Last Night Was The Worst Possible Outcome For LA LeBron

[ESPN] - As LeBron James walked to the free throw line with 12.9 seconds left in the game Thursday, an approving Kobe Bryant clapped and pumped both of his fists, encouraging his old team and its new superstar to close out their best win of the early season.

Listen, I get that LeBron had a triple-double. I get that LeBron hit some big free throws to seal the win over the Nuggets. I get that it was a big win for the Lakers early in the year over a damn good Nuggets team.

But, this was the worst thing for him. After missing a couple of free throws a few days ago to now doing this with Kobe in attendance. Because guess what? It’s going to lead to Kobe fans losing their mind about it. They’ll talk about how Kobe inspired him and how Kobe helped him, because that’s what Kobe fans do. They flip the switch and turn it all into Kobe stuff.

I mean look at this line, which was something actually written: The Lakers felt the added energy that came with Bryant in attendance, something he did last season when he and his family were honored with the retirement of his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys. Bryant, who sat next to Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ general manager and his former agent, also felt the buzz in Staples Center with the Lakers having a new superstar in James. 

Added energy because Kobe was there? Fuck out of here. I’m not buying that at all. Maybe, LeBron just put up a triple-double and the Lakers finally started to look the part that we thought when it came to them? Maybe it has nothing to do with Kobe. Maybe it has everything to do with LeBron.

Crazy idea, I know.