Kobe Bryant celebrated his 5th NBA Championship by jumping onto the scorers table and flashing
5 fingers to the Lakers faithful, on Thursday. Sound familiar? Last season, he celebrated his 4th
Championship by jumping around the court with fist thrusting. How about this, seen that before?
If you are a basketball fan, have any sense of history or ever watched Michael Jordan play with
the Chicago Bulls then you know the answer to these questions. And much like Kobe emulated
Jordan in celebration, he has attempted to do the same with his style of play. And while imitation
is the most sincere form of flattery, it is seldom as good as the original. This is the case when the discussion turns to who is greater between the two. Jordan is still the King, by far.

No disrespect to Kobe Bryant. He is one of the all time greats, future Hall of Famer and winner.
But comparisons to Jordan's greatness is not only premature, they fall short.

As Jordan's playing career goes further into the distance, it is only natural to question whether
players such as Bryant or Lebron James are greater than his "Airness". After all, many of the fans
of these two werent even born when Jordan hit "The Shot" in the 1982 NCAA National Championship. And it has been over 20 years since his now legendary display in the slam dunk contest and close to twenty years since he made the incredible shot against Magic Johnson and the Lakers enroute to the NBA Championship.

Jordan with his signature tongue wagging

There are obvious reasons as to why Jordan was a better player than Bryant. One glaring fact is
level of competitiion. Both players have put up sensational numbers. However, Bryant has been
a big fish in a shallow pond. The NBA is watered down thanks to expansion, early entrants into
the league and the prospects brought in from elsewhere in the World. The league has become a
place to develop players. It is like investing in a speculative stock. Kids are being drafted on potential, not necessarily skill. Unfortunately, many of these ball players never pan out. Thus, a
weaker league.

Meanwhile, Michael Jordan had his success against the likes of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, David Robinson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Isaiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, James Worthy...and the list goes on. Quite a few Hall of Famers and a top 50 players of all time there. And while Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Jason Kidd are all fine players and competitors of Bryant, I like my chances with the aforementioned group.

Bryant's game imitates Jordan, right down to the tongue

Jordan came from the last era of "team" basketball in the NBA. Today, the league has marketed individuals and have created a league full of them and it has hurt the chemistry and team aspect
of the game. Jordan played during a time period that included great Celtics and Lakers teams, and the Pistons bad boys, to name a few. The game was played differently and the basic
fundamental skills of the game have eroded as fast as the true Center as the NBA has hyped
dunks and three point shooting. The mid range game has all but evaporated and high-low posts
with every team running their offense through their Centers are a thing of the past.

Ironically, it was the marketing of Michael Jordan, his spectacular dunks and incredible
individual moves that changed the way the NBA marketed it's product. It began promoting
individuals instead of teams. Couple that with his iconic worldwide popularity, with every
kid wanting to grow up to "Be like Mike", the style of play changed in the NBA as
more players chose to focus on individual skills and less on team play.

But Michael Jordan was more than a dunker who had unmatched individual moves
during his time. He was a complete basketball player, a team player. He had the
mid range game, he could run the court and he developed a solid outside shot that
made him virtually impossible to guard one on one. However, it was his defense that may
have set him apart from his contemporaries. He was ferocious on the defensive end which
earned him Defensive Player of the Year in 1987-88 to go with his league MVP award.

With all of the individual accolades that Jordan received, it was his team play that took the
Chicago Bulls to the next level where they rattled off 6 Championships. Jordan raised the play
of his teammates which was key to their success. You can certainly make the case that his
surrounding cast was average at best but dominated the 90's.

Lastly, Michael Jordan had one thing that is often described as "it". That thing you cannot
put your finger on but some players just have it. The unrelentless competitive fire, the will
to win and refusal to lose, the ability to rise when the pressure was on and hit the key shots
even when everyone knows you are going to take it. Kobe has some of these qualities but
Michael Jordan was just one of those rare individuals that may only come around once or
twice during a lifetime. There is no secret that Kobe Bryant idolized Jordan like many of his
age. It is understandable that his game is patterned after Jordan. But to even hint that he is a
better ballplayer than Jordan is just hogwash, fodder for a slow sports season. Only someone
who wasn't around when Jordan was in his prime, or has lost his memory of how great he was,
would think that Kobe Bryant is a greater player than Michael Jordan.

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The Coca-Cola 600, from the Charlotte Motor Speedway will be held today.

The Charlotte Bobcats play their very first playoff game today against the Orlando Magic. The first goal of this franchise was to make the playoffs. In year six, they accomplished that goal. With Michael Jordan taking over ownership, a good young team and Larry Brown stating that he plans to stay in Charlotte, the future looks bright.

