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The strain on Kobe to carry a team that was supposed to lean more on Ron Artest and Lamar Odom has been evident down the stretch. The health concerns of Andrew Bynum will likely increase the burden on Bryant. For the Thunder to have a shot, they will need to have Russell Westbrook step up as it is likely that Kevin Durant will be slowed from the attention showered on him by the Lakers D.

This is the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Orlando Magic, two worthy groups of talented players to determine the best TEAM in professional basketball. The hype of “Kobe vs. LeBron” doesn’t work just like “Kobe vs Dwight” doesn’t work. While they are their team’s respective leaders, Bryant and Howard don’t face each other in direct mano-a-mano competition for 48 minutes like a hardwood version of Ali vs. Frazier. They play different positions in a team game. Having said that it may still come down to how the respective opposing defenses handle these two stars. But there are a lot more contributing factors involved.

The Lakers, after a surprisingly testy series that went the distance against Houston, now have a short turnaround, unlike their Jazz series, and face a hot and well-rested Denver Nugget team starting tonight in Los Angeles.