With Bryant and James Quiet, Lakers Make Gigantic Statement

CLEVELAND - I've been extolling the virtues of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for months now.

Maybe I was a bit overzealous.

I use the term "maybe" very loosely. The Cavs had their franchise record 23-0 home winning streak snapped yesterday at the hands of the boys from Hollywood; but this was devoid of special effects or trick photography. The L.A. Lakers chewed up and spit out Cleveland, 101-91 in front of a rabid sell-out crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.

The most stunning thing about the Lakers' convincing victory was Kobe Bryant's irrelevance. The 30-year old basketball wizard was hampered all afternoon from what was being called "flu-like symptoms." In spite of his nonchalance and seemingly visible detachment, he managed a tepid 19 points in just 35 minutes of real labor. He grimaced several times as if he was ready to purge himself of an annoying hang over.

His megastar counterpart, Cleveland's James was downright trash on offense. The 6th year phenom misfired to the tune of a 5-of-20 shooting performance for a meager 16 points. As with all transcendent facilitators though, he managed to play an excellent floor game with 8 rebounds and 12 assists in 40 minutes that had to feel like a 40 hour work week to him. James labored mightily in a futile attempt to produce his customary brilliance, but with one missed jumper after another, he began to look uncharacteristically inept.

And then there was Lamar Odom.

Odom, the Lakers' much maligned, multi-talented swingman was the unlikely catalyst in this huge L.A. victory. With key starter Andrew Bynum out for possibly the rest of the season, the 6-10" Odom put on a clinic after halftime and spearheaded a scintillating 31-16 third quarter romp that converted a 10-point halftime deficit into a momentum swinging five point edge heading into the fourth.

Odom was unstoppable both offensively and off the glass. He amassed a staggering 15 points and 10 rebounds in the pivotal third alone and finished with a yeoman's 28 points and 17 rebounds. All of this in the Lakers' final game of their six-game road trip, which saw Bryant torch the Knicks for a record 61 points earlier in the week.

I was thoroughly impressed by what L.A. accomplished at Quicken Loans Arena yesterday. It's not that I believed the Cavs to be impervious on their home floor, I just didn't expect the Lakers or any team for that matter to handle them as well without their superstar being their superstar.

Bryant did have a remarkable moment where he drilled an impossible high-arching jumper over James' outstretched arm. It was one more example of his singular specialness in spite of his sickly countenance.

The Lakers looked tough and better equipped than I expected, but when they face Cleveland in the 2009 NBA Finals, it won't be smooth sailing for them the way it was yesterday.

But it won't be for the Cavs either.