What Is This?
This is me outside Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hate It Or Love It?
Don't you love it when a place you see on TV lives up to its billing in real life?
TV makes things look good. Usually, that means expectations are set high and the thing in real life can't possibly live up to what you've built up in your head. It's kind of like the Great Gatsby syndrome (if you didn't get the reference, read the book. It's good). But on the rare occassion something lives up to its billing, its a great feeling.
For those of you who don't know, the Los Angeles Lakers are kind of like the New York Yankees of basketball. And Staples Center isn't just an arena. It's a Mecca of sorts for basketball fans around the globe.
Did You Know?
The L.A. Lakers are named the "Lakers" because they are originally from Minneapolis, near the Great Lakes.
On Friday night, I actually got to go to Staples for a Lakers game. Let me tell you this: Staples is all that it's cracked up to be, and then some. The rundown buildings on the outskirts of Downtown L.A. miraculously transformed into the blaring music and flashing lights of L.A. Live within a city block. The whole scene had me at hello. This was the place I'd seen on ABC and ESPN for the past eight years. There I stood, across the street from the holiest place in basketball, eyes like saucers and a jaw that might as well have been unhinged. The night only got better from there as Selena and I witnessed Kobe Bryant do his thing and the Lakers dismantle the Philly 76ers. I'm proud to say I soaked in every minute of that night; the Lakers game experience definitely lived up to the hype.
Sometimes, you just have to be there.
Basketball fans: Kobe or Lebron? What about Kobe or Michael? Let's hear it.
you have no idea how jealous i am right now.
ReplyDeletekobe is more skilled, lebron is just a freak of nature and is more athletic -- kobe's the better ballplayer and would win a shooting contest easy, lebron would win a game of 1 on 1 on sheer size and athleticism alone.
p.s. LOVE THE GATSBY REFERENCE! yeahh mr. judge
lebron can play any kind of sport in fact he can save curling before it dies, or maybe even making lacrosse a popular sport. kobe is straight up basketball, he knows what he's doing, he's like the peyton manning of basketball in my opinon.
ReplyDeleteand michael jordan, kobe is a little thing compared to michael jordan
I'm so jealous that you got to go to the staples center and watch the lakers!
ReplyDeleteI love kobe, and I admit that he is one of the best players in the nba right now, but once lebron gets as much experience as kobe has, lebron will be so much better.
ps. i've gotten so many compliments on my lebron poster. thanks again bryan :)
Great post and I really like the Lakers are the New York Yankees of basketball...way to represent NY hahaha. I definitely had the same feeling when I went to my first game at Yankee stadium it was sick.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I would have to say LeBron on this one. Although kobe has all the titles and what not I think LeBron will eventually become better than him once he gets with the right team. LeBron just has so much skill and is so fun to watch with all his crazy dunks, blocks, and weird routines (like the chalk throwing at the beginning of the game). Plus kobe has been known to be a bit of a ball hog over the years (not passing it off to his teammates) which is something that Lebron has never been accused of with all the assists he picks up...thats what I think anyway...
ok, i'll throw in my opinion. i think kobe is better.
ReplyDeletehere's why: kobe is a more polished player than lebron. but i think lebron will get there in time. kobe also has a better outside shot. again, lebron could also develop this over time. but i think the thing that really makes kobe stick out is something intangible. he's a harder worker than lebron (lebron only recently adopted a stricter workout regimen, similar to kobe's) and he's just got that killer instinct. he's a winner. he's also got a higher basketball IQ than lebron in my opinion.
in terms of kobe vs. michael jordan...the jury is out on this one. i haven't seen mike play enough in his heyday and kobe hasn't reached the end of his career yet. but just garnering this type of comparison speaks to how good kobe is
Hmmm i'm not a huge basketball follower but i think i have to say kobe for kobe vs. lebron
ReplyDeleteaiite listen up fooz lol kobe is betta hands down lebron got zero rings and by the time kobe was lebrons age he already had 3. Kobe is an good athlete in his own right, but lebron is a ridiculous athlete. but lbj's jumpshot is unreliable therefore his game has weaknesses, kobe on the other hand can do anything including playing defense. no question that kobe is the best in the league right now
ReplyDeleteMJ verse kobe: well i havent seen mj play that much i saw him a little bit when he was on the wizards and that was particularly sad. He was a player/coach and i heard stories how he made kwame brown cry everyday which is kinda fuked up and his wizards team was never that good. Also many teamates disliked him when he was on the wizards. i haven't seen that much of mj play when he was on the bulls which is when he dominated the league. MJ won 3 straight championships twice, with a total of 6 and kobe on has 4. I think MJ dominated his competition more than kobe is doing now but kobe might get to MJ's status or better one day. I do believe that Kobe not MJ will be remember as the greatest of all time
kobe
ReplyDeletemichael
space jam
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bryan you know i had the same feeling when i drove past staples center? i didnt get to stand outside the building & go in as you did but when i drove past staples center i FLIPPED out and wanted to go running in there and be on the same court kobe plays on.
ReplyDeletebut hands down, kobe bryant <3
AND wasnt this selena's present? HAHAH
Anytime a question like this is asked, it's really tough to answer because the it's too vague. who's better?...all depends on better at what. i believe the ability to make your teammates better is what defines the "better" player, thus i think lebron is better than kobe. lakers didnt have kobe for a few games and it seemed like the lakers played better without him. if you take lebron out for a few games... we would witness the cleveland crapaliers.
ReplyDeletehowever, if you define the better player as one who is just focused on winning games and has the killer instinct as well as being clutch, kobe has this aspect over lebron. as for individual skills, kobe is more finesse and has an arguably better jumpshot, but lebron shoots better 3s, has an above avg midrange, and the best drive in the league. in one on one, i dont think kobe can stop lebron. so it all depends on what kind of "better" you mean, but overall id say lebron is better as an overall basketball player
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