is NOT enough to win a championship. And don't get me started on Vujacic throwing a tantrum on the bench last night either. This whole team is full of crybaby bitches. Oh, but wait...today in the papers, on SportsCenter, on PTI, on Around the Horn...it'll be..."Well, Kobe is unhappy"..."Well, Kobe's teammates aren't helping him"..."Well, he was just frustrated" And you know what I say from my Florida perch overlooking this--"BULLSH*T!" He was so happy mere weeks ago, he was the "MVP", he was buying his teammates thousand-dollar watches, Phil Jackson was going to win his tenth title, Kobe is the next Jordan, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!!! Well, last night, you saw that when Kobe is pushed against the wall and he can't put up his numbers and the Lakers fall down...he can't pick them back up...he is not a leader and he only degrades his team and leaves them on the ground when they need him...the "MVP"...the most. My case, I think, is finally rested....or maybe we should just wait till the Celtics close the series out in Boston. Once, Kobe watches another championship trophy passed off in the opposite direction maybe he will realize he has hit his ceiling...he will never return to the glory...he cannot break the cusp of what determines a legacy and greatness..he is not MJ...he is merely Kobe Bryant. And that's just not good enough.