Kobe has grown up, just like you and I!

Apologies for those looking for a post yesterday. Gotta adjust to things on the fly in life, ya know?

I want to give a shout out to the "Mougars" team of City Year Chicago for putting on a beautiful service day. Everything from the volunteers to the murals to the grilling was fantastic, big props!

One of my favorite things to do is talk sports with casual sports fans; that is, people who might not watch sports on a regular basis and follow a particular team or sport closely. It's funny thinking that in high school and college, I was surrounded by people who I talked sports with 24/7. Whether it was with Pros, on the radio at DePauw, with my fraternity brothers, the arguments and debates never stopped and they got pretty heated at times, even down right nasty. Debates became personal and the facts became moot. Those were the days.

Working at City Year Chicago the past ten months, I've been around only a couple people who I share the same passion for sports with. My team would tell you that I talk sports more with the 3rd-5th graders we work with in our after school program than with anyone on the team. Pros can attribute to that as when he came to my school just several weeks back, he got into a great conversation with one of my favorite kids on how the Chicago Bulls would improve this off season . Mind you, this kid is in fourth grade but he was dropping names and strategies left and right. Pros, we need to get Kristopher on the blog soon, ok?

I bring up this point of "casual fans" because of all the talk about Kobe Bryant, the leader and superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers. The amount of Kobe haters out there is mind blowing, especially with the recent "holiness" of LeBron James. People love to hate Kobe and there are plenty of things that people point to:

- The rape charges and how he's a horrible human being and an awful family man.
- His past relationship with Shaquille O'Neal and the falling out they had after the 2003-2004 season, along with Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who left the team only to come back about a year later.
- His scoring numbers during the Lakers rebuilding years, people pointing to Kobe as a ball hog and a selfish teammate.

The people who make these statements forget how much they have grown themselves in their own lives. People make mistakes, people do bad, regrettable things, what not. The funny thing when it comes to Kobe is that people take the things from his past and apply it to his life and basketball career right now. It's even harder when Kobe is being compared to Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. However, people fail to think about how Michael grew as a player and a human being (if you want to even argue that second part...). Michael filed for divorce several years back with his wife Juanita and there were enough rumors on what exactly prompted that. Couple that with his horrible gambling habits that carry their own juicy stories (year off anyone?) and the fact he too was routinely seen yelling at teammates and coaches, how is Michael any different of a person than Kobe?

Yes, I am a Kobe Bryant fan and I'll tell you why: because this guy has grown up and is the best basketball player I've ever watched, period. I barely remember watching Michael as I wasn't even a huge basketball fan back then. This is not about LeBron versus Kobe or what LeBron will do later in his career. I'm asking people to look at what Kobe has done, is doing, and what he might accomplish in a month's time.

We as fans all too often want to point to an athlete and bring him down as a human being. I find sadness in this as in many ways, they are no different than you and I. Kobe pumps his own gas, he goes to the grocery store, and he cries. Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and Team USA basketball came to my school earlier this year to talk with students about the importance of reading. He talked about following your dream as well and then talked about Kobe. Let us remember that this past summer was the first time the grizzled veteran Kobe Bryant got to wear the red, white, and blue for Team USA in the Olympics (he was injured in 2004). Coach K said that when the players were issued the jerseys, all the other players such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul, threw on their jerseys and flashed big smiles, high fiving each other. Kobe did not put his jersey on, instead staring at it and began crying in front of all the guys. It took LeBron and Dwyane Wade to come over and calm him down because he realized he finally got to do something he hadn't done and that he would represent his country in the Olympics.

People need to take a step back when making judgements on people, especially when it comes to athletes and celebrities. It's amazing how quick we are to put a label on people and how those labels stick on certain individuals. It's also about crafting your own argument and not jumping on what others have to say. Weren't we taught at a young age to question what is said and what is around us daily? When it comes to the media and sport, we need to do that. Yes, Kobe is on the verge of accomplishing something special and is about to reach the top of the mountain after being there and being thrown off, some to his own fault. He has battled his way back and has learned how to be a true, all around basketball player, especially after winning the MVP last season for the first time in his career. He always talks about the journey and working hard to attain what he wants, something that few in the NBA do better than him. Let us examine those attributes and his growth and let us think about that while we watch the NBA Finals. If you're gonna say he doesn't pass the ball to his teammates, watch an entire game first. If you're gonna say he is a bad person, try to examine something he might be doing well instead of focusing on the faults. Then let's talk.

