Lakers hold on but lose Kobe?

       It has been the worst of times for the Lakers who once were in the same breath as the Miami Heat for this year's NBA Finals Trophy but those expectations were not meant to be met.  Instead, it has become a Soap Opera with a revolving door of mulligans, coaches, adjustments for a team in search of their identity and consistency.

    On the other corner, a team who had suffered decades of misfortune but after new ownership change and a new attitude. It appears that specs of sunshine are breaking thru the gloomy atmosphere of the Golden State Warrior franchise. A young backcourt who can pass, shoot and are so interchangeable that the PG/SG line is blurred and rather gray along with a double double machine in David Lee. The Warriors are starting to seemingly get things on the right path.

    Last night, these teams met in a game where both were playing for Playoff positioning. One team was trying to avoid the San Antonio Spurs while the other was trying to get a matchup with that very team. Indeed, it was a thrilling and heart pounding game that kept viewers and spectators guessing till the very end.

    In the end, The Lakers prevailed much to the delight of their fans but perhaps may have lost their Franchise cornerstone and leader, Kobe Bryant. This despite Stephen Curry scoring 47 points and grilling up the Laker guards like a nice steak over the fire. In fact, he nearly won the game with an 80 foot shot at the buzzer which might have been the shot of the year and maybe decade.

     Kobe was his usual self but the injuries he sustained made you respect the guy for trying to gut it out despite the pain on his body. People are not meant to sustain that much but there he was trying to will his team closer to the Playoffs. Yet, you also wonder how long can this guy take and then.....he dribbles and then his foot gives out. Boom. Just like that, a Superstar who has carried his Franchise for 17 years may perhaps played his final game.

     Now, the Lakers must regroup yet again as another injury has befallen yet another All Star but perhaps the heart and soul of the Laker franchise since he was drafted in a brilliant trade that changed not only their fortunes but eventually led the other franchise to move. Kobe has left everything he has on the court and was somehow still standing to fight another day. Unfortunately, he could not find a way out of this injury at a time where he has tested the limits of his body playing near superhuman level minutes in the last 7 games (47,43,47, 41, 48, 45) for a team that trying to make the final playoff seed at a time where he would usually rest while the Lakers are locked into a top 3 seed. Alas, this is not one of those seasons.

    Both the Lakers and Kobe have a new battle to fight, where one is trying to recover from an Achilles tear that the team says is 6-9 month recovery while the other has another obstacle to overcome in a season full of them. The both have daunting odds (long recovery and the other facing the best of the best without their best player) and an uncertain future (80 million dollar luxury tax, D12 impending FA and an Aging roster) but each hope to come out of it stronger than ever before.