It's pretty obvious now who the man was in LA.
Miami Heat- Currently possess the NBA's best record.
LA Lakers- Struggling to get into the playoffs.
Shaq is/was the difference. Kobe's a mere mortal without the big fella in the middle drawing all the attention. The Lakers were quite foolish to let Kobe dictate the future of their franchise, and now they're paying for it. He's still just an enormously talented high-school baller with no clue how to make his teammates better.
Quite honestly, I was never a big Shaq fan, but I feel myself rooting for him after the way he basically got shafted by Kobe and the Lakers. The Heat winning a title would be pretty friggin' amazing, and the biggest FUCK YOU to Kobe imaginable. Of course, there's a whole lot of hoop yet to be played.
The NCAA tourney's on today...gotta love actual basketball, rather than the endless me-first soap opera that comprises the NBA.