Morning Wrap-Up

Why I love Danny Ainge: During day two of the NBA Predraft Camp this morning, Andy Katz interviewed Boston Celtics G.M. Danny Ainge. Katz spoke to Ainge about his health, after the former Celtic suffered a heart attack over a month ago. Then Katz asked Ainge what he thought of the new predraft format, which went away from the traditional 5-on-5 scrimmage to a NFL-like combine. Good thing to know we're on the same page:

"It's horrible. These next three house are a waste of time. I could be playing golf right now. "

Fantastic

New logo?: Last night Jerry West, whose silhouette is on the NBA's logo, told ESPN's Niel Everett he was open to a possible change to the logo. He said Michael Jordan should be on the new logo. How sick would this look on the NBA logo?

Colin Cowherd of "The Herd" on ESPN radio has a contest to see who can come up with the best MLB logo. It's currently this, but a combination of this, this , this and this would look pretty good.

And of course: LeBron was pretty good, yeah. But four of his teammates scored in double-figures, which is the only reason the Cavs won last night. Game 6 is Orlando's to lose. The pressure has shifted from solely being on Cleveland to being on both teams. Cleveland is expected to win the series, but only eight teams have blown a 3-1 series league in NBA playoff history.

-Pros

Anger in sports? Let's chill folks...

Follow me on Twitter.

Sports, or should I say competition in general brings out the best and worst in people. People who've known me for a while remember how back in junior high gym, I was the person no one wanted on their team. I broke my fair share of badminton rackets and yelled for no reason really, arguing this call, saying this was bogus or that my teammate better get their act together or else. I even remember playing freshmen football and getting a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty for spiking the ball after what I thought was a bad call. Those were the days and people who know me now still might see that competitiveness every once in a while, but I'd like to say I've mellowed out.

If you didn't catch Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano's crazy tantrum yesterday, you must check it out now. This guy might be the most bonkers athlete out there right now and I'm so incredibly proud he is part of my beloved Cubbies...not. Seriously, who else is up there with this guy in terms of crazniess? Would you want to rile this guy up?

I find it quite comical when athletes, coaches, managers, or anyone else associated with sports goes on one of these tirades. I really think to myself if it's all an act or not. Remember that guy who threw the bucket of baseballs on the field? Or any manager getting inches away from an umpire, saying just nonsense the majority of the time? Is this what sports is about? People slam sports figures for being role models but rarely do we point to these foolish behaviors that happen on the field of play.

The anger these guys have built up is insane. I consider myself quite a peaceful person and could never imagine going looney over a play in front of millions of people. Yes, I have acted in some stupid ways but again, I believe I've learned a thing or two over my lifetime and I'm 21 compared to Zambrano who is almost 28. It's one thing if you're Troy Polamalu and you're aggressive on the field playing a position in a sport that demands that aggressiveness. It's another thing if your Milton Bradley or Carlos Zambrano and you lose your head over a call here or there (by the way, that was a good call Z so shut it). I try to imagine myself in these athletes' shoes; knowing I'm being paid millions of dollars to perform and I need to be doing everything I can to be the very best. At the same time however, how does Big Z look at himself after watching how he acted yesterday? Does he say that's just how he is and we need to deal with it? That's how he expresses himself? Hogwash!

Going specifically to Zambrano, yesterday was a prime example why this guy will never be a true ace. I will never feel confident with this guy on the mound in a crucial game. "Mike & Mike" were talking about him this morning with Tim Kurkjian and they all said the same thing. Cubs fans, how can we feel good about this guy? It's people who are mentally unstable like this that make us the butt of jokes. We are lacking the kind of attitude you see of championship teams. Sure, you can point to championship teams littered across the ages and find crazies but those are the anomalies and I'll pass. I'll take a professional team that goes out and competes and that is honorable over a group of maniacs any day of the week.

It's annoying to watch this kind of behavior from a player on one of the teams I support. The public needs to get more on him. If he doesn't want to change his behavior, then I personally don't want him wearing the Cubbie blue. Call me crazy but please don't call me BIG Z crazy.