The Bobcats will be heavy underdogs against Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and the Orlando Magic. The Magic have taken 3 out of their 4 games this season but the Bobcats did win the last meeting between the two which was in Orlando. But they have no answer for Dwight Howard inside. Of course, many teams can say the same thing but the Cats will use a center by commitee against Howard. They will throw Tyson Chandler, Naz Mohammed and Theo Ratliff against him. Charlotte has the advantage on the wings with All-Star, Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson who have played well together this season. But one of the keys will be whether they can contain the Magic's prolific three point shooting which seems to come from everywhere and everyone.

Gerald Wallace leads the Bobcats in their first playoff series

It will be a good litmus test of the level of interest Charlotte has in the Bobcats with this series. If it is a sweep, will the community who have appeared to finally warmed up to the team, remain on board. Charlotte is a city who was left with a bitter taste after the departure of the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans and many did not want a new arena built in the City. It is a city in which many washed their hands of the NBA after George Shinn pulled up stakes and left town. We are seeing a slow momentum build again starting with the hiring of Larry Brown and now the new ownership lead by Michael Jordan. The city is on the verge of all-in if the Bobcats did something spectacular.

Spectacular in this case would be to upset the second seed and move into the second round. That is very unlikely but possible. My question is how will the city feel about the team if it is a competitive series but the Bobcats lose? Will the city and the momentum remain going into next season or will the Bobcats be an after thought behind the Carolina Panthers? First things first, Game One begins shortly and we will know much more after the two games in Orlando followed by the two in Charlotte. If ticket sales are any indication, Charlotte is ready to rock the two games here as tickets went very quickly for both games. The Bobcats have met one goal, let's see where it goes from here.

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Finally, after months of TMZ, gossip, tabloid reporting, Tiger Woods returns to Golf at the Masters in Augusta. We have heard everything that we will be allowed by Woods in regards to that night late last November. We know about the affairs and the arguments with his wife. By now, everyone has formed an opinion on the Woods' situation and as to Tiger in general. Some do not care, some have completely changed their view of him after this incident. Some will never look at him the same way again. And for some, the incident will be part of the legacy of golf's greatest of all time.

Most people have had it up to here with news of his off course incidents and are now ready to focus on his golf game again. Much like many athletes, it is best not to know their actions away from their sport. In many cases, you will be disappointed. So this week, we bring Tiger back to who and what he is to most people. He is a spectacular professional golfer and we will finally see him back in his environment. The question now is how will he fare in his return from the game of golf. Woods jumped right into the fire choosing The Masters to make his return. I am fascinated as to how well he will perform in one of golf's greatest treasures after the actions of the last 4 plus months.

Tiger Woods finished with a -4 opening round score

Tiger Woods returns to Golf today

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South Regional

BAYLOR ROLLS ON

Baylor put a stranglehold on St. Mary's and never let go winning in a blowout, 72-49. The Bears were led by Lacedarius Dunn's 23 points. The Gaels could never get a handle on Baylor's athletic attack and their stifling defense kept St. Mary's Omar Sanham in check while the game was in question. The Gaels were held to 34 percent shooting from the field. Baylor will move on to the Elite 8 where they will face either Duke or Purdue.

Lacedarius Dunn led the Bears to the Elite 8

DOOKIES ADVANCE

Duke and Purdue were engaged in a defensive slugfest but the Blue Devils finally got some separation in the second half and held on to a 70-57 win. They were able to find their offensive rhythm after struggling most of the first half. The Blue Devils will take on Baylor in the regional final on Sunday. Duke was led by Kyle Singler's 24 points.

Kyle Singler led the Blue Devils

Midwest Regional

VOLS TO THE ELITE 8

Tennessee and Ohio State played a great game that came down to the last possession. With Ohio State down three, the Buckeyes went to Evan Turner who had a couple attempts at a game tying three put thanks to J.P. Prince's defense, he could not get his shot to the rim. The Buckeye's defense had a difficult time guarding the Vols slashing offense. The final was, 76-73. Tennessee was led by Wayne Chism's 22 points, 11 rebounds. Evan Turner finished with 31 for Ohio State. The Vols will face either Michigan State or Northern Iowa on Saturday.

Bruce Pearl received a tremendous effort from his Vols

SPARTANS TO REGIONAL FINALS

Northern Iowa and Michigan State battled in a tough game but the Spartans were able to shake NIU and take a 59-52 victory. Michigan State got 19 points from Durrell Summers and the team was able to overcome an assortment of injuries to advance. Tom Izzo moves on to the Regional Finals again, a place he is quite used to. The Spartans had trailed for much of the first half and into the second half but were able to make the big shots. Michigan State will meet Tennessee on Sunday.

Tom Izzo and the Spartans are back in the Regional Finals

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