Celtics Host "The Kobe Show"

 

 

Traditionally, Celtics fans are supposed to despise the Lakers, and visa-versa. When the Los Angeles Lakers came to town last season, it was not a pretty sight inside the TD BankNorth Garden. Fans were not dressed up in their usual Paul Pierce jerseys, Al Jefferson t-shirts, or Gerald Green Reebok gear. They were dressed up in purple and gold with the name "Bryant" on the back. Being there, it was disgusting, but it only got worse. Bryant went on to drop 43 points on the Celtics, and by the end of the night, he had more than half of the arena chanting his name.

That, my friends, will not be happening this year. The Celtics can now give their fans something to cheer about, and the 9-1 Celtics are ready to begin a new winning streak. After hosting the Golden State Warriors as another victim of a 20+-point blowout on Wednesday night, they are ready to take on their arch rivals. Led by perhaps the most dynamic individual athlete in the entire world, Kobe Bryant has gotten his club off to a respectable start to the 2007-2008 season as well. All drama and trade talk aside, the Lakers don’t look too shabby. At 7-4, there is more to talk about than just Kobe Bryant in LA, now. Third year center Andrew Bynum has come on particularly strong to begin the season, averaging a double-double (11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game) and beginning to finally show some of that potential All-Star talent that the organization believes he has. Starting for the Lakers for the past two games, Bynum has held averages of 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in just 28.0 minutes per contest. Dare I say it, those numbers are extremely reminiscent of our old friend Al Jefferson, who also broke out in his third year.

On paper, the Celtics are clearly superior to the Lakers, but there is only a small handful of players in the NBA that can single-handedly take out an elite team – and Kobe Bryant is surely one of them. We’ve seen him pull it off on numerous accounts throughout his 11-year career, and he is more than capable of turning tonight into "the Kobe Show." At the same time, Phil Jackson will have more than just his hands full with three Hall-of-Fame talents on the opposing end, as well.

Do you want excitement? Do you want star power? Do you want pandemonium? If so, you better make sure you tune in tonight. It’s going to be quite a show.