Basketball Pass

08 May 2008 | Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets | Shooter

Kobe Bryant has won the MVP award and a great wrong has been done unto Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. All my readers know that I truly believe Chris Paul is this years MVP and the Hornets continue to prove my point as they dominate Western Conference teams leading to the ultimate and inevitable matchup with the Lakers.

So who wins between the Lakers and Hornets? It’s only a matter of time before the Utah Jazz are swept under the rug like the Denver Nuggets were. The San Antonio Spurs are getting manhandled just like the Dallas Mavericks by Chris Paul and the Hornets.

Yea I know Laker lovers will be pointing to the last game between the Lakers and Hornets as an indicator of how the match up will play out. CP3’s downfall in that series was failure to execute and having the deer in headlights syndrome everyone expected Chris Paul and the Hornets to have during playoff matchups. Chris Paul seems to have gotten over that really quick and the Hornets are putting away teams convincingly with that said is it enough to put away the Lakers?

This is an easier call than appears on the surface and will go on record as saying the Hornets will upset the Lakers when they match up in the Western Conference Finals.

Why the Lakers will lose:

Thanks to the pity party the voting sports writers gave Kobe Bryant, Bryant has now secured what he most wanted and didn’t have. Having no more need to put on a charade about “im a team leader” Bryant will become completely focused on winning another ring at all costs. Note not because Bryant wants to win it for the Lakers but because it would be a story book ending for Kobe Bryant. Here is where the breakdown will happen and the old Kobe will re-emerge. Kobe may have been a huge factor for getting them this far, but thanks to a now over inflated head Kobe’s inability to maintain the bad “im un-selfish” acting bit will eventually cost the Lakers the series.

REMEMBER: This is a Kobe Bryant who tanked a playoff series and blamed his teammates for the loss.

Nothing has changed about Bryant and now having accomplished what he truly worked hard for all year his MVP award you can expect the old Kobe to come back. The sports writers really are to blame for the Lakers not winning the ring this year. If they had not voted for Kobe Bryant, Bryant would have been more determined to win it. Again not for his team, the organization, the fans or anyone else but only to prove the writers wrong.

Why the Hornets will win:

Byron Scott and Chris Paul! Byron Scott has got this team believing they can beat anyone and doing a great job at it. Scott has somehow re-captured and given the Hornets the old “Showtime” swagger the Magic Johnson era Lakers had. This Hornets squad believes in Byron Scott and all that he stands for as a former Laker champion and as a proven NBA coach.

Also lets look at the facts, the Hornets outside of the Chris Paul are not really All-Star caliber players but yet this squad is playing NBA Champion level basketball. You would think they were the defending NBA Champions and not the San Antonio Spurs. With unselfish balanced team play and a focus that only a Byron Scott could have put in this young Hornets team look for Laker lovers everywhere to spontaneously burst into tears when the Hornets win the series matchup.