5/28 Morning Wrap-Up

Lamar has risen Odom had 19 points and 14 rebounds during the Lakers' Game 5 win. Both numbers are highs in the series. Mike Greenberg said that Odom is the most important player among the final four teams, saying his play most dictates his team's success. In the Lakers' last five playoff loses, Odom hasn't topped 10 points.

Shocker The Memphis men's basketball team has been charged with major NCAA violations from the 2007-08 season under former coach John Calipari. Through the Freedom of Information Act, the Memphis Commercial Appeal obtained a letter detailing the allegations first reported the story Wednesday. The allegations include "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team. The redacted player is Derick Rose, according to a source. Click here for more.

Mr. 300 After six inning, three hits and one earned run, San Francisco Giant pitcher randy Johnson notched his 299th career win. It's very likely that we will never see another 300-win pitcher. Here is a list of notable pitchers "nearing 300."

• Randy Johnson -- 299
• Mike Mussina -- 270 (still owned by 1.4% ESPN baseball fantasy users)
• Jamie Moyer -- 249 (he'll reach 300 at age 51 if he wins 10 games per year)
• Andy Pettite -- 219 (mucho mas HGH)
• Pedro Martinez -- 214 (if he comes back and can repeat 1997-2000, then yes)
• John Smoltz -- 210

Aside from Johnson, none of the above will make it. But the following have a chance.

• C.C. Sabathia -- 121 (He's 31. I don't see his body holding up that long)
• Johan Santana -- 116 (He's 30. If he keeps up his 15 wins per year average, he'll be 43).

After those two, the future rests on the young guns. SI's Tom Verducci wrote an article in April highlighting baseball's top young pitchers. Will any of these 10 reach 300? My money is on Lincecum. Dominant stuff, no injuries, but will have to get on a team that can give him run support.

-Pros

Lakers/Nuggets Game 5 — beyond the game

I haven't missed a night of the NBA since I moved to Hartford for the summer. I usually just zone out in the third quarter, but for the rest of tonight's game (it's halftime), I'll share with you what's going on in my big head.

Final Lakers took care of business. Off to Denver. Thanks for reading!

1:02, Fourth Kobe's eighth assist was as pretty as they come. Surprised how he has played this quarter, but that was a great pass.

2:24, Fourth That was the most contact I've seen all playoffs without a foul being called. And guess what? That was a lot more enjoyable to watch. Got to love when the NBA cross-promotes with movies.

3:04, Fourth Gasol has a season-high five blocks. He has four blocks twice in the playoffs and never had more than three in the regular season. Classic Odom: pretty good game, misses two free throws.

4:02, Fourth The wheels on the bus are falling off, falling off, falling off. The wheels on the bus are falling off, blah blah blah blah blah. Kobe, where are you? There's Fisher, finally.

4:58, Fourth What's weirder? there's less than five minutes left in a must-win Game 5 and Kobe has 10 field goal attempts or that Shannon Brown is still in the game?

7:03, Fourth Who would have thought that two straight plays going into Gasol would result in a field goal and two free throws? Call me crazy. These LeBron/Kobe commercials are just hilarious.

Kobe: LeBron! Who is it?

LeBron: That was Mrs. Lewis from downstairs. She says you ain't got no defense!

Double negative?

8:54, Fourth Another example of NBA inconsistencies. Anthony destroys Kobe and no flagrant. Not that I think there should have been, but refs have been calling plays like that as flagrants. And yes, I know Jack is there, no need to show him after every play, especially since I can see him during every play because he sits right next to George Karl.

9:42, Fourth: OH MY. Hello Lamar Odom! The Birdman just got owned. Speaking of Andersen, if the Nuggets lose, it's his fault. He doesn't have the mohawk. Instead, he went back to the middle school/high school look of gelling up the front part of your hair. "The Hangover" looks fantastic. Any movie with Mike Tyson, the smart guy from National Treasure and Andy from The Office, plus a Tiger and a funny looking fat kid sounds good to me.

End of Third: J.R. Smith has matured before our very eyes. He has gone from solely shooting 3-pointers to being able to drive and dish. And instead of forcing a low-percentage shot from under the hoop a moment ago, he kicked it out. He's still inconsistent, but he's getting there. Alright, Kobe clearly took the "I'm going to defer to my teammates route" tonight (18 points on eight field goal attempts), but that will change soon. I know coaches hate the interviews in between quarters, but Phil Jackson hates them the most, no question.

