Enter the Black Mamba: Where Having Kobe Bryant Matters

Does anyone really doubt that the LA Lakers can win the NBA championship? No. Actually, despite their recent troubles, they still are the favorites. Why? Well one of them is on the bench, while the other is on the floor. Phil Jackson is arguably (and nearly unanimously) the best coach to ever coach the game. And he seems to lift his ability in the playoffs. But he has always had someone on his team who could carry the team in a way he couldn't. With Chicago, he had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and plenty of other greats. With LA, he had Robert Horry, Shaq, Pau Gasol, and of course Kobe Bryant. Kobe is nowhere near Michael Jordan (and anyone who says otherwise does not see the impact that MJ had on the game), but Kobe is the best playoff performer in this millennium other than a certain Big Shot Rob. Kobe can take over games and he has produced on the biggest of stages. So why does everyone like the Lakers in the playoffs? The answer is the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant.