2/24/08: Watch the NBA

Last column, I complained about the fact that most sports fans, even the serious ones, don’t really follow the NBA (except for their favorite team) until the playoffs. But, at least this year, you should. Here is why.
First, the Rockets have won 12 games in a row running their overall record to 35-20. They are only three games back of the Western Conference leading Lakers. But despite all of the Rockets recent success, they remain in 7th place in the West. Yep, that was not a typo. The Rockets could legitimately miss the playoffs but they could just as easily be the number one seed. Denver and Golden State are currently tied for the eighth and final playoff spot (if the season ended today, Golden State would get the spot) and they are only five games back of the Lakers. A 50 win basketball team could actually not make the playoffs this season.
My other reason to watch more basketball is Kobe Bryant. I know he isn’t exactly the warmest guy on the planet, but if you don’t watch Kobe Bryant every time the Lakers play a national TV game (which will be a lot now that Los Angeles landed Pau Gasol), you are missing out on by far the best player since Jordan. If Kobe Bryant wins two more rings, Bryant will belong in the “greatest player of all time” debate. There is literally nothing he cannot do. I cannot think of anything that Kobe Bryant does not do exceptionally on a basketball court. There are a handful of guys in the league right now that can score like Jordan did, and Bryant is one of them, but what sets Kobe apart from the current pack of stars and what makes the Jordan comparison so interesting is the fact that Kobe plays defense like Jordan did. Kobe never lets up, ever. What separated Jordan from the other superstars of his day was his intensity. Jordan’s intensity never fluctuated on the offensive or defensive ends and game to game, no one worked harder. I think Kobe might have that same drive. Granted, he has been pretty immature in handling certain situations in the past, namely Shaq, but when I listen to him talk I’m struck by how Jordanesq he sounds and acts. Like Jordan, Bryant works harder than ANYONE. This past off-season Bryant made 1000 shots every day. I didn’t say he took 1000 shots, I said he made 1000. “You don’t practice taking shots, you practice making them” said Kobe.
The most telling evidence of Bryant’s transformation into the sort of modern Jordan might be the way his teammates talk about him. One of the things that shapes my memory of Jordan was the way that his teammates revered him. Whenever you heard a guy like Tony Kukok or Steve Kerr talk, they always talked about how hard Jordan works and how much he expected of them. If you watched the Bulls regularly, and most big NBA fans did when he played for them, you would occasionally see Jordan pull a teammate aside and sternly talk to them, almost like a father talking to a son. Even Pippen occasionally heard it from Jordan if he made a mistake. I feel like Kobe is starting to develop that same sort of presence. If you listen to any of the Lakers, you will hear about how hard he works and how much he pushes the team to succeed. And as Jordan once did, Kobe occasionally pulls a teammate aside to impart some of his paternal wisdom upon them.
So while you might be reluctant to embrace Bryant for a host of reasons, you might consider doing so because Bryant is a once in a generation talent.
Watch the NBA, watch the Rockets, and watch Kobe Bryant because it is turning out to be one hell of an interesting season.