We’re one quarter in, and the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant’s 12 points, have a 27-18 lead. We’ve already heard Marv Albert echo one of his classic “FAST START” lines to describe Bryant’s play thus far.
Why do I bring this up? Because Kobe Bryant is hurt. He has a finger injury, which he’s seemingly had since 2008. YOU HEAR THAT, EVERYONE! KOBE BRYANT IS A WARRIOR! A WARR-I-OR! HE IS A BASKETBALL PLAYER! (sorry, Jon Gruden just took over my computer).
In case you didn’t know that, Craig Sager kindly devoted his first-quarter report to Kobe’s finger injury and all the amazing things the Lakers are doing to fix it up. Again, we’re talking about an injury Kobe Bryant has supposedly suffered through for at least a year, and yet, he still keeps on playing as if nothing is wrong. So why is this news again?
Oh, that’s right, because he’s Kobe Bryant, and we must know that he’s somehow more than just a transcendent basketball player. He’s also a tough basketball player with a ferocious will to never take a game off, even if it means he’s breaking the offense to shoot tons of shots against the New Jersey Nets. I don’t doubt that Kobe is hurting, but everyone’s hurting around this time. We’ve never heard of any of LeBron James’ aches and bruises, yet we keep hearing about Kobe’s finger. Why?