Kobe Bryant @ MindSay

I can't believe the Los Angeles Lakers are actually ok with this.

Despite suffering a torn tendon and broken bone in his pinkie, Kobe Bryant will play in Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game, according to a Lakers spokesperson.

Bryant suffered the injury -- initially described as a dislocated pinkie -- on Feb. 5 against New Jersey. The Lakers disclosed Thursday that the damage was more extensive than first thought. The injury included a torn radial collateral ligament and an avulsion fracture in the pinkie.

Kobe Bryant has been on fire lately.  He's been averaging 53 points in his last 5 games.  That's insane!

Playing on four days' rest, Kobe Bryant had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers held on to beat the last-place Toronto Raptors 107-100 Friday night, when he went over the 17,000-point mark.

 

Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 17,000 points, going over the mark in the second quarter with a 16-foot jumper from the right baseline off a pass from rookie Jordan Farmar.

 

At 28 years and 86 days, Bryant got there faster than Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

 

Current mood:  excited
Category: Sports

OK, so it wasn't Game Eight in the ongoing series between the Phoenix Suns and my LA Lakers, but it was impressive.

No Kobe.

No Kwame.

No problem.

Lakers win 114-106 last night in the NBA season opener.

My heart tells me we can go 82-0 but my head is thinking more like 55-27. That's 10 games better than last year and given how much the team improved during the season under Phil, there's no reason they can't pick up where they left off last April.

Beat the evil Suns, Clippers, Warriors and hated Sacramento Kings enough times this year and they're division winners guaranteed a top 3 seed in the playoffs.

Anything less is a disappointment.