I'm Still With Team Shaq, But Not His Rap

Earlier today, E.J. composed a well-crafted piece on why he has shifted from Team Shaq to Team Kobe. You can read his articulate verbiage here.

Lots of fuss (far too much) has been made over Shaq's freestyling escapades in a New York night club. Personally, I thought his rapping was awful, as usual, and I didn't take him seriously. I understand why E.J. and many others found it childish and idiotic, but I couldn't help cracking up.

And if we're really going back to the Shaq vs. Kobe debate, I think it's time to put Kobe in his place again. He deserves a lot of credit for playing through a pinky injury, leading the Lakers through the West, and restoring his image. That being said, he CHOKED in the Finals. He played like garbage, when even a decent performance by his standards could have tipped the scales.

What irks me is how Kobe and LeBron are referred to as "the best players in the game" when they've each crashed in the Finals of late. This, while Dwyane Wade put forth the finest performance in NBA Finals history. Wade didn't have the luxury of a good Shaq in the Heat's Finals run...in fact, Shaq stunk in that series.

For an enlightening take on the current status of Kobe, by the way, I strongly encourage you to read this wonderful piece from Phil Wallace of SoCal Sports Observed. If you haven't heard of Phil Wallace yet, you surely will. He's a rising star in the L.A. sports scene.