LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant is lying. He's lying through the teeth he's kept in solitary confinement throughout these playoffs. The four-time NBA champion was asked earlier this week how important it is for him to be seen as the league's best player; a title the media have giveth, taketh, and giveth back to him throughout his career. His instant, no-look response? "Don't care." Right. And Hef doesn't care about looks. Kobe Bryant is the type of guy who'd go on a breathing strike if he were anything but the finest in his field. He wrote a column for Dime Magazine four years ago stating that the "quest" to be the league's best all-around player is "behind me, and a new one has taken its place." Perhaps that's why this particular declaration would put an extra slide in the Mamba's slither: If the Lakers beat the Celtics, and Bryant's the MVP, he'll not only be the top player in basketball -- he'll be the premier athlete in America. "Interesting thought," said Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, the two-time National Sportswriter of the Year. "I think if Kobe Bryant leads the Lakers to the championship, and continues to play at the level that he's played -- which is one of the great playoff performances of all time -- then that case could be made." Some people just read that statement and turned redder than Brian Scalabrine's hair. Others feel Kobe earned that crown 31 years ago, when he was born. But most folks simply haven't given the subject much thought -- because for the past 10 years, they haven't had to. When Tiger Woods bulldozed Pebble Beach in 2000 and won the U.S. Open by 15 strokes, he planted his glutes in the "Nation's Best Sportsman" throne and sat firmly through three presidential elections. Then he backed into a hydrant, started a fire and extinguished his once venerable status. But even if Woods restricted his playing to golf and golf alone, he still hasn't won a major since 2008 and is nearly two months removed from actually completing a tournament. Lance Armstrong? A few Pyrenees past his prime. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning? Ringless since 2007. Albert Pujols is a lifeless personality in a tainted sport, LeBron James' banner seasons have never produced a championship banner, and Michael Phelps ... well ... we'll talk about him in London. But Kobe? Kobe has suddenly emerged as a redwood among pines. With four wins against the Celtics, he'd be the only athlete in North American team sports to win an MVP and multiple titles in the past three years. His five championships would surpass Shaq and Tim Duncan and tie Derek Jeter -- who's never won an MVP. The only American you could really try to put up against him is NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson, who's won a record four consecutive Cup championships. But unlike racecar drivers, you'll never hear Bryant credit a win or a loss to his equipment. So maybe the question is: Why shouldn'tBryant be handed the scepter if he hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy later this month? Well ... there is this one thing. "Kobe's so polarizing ... he always has been for whatever reason," said ESPN's J.A Adande, a frequent guest host on "Around the Horn." "It's never going to be unanimous. The people who love him are fiercely loyal to him. There are people who are probably vastly irrational in their hatred for him. So it's tough." But America's Top Athlete isn't a seat won via popular election; it's a standing seized by brute force. And with 29.4 points per game this postseason, an average accompanied by the best field-goal and three-point percentages of his career, Bryant's staging a coup for the ages. As Lakers coach Phil Jackson said: "I don't think there's any doubt this is one of the great playoff performances." Of course, even if the Lakers win, Kobe's top-dog status could all disappear if Tiger takes the next three majors or LeBron goes 78-4 next year. But these Finals are an opportunity for Bryant to complete his next quest. And he cares. No lie. Source: PE.com
