^^ That's Kobe the MVP for you - either you like him or hate him. 
Even the behavior of KG and Pierce on-court might tick off fans of the opposing team, but obviously not to the same extent as Kobe for some fans. Well, at least he's got the skills, the stats and the awards to back it up. Should be interesting how he'll handle himself at Boston.
If LA steals one of the first two games in Boston, I think the championship will be LA's in Game 5. But if this has to go back to Boston, lagot ang LA. Historically and with the 2-3-2 format, the home team should be favored when the NBA Finals reaches a Game 6 or 7.
I agree. With Kobe, its either you like him or not. Im an avid Laker fan so, theres no denyin, I should be on his side. But tell you, if I aint a Laker fan, Id hate him too. So I undertsand the folks who hate him where they are coming from.
But the way he had been on and off the court lately, you have to accept the fact that he reached a certain level of maturity that earned respect from his detractors. And even the media has accepted it. They voted him for MVP, so thats really something. At least, he had gotten their respect.
from cnnsi's Chris Ballard
So, you see, this is Kobe, all of this. Sometimes childish, sometimes regal, sometimes stubborn, always relentless. This is a guy who, according to Nike spokesperson KeJuan Wilkins, had the company shave a couple of millimeters off the bottom of his signature shoe because "in his mind that gave him a hundredth of a second better reaction time." A guy who has played the last three months with a torn ligament in the pinkie of his shooting hand. A guy who, says teammate Coby Karl, considers himself "an expert at fouling without getting called for it." (Watch how Bryant uses the back of his hand, not the front, to push off on defenders and a closed-fist forearm to exert leverage.) A guy who says of being guarded by the physical Bowen, "It'll be fun" -- and actually means it. A guy who, no matter what he does, will never get the chance to play the one game he'd die for: Bryant versus Jordan, each in his prime. "There'd be blood on the floor by the end," says Winter, who has coached them both.
This is Kobe Bryant, age 29, in pursuit of his fourth NBA title. Even if it's hard for us to understand him, perhaps it's time that we appreciate him.
