Kobe’s turn: 41 in a win

Do you know what’s the most unfortunate part? That a lot of people out there are too caught up in hating one side or the other to appreciate what we’re seeing from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as this postseason unfolds. Yeah, sometimes it seems just a little too convenient that the NBA, the TV networks and sneaker giants are all getting exactly what they want as Mamba and the King trade spectacular performances, but try to pull yourself away from that, and forget about whether you think Kobe is a dick or LeBron gets too much media hype. Just focus on the fact that these two are putting together a story that could eclipse Michael vs. Magic in ‘91, Jordan vs. Barkley in ‘93, Hakeem vs. Shaq in ‘95, and even some of the Magic vs. Bird or Magic vs. Isiah epics from the ’80s. After LeBron owned Friday night, Kobe was The Man on Saturday, dropping 41 points and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot in L.A.’s Game 3 win over the Nuggets on the road … Although it was looking shaky for the Lakers for a while, and Pau Gasol was their best player on the floor during some key junctures in the second half, Kobe (12-24 FG, 15-17 FT) took over when it mattered most: With three minutes left he drove past ‘Melo and got an and-one to put L.A. ahead by one, then with one minute to go, wetted a tough three over J.R. Smith for another go-ahead bucket. (”That’s how you tell 20,000 people to sit down and be quiet,” Mark Jackson said.)