Thank you Captain Obvious

Quite the show LeBron put on at the Garden last night. But it shouldn't be about Kobe comparisons. I don't think there's any question who (a) the better player is and (b) which performance was more impressive. Seriously, 52 points on 52 percent shooting with 10 rebounds and 11 assists vs. 61 points on 62 percent shooting with 0 rebounds and three assists? Come on.

FLS actually said it best earlier this week: Kobe is a better pure scorer, and that's it. LeBron is even a better defender now, so Kobe-backers can't play that card, either. When was the last time you saw Kobe guard all five positions on the floor like LeBron has been doing for stretches this season? He's locked down the other team's most dangerous player when asked, and the Cavs are one of the NBA's best defensive teams because of it. I'll take that with the 11 assists and 10 boards over 61 points any day.

Don't give me this "Kobe just refused to lose" argument, either. Whenever the going gets tough, Kobe becomes a ballhog and doesn't trust his teammates. He never has. LeBron has always at least tried to trust them, sometimes to the point of his team's failure. Monday night, Pau Gasol had 31 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Why didn't Kobe feed his dominance of the Knicks' soft interior defense more? Wednesday night, Mo Williams was having a really bad night from the field, and two of the Cavs' best shooters were out, so LeBron strapped the team on his back and carried it to victory. He's been doing that more frequently over the past month, but injuries and illness have hammered the Cavs during that stretch. What's Kobe's excuse? That Andrew Bynum's out? Didn't the Lakers get to the Finals last year with the roster as it's presently comprised?

There's also talk of Kobe being cheered while putting on his performance and LeBron being booed all night. Forgetting the LeBron schmoozefest during his first 50-point Garden party, could it have something to do with the fact that the last few games between the Lakers and Knicks have actually been competitive, whereas the last time the Cavs didn't beat the Knicks by 14+ was December 2007? Hmmm, team domination. I wonder how that happens?

I'm not gonna lie. This post was intended to be some sort of carnival game making fun of the Knicks' atrocious defense (all this LeBron-Kobe-Jordan talk wouldn't be around without it!), but in the end, everyone wants to keep hammering this debate, which isn't even really a debate. LeBron is 5-1 against Kobe in his last six, and as the All-Star voting has proved, LeBron doesn't need another All-Star to make his team good.

You know who thinks Kobe is better than LeBron? Laker fans. You know who thinks LeBron is better than Kobe? Just about everyone else.

They meet again this Sunday at the Q. You'll see, he'll show ya.