Hugh Hefner: Did that really just happen on ESPN?

3:53, Third: That's the second time tonight the refs have made a poor offensive foul call. Earlier Billups was called for one on Ariza and Kobe was just called for one. Although Van Gundy said Smith was "clearly" there in time, he was leaning in. OK, this is getting weird. The Nuggets just committed their fourth straight turnover, and LeBron had eight last night. No one told me this was "Derrick Rose Impersonation Day." Sorry, I had to.

5:46, Third: Gasol says not to Jones and being denied by Andersen earlier. Lakers are down five, which means Kobe is going to start smelling blood shortly.

7:58, Third: Everyone from ESPN writers to the woman on the corner has been complaining about NBA referees. Well here's the solution: let the players ref themselves. Each team will appoint one, level-headed player to accomplish this. For example, Dahntay Jones would not be one of those player, but Billups would. For the Lakers, Kobe is too competitive to objectively call fouls, but Fisher would be perfect. The players know what is a foul and what isn't a foul better than the referees, so let them do it.

Facial Hair: Everyone knows of Chris Andersen's hair, but there seems to be a trend of Jafar-esque looks. ESPN is interviewing Rashard Lewis right now, and he's getting there, but no one comes close to the Celtics' Kendrik Perkins. Gross. Speaking of Perkins, I cannot recall one smile from the Celtics/Bulls series. He has jumped into my "Top 5 People I Don't Want to Meet in an Alley."

Hockey Update: Hawks just lost. I don't know what to feel. Do I care? Yes? Hmmmm....still trying to figure this sport out.

Halftime: I'm going to be really disappointed if Kobe can't pull through in this series. Not only do I want to see LeBron and Kobe in the Finals, I want more puppets. Mike Breen said Derek Fisher had "10 good points" in the first half. I wonder what "10 bad points: looks like. Regardless, Fisher hit double-digits for the first time since Game 1. Vujacic hit a big three to end the half. The only way the Lakers win tonight is if they get production outside of Kobe. 27 from Fisher, Byrun and Odom is a good start, but this brings me to the biggest question of the series: Paul Gasol. How does the best big man on the court have four field goal attempts at the half? Coming into the game, Kobe had 98, Gasol had 40. Gasol had 55 in the first four games of the Houston series.

I'm really curious to try Domino's bread bowl pastas. They can't be that bad? Right? Eh.

Earlier, Mark Jackson proved his worth once again. After Chauncey Billups started the game with a 3-pointer and a good dish to his teammate, Jackson commented that is starting strong because his team is facing the pressure, which makes him a great leader. No doubt Billups is a great leader (Chauncey + watching Kobe over the summer = Carmelo Anthony's development), but explain to me how the Nuggets have all the pressure? A) They're on the road, B) They are the lower seed, C) They aren't favored to win, D) They haven't been to the NBA Finals since 1976, E) THEY'RE THE NUGGETS.

Stop complaining, let's watch greatness be defined!

Follow me on Twitter.

I wish someone knocked some sense into me in high school regarding my sleeping habits. While I now have a job that requires me to wake up at 5:30am, I've begun to fall into bad habits sleeping wise. I've been incredibly disciplined the majority of the year but the NBA Playoffs are bringing out the lazy part of me. However, last night, after going out to dinner with my girlfriend and her beautiful family, I told myself I'd go straight to the sack and pass out. And that's exactly what I did, in bed proudly at 10pm on the dot. Thank you.

I then wake up at 5:30am to a text message from one of my friends saying exactly this:

"LeBron is still on a holy mission, the rest of the team isn't. All great players need a Scottie Pippen. Mo Williams ain't no Scottie Pippen."

Laughs and eyebrow raises courtesy of @Soysaucer1, follow him for some funny stuff.

So yeah, I missed the game and I quickly read up on it and watched the highlights on my computer this morning. I haven't missed a game or an ending this playoffs but forgive me, my health was the prevailing need last night. And yes, I felt greatttt this morning. It's amazing how one can put sports on the backburner of things in life, right? The day has come, thank you again!

