Kobe vs. LeBron - it doesn't get any better

Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times writes how LeBron may be the best player, but this is Kobe's era... "Between 1997 and 1999, Utah's Karl Malone won two MVPs to Michael Jordan's one. Jordan's Bulls won the '97 and '98 titles, giving them six in the decade, which is why no one talks about a Mailman Era. If James, currently the front-runner, becomes the MVP, it won't matter a bit if Bryant's Lakers win the title." ...

Mark Heisler

Bill Livingston of The Plain Dealer writes how not only do the fans, but also other players will be focusing on the Kobe vs. LeBron match-up... "Sunday at The Q, Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers face LeBron James' Cavaliers in one of the season's most anticipated games. It is not only a meeting of two of the NBA's top teams, but also of the two leading Most Valuable Player contenders. A detailed statistical study before the season on America Online predicted James would be the MVP, based on his higher average percentile rank than Bryant last season in a bewildering number of categories." ...

Bill Livingston