Basketball is Interesting Again

Yes I know the Warriors suck. Yes I know that NBA refs haven't been able to improve on the Tim Donaghy model of corruption. Yes I know that JJ Redick still isn't getting any playing time from Grump of the Year candidate Stan Van Gundy. But it doesn't matter, because LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are going at each other. And it is getting pretty entertaining.

Two days after Kobe lit up the New York Knicks for 61 points, LeBron fired back with an equally brilliant performance against the same team: 52 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds for the first 50-point triple-double since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar prowled the paint. The performances, their proximity, and the building in which they occurred only add to the glory of the legend. It is the first time we have seen two greats of the game take clear aim at each other since Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

Yet the two performances have also given insight to the different aspects of each player's games. Kobe's performance was one in which he put his team on his back and carried them. He was looking for his shot from the beginning of the game, and ended up taking 31 shots (making 19 of them) and going 20 for 20 from the free throw line. He tallied no rebounds and just three assists, but the offensive dominance was impressive, even leaving Spike Lee's jaw dropped. 

LeBron's dominating performance, however, shaped up in a completely different way. He started out firing at the same pace as Kobe and had 20 points at the end of the first quarter. But then he cooled off, and as the game got closer, began to look more for his teammates while continuing to crash the boards. The end result was impressive, the triple double legendary. But more importantly, it began a rivalry that will last for the rest of the season, and into the future. So for now, we might as well watch Kobe and LeBron go at it, because they're the only entertaining part of the NBA season so far.

Picture Courtesy of the AP