The result of the game last night is one I was not surprised by. Orlando has played fantastic this series and the mismatches they have in their favor compared to Cleveland are ridiculous, I've been saying that all along since watching how they came out hard in game one.

I heard Colin Cohwerd say yesterday the Lakers aren't as good of a "team" as we all want them to be but I don't buy that, yet at least. I do however wonder why people haven't said this about LeBron's crew. LeBron is doing what Kobe did several years back, shouldering the load of scoring in a "holy" way if you will. Kobe might be doing that a little out west and yes, that might be the reason they are deadlocked at 2-2, but the Lakers have showed why people think they are the favorites to win. The talent they have dwarfs any team in the NBA really. Oh yeah, let's feed Gasol the ball a bit more.

It's funny reading what people are writing online about Kobe versus LeBron, seeing all these commercials through Nike and Vitamin Water, and seeing a special that ESPN made on "The Dream Season: 23 & 24." I kept telling people this media blitz would get amped up beyond belief if we got that matchup but what are we thinking now with Orlando up 3-1? Will Adidas and Nike team up to make new puppet commercials with Dwight and Kobe? Ha, that would be something. I want a new puppet commercial with Kobe showing a new mixtape of LeBron's teammates being "unholy."

Some people are saying it's a poor decision for ESPN and Nike to be doing all this showcasing of LeBron and Kobe, especially since enough people believe the NBA "fixes" their games for better viewership (check out this interesting read by Sam Smith). While officiating is always questionable, I don't buy it. We wouldn't have seen Golden State beat Dallas several years back and the Clippers wouldn't have won the draft lottery. Let it go people. The question marks people have on this stuff and the anger that comes with them takes up more of the arguments than deciding who is truly the better team or who the better player is. It's a waste of time, let it go. Just do a quick search on Twitter and you'll be quickly laughing. Watch the games as what they are: entertainment. To say the games aren't entertaining is anyone's prerogative, that's cool. To get overly caught up in the officiating or the "fixing" aspect is dumb in my humble opinion. Let us watch greatness be defined people and then let's have some friendly debates.

Yes, we're back....

Thanks to everyone who is still subscribed. Please tell people they can subscribe via email or via RSS reader, both on the right. We will also be setting up a Twitter account so if you aren't TWEETING, get an account. Right now, I'm @guptafour and Pros is @Peeeeeeeej. Alwayssss a pleasure!

Morning Wrap-Up

Cavs/Magic -- If Todd from SNL's Superfans was a Magic fan, his heart attack count would be at 14 after LBJ missed a 35-footer to give Orlando a commanding 3-1 series lead. LeBron has scored 40+ in each of Cleveland's three loses, so the man is frustrated. He committed eight turnovers, something he did just once during the regular season, with the majority coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. Translation? LeBron's frustration with his teammates is drawing parallels to Kareem's in "Airplane!" He's the best player on the planet and he's on the verge of bowing out before the NBA Finals with a better team than when he made the finals in 2007.

Greinke -- Juan Marichal can't be too happy right now. Kansas City star Zack Greinke is the first pitcher to sport a sub-1.00 ERA after 10 starts since Marichal did it for the San Francisco Giants in 1966. Greinke is now 8-1 with an .84 ERA. He threw his fifth complete game of the season last night in the Royals' 6-1 win over the Tigers.

Watch that foot -- Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones was given a flagrant foul1 by league officials after his intentional trip of Kobe Bryant in Game 4 on Monday night. But the story here is that the flagrant fives Jones three flagrant-foul points, and if a player exceeds three flagrant-foul points, he receives an automatic one-game ban. Jones has played just 65 minutes in the series, but his energy and aggressiveness has helped feed the Nuggets' success. Although Denver hasn't won games because of Jones, he's not someone the Nuggets want to lose.

Quote of the Night -- LeBron James: "The ball is in my hand a lot and I may have a few turnovers, but I have to figure out how to not have eight. Eight is unacceptable for me. Fatigue has nothing to do with it."

The GP Show is BACK!

After a nine-month hiatus, Goop n' Pros have returned. Goop has spent the last year working at City Year, while Pros is spending the summer at ESPN in Bristol.

We'll bring you a variety of posts this summer, so make sure you check the site!