26 Dec 10 Kobe Bryant's Exorcist: Act One is a Wrap, Act Two Starts Thursday

Harry How/Getty ImagesKobe Bryant continues to play like a man possessed while trying to exorcise demons. He has now finished Act One of his two-act suspense/drama/thriller. He capped-off Act One on Sunday night inthrilling fashionwith 37 points in aLakers win.What is to be remembered Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
more than the fact that he had 37 points is how and when he got them. The Lakers had an 18 point lead inthe fourth quarter cut down to five due in large part to teammate Sasha Vujacic givingup a six-point play to start the the rally.On the bench at the time, Bryant was sent in to repel therun the Suns were onand that he did. Every shot he took had a degree of difficultyof 10 on them.Hemadeon-the-move three-pointers and pump-fakingjumpersagainst double-teams. Hecould have challenged Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan to a game of HORSE with those shots.Coming into the series, Bryantsaid, "What do you think?" when asked if revenge was on his mind frombeingeliminated by the Suns in 2005-06 and 2006-07. His play showed that those two playoff eliminations still tormented him.In the series he averaged 33 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds per game. He shot 52 percent from the field. That included 42 percent from three-point range. Above all, he took over games when it was time to. Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
What an opening act that was! The Demons of 2005-06 and 2006-07have now been exorcised!Act Two will open Thursday at the Staples Center against the Boston Celtics. Will Bryant exorcise the demons of 2007-08? The look in his eyes says he will!