Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant made a big decision Thursday night to sit out the regular season finale against the Sacramento Kings, handing the league's scoring title to Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant in the process.
By sacrificing an individual honor such as that for the pursuit of long-term team success, Kobe made his mark as one of the truly great leaders in sports today.
In the long run, his decision to sit out the final regular season game in order to rest for the playoffs was the only decision Bryant could have made. A rested Kobe makes the Lakers a very dangerous postseason team, and the rest of the NBA needs to be put on notice.
A focused Kobe usually achieves the goals he sets out to accomplish. With Bryant seeing the bigger picture instead of short-term glory, you have to like the Lakers' odds to potentially make a run at the NBA championship.
The Lakers' length with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol up front gives them an edge against almost every team they will face in the Western Conference playoffs, but a red-hot Kobe could make them one of the favorites.
It's been a tough year for Bryant. Despite scoring 27.9 PPG throughout the regular season, he's dealt with a rash of injuries, including a torn wrist ligament in the preseason, a broken nose in the All-Star Game and his latest issue with his shin. Not only that, but he's shot the ball poorly throughout the season, shooting only .430 from the floor and .303 from beyond the arc.
Despite all of that, though, the playoffs are starting, and that's where Kobe's star tends to shine the brightest.
Bryant is always a threat to carry the Lakers to a lengthy playoff run, but a rested Kobe with semi-fresh legs is even more of a danger. He made the right decision by sitting out Thursday night against the Kings, and the Lakers could reap the benefits in the long run.
It's true that their lack of depth and poor perimeter shooting could be a factor in their demise, but a rested Kobe who's ready to go on a tear can help overcome all of that.
Bryant wants to win a sixth ring, and like a veteran and a leader, he's made all of the right sacrifices with eyes on the bigger prize.
You could see the best of Kobe during the next few weeks, and if he raises his game, the Lakers could become a prohibited favorite to win their next championship.
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