Kobe Bryant Drops 53, But the Rockets Still Prevail

The Friday night match up between the Lakers and the Rockets was probably the best NBA game since the Suns and Mavericks double overtime classic from earlier this month. The story of the game was the defensive acumen of the Rockets against the offensive prowess of Kobe Bryant. Kobe started off the game hot, slowed down greatly in the second half, and then caught fire again in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Some of the shots he hit late in the fourth quarter were just unreal. Especially his game tying Sean Elliot like baseline fall away three-pointer.

But in the end, Kobe was also the guy that made crucial mistakes that caused the Lakers to lose their lead in overtime (see: his foul on McGrady and his untimely traveling violation).

Come playoff time, the Rockets are going to be a very formidable team because they play very good defense and know how to get to the free throw line. McGrady and Yao combined to get to the free throw line 37 times. It's tough to beat a team when two guys that shoot free throws as well as McGrady and Yao have an opportunity to shoot that many free throws.

On another note, people always say that Kobe is only capable of scoring 50+ against bad teams. Well, how about 53 against the best defensive team in the league? Kobe is doing everything to carry a mediocre, injury riddled squad to a playoff birth. At this point, if you can't appreciate his genius, you're nothing more than a hater.

Too bad the Rockets and the Lakers probably won't have a chance to match up in the playoffs, because I think that would be an extremely entertaining series.