The flow according to Kobe

When asked how he thought the game was going at the half Kobie said: "well we tend to push the tempo a bit at home and lay back when we're away so I'm just adjusting to the flow". I took a minute to see why that quote lay still in my head. It struck me but i didn't really know why. Then it slowly began to materialized that this is one of the things that separates Kobe from the rest. What struck me was that up until that point I hadn't really heard another player since Bird or Jordan give a first half analysis in such a way. I mean most players will give you their pedestrian analysis of the game sans all of the nuances that the true lover of the game would express. But then there comes that special player who proves it in both their play and their lifestyle. Kobe understands that the game is rythmic and that it has an ebb and flow . Only true lovers of the game would describe it this way. What makes him unique is that he has been blessed with an ability which is matched with love. Most of us are not blessed in this way on the court or anywhere else for that matter. And if we are blessed we are usually not aware that we are. I guess it this awareness that makes professional athletes so special. While the rest of us in the herd are still trying to figure it all out, these men perform amazing feats which are fueled by concrete proof that some deity exists that has given them gifts that help them to excel in an arena where pure rapture exists. I have a deeper understanding now why these individuals are the closest thing to gods that we have ever seen. When we think about how many movies we have seen and stories we have read about angels, super heroes, and extraterrestrials, none of us has ever seen a man fly until we met Mr. Erving, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Bryant. I wonder after the next great war will the rewritten books of the Bible, Illiad and Oddessy, include these men.

Then...Something unexpected happened in the second half. As I was watching the game wondering what philosophical analysis Kobe might make at the end (after of course scoring the game winning shot). The "flow" that Kobe was talking about changed. The Lakers lost to the Magic 103-108. The person who actually got the post game interview was none other than Dwight Howard who is ironically nicknamed "superman". The first thing he said when asked about his analysis of the game was "before I do that I would like to thank God for the win". 'nuff said.
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