Can we get that Asterisk now? After a season of turmoil, the Lakers have finally seen the light and are quite frankly kicking ass and taking names. It's certainly about time. As I said all along, the Lakers problems were more about Shaq letting go of his need to be in the spotlight than Kobe's shots. If the big guy is truly sincere about all of his "Kobe's my idol" and "the best player in the game" stuff, this team is going to win titles until somebody gets Iverson some help out in Philly. You see, with those two, all they've really got to understand, as they seem to know now, is that against certain teams, Shaq will have to shine and against others it will be Kobe's turn. As long as they keep that balance, the team will be unbeatable. Can they go undefeated through this year's playoffs? Yes, but it will be tougher than most are making it out to be. Their main foes will be themselves. When the swept the Blazers, people were able to dismiss it, saying that the Blazers were waiting to implode. When they swept the Kings, everyone should have woken up. However, most said that Webber wasn't in it or that the team played too wild, even though that's how they played and won all those games all season. Then came the Spurs. The Lakers first 'real opponent' and everyone was asking if the Lakers were ready. Well, we now know the answer to that. But I really don't understand why I was the only one to see this coming. Are David Robinson and Tim Duncan really that much better than the Webber-Divac combo that had just been dismantled? Certainly the Spurs' shooters aren't as good as the Kings'.

The best thing about this is how all those Kobe-haters, especially in the media, are now having to eat their words. I think it's safe to say that Kobe will remain in his Laker uniform for a while. Is he the second coming of Mike? Naw, he's the first-coming of Kobe, and like I said in an earlier piece, he's just that good. 

In the other series, the Bucks might just be able to pull it out due to Iverson's injuries. In my opinion, Iverson has to start thinking about his long term career. Continuing to play with injuries just isn't good for his health. Everyone knows the 76ers can't win without him, and being the type of player he is, you know Iverson will probably be on the court if at all possible. But you have to start wondering just how far he could be from the injury that puts him out of commission for a while. Maybe he should talk to Grant Hill.

Why is David Robinson taking so much heat in this series? What did everyone expect him to do? He's putting up around the same numbers that he put up all season. David just isn't the player he was before his surgery, and even then he had history of flaming out in the big ones. But this time its not his fault, the Lakers are just plain old better.

The Lakers are just plain old better.

I'll never get tired of saying that.
 

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