Kobe

   

 I saw Kobe play in the NBA Finals in 2009 courtesy of my brother, Peter. He had these great seats at the Staples Center and I was in LA for work. He gave me his seat and I attended with my nephew.

     I knew the seats were top notch when the commissioner of basketball sat down in front of me. You see, basketball is best seen close up. Close enough so you can see the faces of the players.

     Kobe was at his peak and was playing both offense and defense. The defense was what you could see when you were close enough to see his face. There was a priceless moment near the end of the game when he was exhorting one of his young teammates to play closer to his man. Every time down the floor for the last few minutes he yelled to Trevor Ariza to get closer. Ariza was much younger than the thirty year old Kobe, who had become the youngest professional to ever score 25,000 points earlier in the season. I could see he was scared to do what Kobe was asking, but also scared not to do what Kobe was asking. In the end, he did it and the Lakers won.

     It's funny how the greatest professional basketball players from Los Angeles are all known by their first names. In New York they are mostly remembered by their last names. Though I must confess to not having attended a basketball game in NYC since the 1970s.

     East Coast versus the West Coast

     Kobe, Magic, LeBron, Wilt, Kareem

    vs.

    Frazier, Monroe, Reed, Bradley, DeBusschere