Halftime Hype

If the Lakers were a gene, Kobe would undoubtedly be a dominant allele and the rest of the squad recessive. Without getting into a discussion of genetics, that means that #24 is masking the identity of his teammates. Translation: Kobe, like many other stars in the league, has come to be the face of his team. However, much to their discredit, the four other starters and the other influential players on the team, seem relatively nonexistent. Ok, I'll admit, on a night when your team's leader drains a winning, fade-away jumper at the buzzer, there's going to be a lot of attention given to him. Heck, he even had me, with an annoying sore throat, yelling. Although, maybe I'm just saying this because he's on my fantasy team, you can't forget Pau Gasol's 22 rebounds and 26 points on 9-15 shooting. Now that's a big deal.

It's not like the press isn't eager to speak with players other than Kobe. Just tonight, the Lakers sideline reporter interviewed Pau, not Kobe, after the buzzer. Regardless, as I logged on to FaceBook and received a more accurate consensus of people's thoughts on the game, all I saw was "Kobe" and several hundred exclamation marks. For those that watched the game, we all know that the Lakers probably would not have been able to win without Kobe's awesome late-game heroics. It could be that as a Lakers fan, I've gotten so used to #24's clutch performances, that I'm suggesting spectators pay attention to the "other" guys. Honestly, though, give the rest of the guys some credit.

Tonight may not be the best time to bring up my point. Besides Kobe and Pau, only Artest reached the 10 point mark. Then again, tonight's game wasn't the only time the other players haven't gotten their due credit. Derek Fisher also came up in crunch time against Miami, only to be shadowed by an incredibly amazing, three-pointer by Kobe - off the glass...while fading to the left. But at the end of the day, Kobe's outside jumper wouldn't haven't mattered if somebody like Fish didn't close the gap.



Another major player that stands out in my mind is Andrew Bynum. Hours of training with arguably the best center to ever play the game, Kareem, and one of the most notable defensive players of all-time, Kurt Rambis, have finally paid off. Bynum is now a legitimate post threat, averaging about 17 points and 9 rebounds. His numbers are that much more remarkable after sustaining season-ending injuries two years in a row. Meanwhile, his game can only become more dangerous, as post-moves and a good feel for shooting from several feet out. Watch out, Dwight Howard.

Also, many forget that without Lamar Odom, the Lakers second unit has a difficult time working together. Actually, I take that back. They barely manage to mesh when Lamar is around. When he's not helping out the second five, the Lakers could very well give up a handful of potential victories.

Like I said, it may have come to a point where some Lakers fans - like myself - have become accustomed to Kobe Bryant's unprecedented greatness. In fact, it now comes as a shock if he even misses a free throw under the enormous pressure he endures night in and night out. Nevertheless, what I'm trying to say is that not just Lakers fans, but observers of the game should pay attention to the role players who make the game close enough for the stars to do their thing.