LeBron vs. Kobe

Or King James vs. Mamba, whichever you prefer.

Er excuse me, Cavaliers vs. Lakers.

And what a game it was, and what a battle of superstars it was. The Lakers pulled out a win 99-98 because Kobe made the clutch shot, and LeBron missed a free throw and then a fadeaway jumper as time expired. Which leads me to my general thoughts on the game:

- LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. No, he doesn't play great defense yet. No, he hasn't hit game-winning, clutch shots. But he is the most explosive player, the most athletic, and maybe the fastest player in the NBA. He can get to the hoop about as well as anyone in the NBA, his jump shot is greatly improving, he can rebound the ball extremely well, he finishes on the fast break, and he has very good court vision. Even though Cleveland lost, his passing really stood out, as he had 9 assists. By the end of the year, he's going to be averaging at least 30/6/6. And that is remarkable.

- Kobe is the most clutch player in the NBA. If I had to trust my life to one guy to make a game-winning shot, it would be Kobe Bryant. Against Cleveland he was being guarded by LeBron,, he drove, LeBron got help from another defender, Kobe pulled up just inside the 3-point line and buried the shot. Remarkable. The only flaws I can see in his game is that he takes too many 3-pointers and he is not as good of a passer as LeBron.

- Has there ever been a less athletic but good player than Zydrunas Ilgauskas? - I could beat him up and down the court. I might also be able to outjump him. And he's one of the best centers in the NBA. He has excellent low-post moves, even though they seem to develop slowly, and he is a good passer. He led Cleveland with 29 and kept them in the game. Great game for him.

- Lamar Odom does not get enough credit - He is an excellent all-around player. He can score when he needs to, he's a good rebounder, and he's a great passed. He was one assist short of a triple-double tonight, and is averaging 14.7/9.4/5.4 a game. These are excellent numbers, especially when you consider that he would score more if Kobe wasn't taking such a large percentage of the Lakers shots.

- The Lakers will win a playoff series - Right now they are 19-17 and the #7 seed in the West. I think they'll eventually pass the Clippers to get the #6 seed, which would probably get them against the winner of the Northwest Division AKA the worst division in basketball. Whoever gets hot between Utah/Denver/Minnesota will take control of the division. I think Kobe is at such a high level right now, and Odom is also playing very well, that they will face one of these times (my money's on Denver), and Kobe will will them to a playoff series win. Then, they'll travel to Phoenix and get run out of the gym. But it'll be fun to watch.

The NBA. I love this game.