Shooting stars

SPORTS

When Shaquille O'Neal left the Los Angeles Lakers four years ago to join Miami Heat, most people said that it was the end of Kobe Bryant rather than the end of Lakers.

Despite not being on amicable terms, the Bryant-O'Neal combination won three successive titles for the Los Angeles' more famous franchise, so it was logical to perceive that without Shaq, Kobe would struggle. And he did struggle as well.

But it seems like the man who was destined to take over the crown of the greatest player from Michael Jordan has reinvented himself and has finally come out of Shaq's shadow. This year Kobe has single handedly carried the Lakers and has brought them to the Western Conference Finals and that is apart from winning the MVP award for the first time in his career.

Bryant, now 30, without any big names in his team has brought them on the verge of glory. Unlike the defending champions San Antonio Spurs, which have big names like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker or the hot favourites for this season's title Boston Celtics, whose roster includes the likes of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pearce, Bryant has defied all odds with some super performances.

This, after he had put in a request to be traded and leave the team. But a conversation with head coach Phil Jackson changed his mind and there has been no looking back since then.

In round one of the NBA Playoffs, Lakers were the only team to have not lost a single game. They have been shooting over 100 points every two games and defensively are as strong as any other team. He also became the youngest player in the NBA history to record over 20,000 points.

The Lakers might be rank outsiders and not the odds on favourites to win the title. But with the kind of form Bryant has been, it won't be a surprise if they do manage to surprise everyone.

After all that is what they have been doing all season long. And what do they say about, "form is temporary, class is permanent". Something which Bryant has proved correct this season.