By winning his fourth NBA championship and his first Finals MVP trophy, Kobe Bryant earned his MA in being a team leader. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Winning an NBA championship is kind of like graduation. You work all year to accumulate points and, once it’s done, you get to enjoy a big celebration in June.

On June 14, 2009, Kobe Bryant graduated from all-star to uber star. He scored an A-plus on his NBA report card and finally completed this master’s degree in leadership.

Being named most valuable player of the NBA Finals signifies that you are the best player in the world. When Kobe Bryant was handed the Bill Russell MVP trophy on Sunday night after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA championship, he officially became a Jedi Master – one who can force his will on his own team as well as his opponent. If LeBron James is the MVP of the NBA, then Bryant is the MVP of a galaxy far, far away.

“He is the guy that LeBron and all those other guys are chasing. He’s Machiavelli. He’s a throwback,” former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy said of Bryant while comparing him to the great Italian philosopher. Bryant averaged 32 points per game, six rebounds and seven assists in the five-game series against the Orlando Magic en route to claiming his first Finals MVP and his fourth NBA championship ring.

“MVP. Championship. The legacy continues. This guy now, in my opinion, is in the top 10 players of all time. He’s No. 10 in my book,” TNT’s Kenny Smith said about Bryant, who is widely regarded as the best closer in the game.

Though he won three championships from 2000-02, this year’s title resonates more with Bryant, a player who balances being the most beloved player in the league and its most hated villain. He entered the league as a cocky and sometimes irritating 18-year-old know-it-all and now, at 30 years old, his unparalleled swagger is viewed as intimidating.

Bryant recently admitted he is a much better all-round player now and went as far as saying he had a better year in 2009 than 2008 – and ‘08 was his MVP season. Winning a fourth NBA championship definitely cemented Bryant’s place in NBA history. He now has his championship without Shaquille O’Neal, proving to critics he can lead a team to a championship as the main Alpha Male.

“It was just annoying. It was like Chinese water torture,” Bryant said of the chatter that he couldn’t win a title without Shaq. “I would cringe every time. I was just like, it’s a challenge I’m just going to have to accept because there’s no way I’m going to argue it. You can say it until you’re blue in the face and rationalize it until you’re blue in the face, but it’s not going anywhere until you do something about it.

“I think we as a team answered the call because they understood the challenge that I had, and we all embraced it.”

O’Neal posted a congratulatory message on his Twitter page following the game: “Congratulations kobe, u deserve it,” O’Neal wrote. “You played great. Enjoy it my man enjoy it.”

It took Bryant 13 years to finally shed the selfish moniker he’s been unceremoniously branded with. He dropped the hot dog, mustard and the relish off his game and developed a healthy diet of highlight-free moves. Although he still showcases a spectacular move once in a while, for the most part he has become more efficient on offense and defense. Because he’s a little bit older and does not jump as high, Bryant has ditched the fancy crossover dribbles and the ill-advised pull-up 3-pointers in favor of turn-around jumpers in the post and more high-percentage mid-range jump shots.

The biggest improvement in Bryant’s game is his passing. He is now willing to share the ball with his teammates, a part of his game that he really struggled with during the early part of his career. There was a time when he led a fastbreak and no one ran with him. He was the lone wolf of the pack. Now, when he leads a fastbreak, the pack is running with him.

When Kobe Bryant got his teammates involved, the Lakers became world champions.

His coach of eight years, Phil Jackson, has witnessed Bryant’s growth as a player and as a person.

“There was a point in Kobe’s first or second year [with me] when we sat together and watched tape. I wanted him to understand his impact on the game a little bit and my feeling on his impact on the game,” Jackson said.

“We had a game in Toronto and he had gotten hooked up with Vince Carter in the middle of a fourth quarter, and they kinda exchanged baskets and I thought it took our team out of our team play. The game was much harder than it should have been,” Jackson recalled. “So I talked to him a little bit about leadership and about his ability to be a leader and he said, ‘Yeah, I’m ready to be a captain right now.’ And I said, ‘But no one is ready to follow you.

“But he was 22 at the time. He was a young guy,” Jackson continued. “In those eight years that ensued from that period, he’s learned how to become a leader in a way in which people want to follow him. I think that’s really important for him to learn that. He knew that he had to give to get [something] in return. He’s become a giver rather than just a guy who’s a demanding leader. It’s been great to watch.”

Bryant’s willingness to share the ball was evident in Game 4 against the Magic. He set up Pau Gasol’s dunk with 32 seconds left with a whirling-derbish move ala Earl Monroe. With the Lakers down 87-84 with 10 seconds left, the Magic double-teamed Bryant and, without hesitation, he passed the ball to Trevor Ariza and started a mini-fastbreak, culminating in a 3-pointer by Derek Fisher to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, Kobe’s recognition of a double team resulted in a wide-open 3-pointer for Fisher at the top of the arc for what proved to be the game-winning shot of Game 4 and the defining moment of the ‘09 Finals. Those two plays were clear indications that Kobe Bryant has grown into his role as the most complete player in the world. He no longer needs to be told that. He knows it.

“This is one bad man,” former NBA guard and current ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson said. “You’re talking about a complete basketball player. I don’t really think you appreciate how great this guy is. I learned as a broadcaster you don’t want to throw around the word ‘great.’ I’m gonna go out on a limb and say, ‘This guy is great.’ As good as we’ve seen at the two-guard position.”

When Bryant realized that he can’t win on his own, no matter how hard he tried, he evolved as a player. His single-mindedness and incredible drive, which is both a curse and a gift, now permeates to the rest of his team. He has become a better teammate. He still has some venom when he rips into his guys, but he has done it less and less.

The transformation began in 2007-08 when Bryant won MVP during the regular season. The arrival of Gasol gave Bryant the much-needed support he has craved for since O’Neal left town in 2004. With Gasol playing the No. 2 scoring option and Fisher as wingman, Bryant took HIS new-look Lakers to the NBA Finals in ‘08 but fell short against the Boston Celtics. Instead of having another meltdown during the offseason, Bryant went back to the lab and helped HIS teammates get stronger – physically and mentally. Bryant knew he needed to build HIS team back up – one pass and one shot at a time.

“Losing in the Finals last year brought us closer together,” Fisher said. “This team is closer because of the combination of guys in terms of their ages and where they’re at in their careers. With these guys, everybody being early to mid-20s, there was a willingness to learn and be around me, to be around Kobe, and be around people that they can learn from.”

With Bryant as their undeniable leader and captain, the Lakers knocked off every Western Conference foe in surgical fashion and slapped the exclamation point with a victory over the Magic in the Finals.

Having been to the top in Stage 1 of his career, Bryant has talked about climbing the mountain top again. With Stage 2 well underway, he is more refined and building a legacy that could land him above his idol, Michael Jordan. “I just want to be the best – simple and plain. But to be the best, you have to win. That is what drives me,” Bryant said.

Three more championships and Bryant will surpass Jordan.

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Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant are one victory away from earning their fourth NBA championship ring. (GETTY IMAGES)

Move over Robert Horry. Step aside Steve Kerr and John Paxson. Make room for the newest member of Mr. Clutch in the NBA Finals: Derek Fisher.

When Fisher stepped into those two crunch-time shots in the fourth quarter and in overtime that powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-91 victory in Game 4 of The NBA Finals, he simply planted his name into basketball lore. Kobe Bryant will most likely be the most valuable player of the The Finals, but Fisher just etched his image as the true defining moment of the 2009 Finals.

With 11 seconds left and the Lakers down by three at 87-84, Orlando decided to double team Bryant in the backcourt and rolled the dice, hoping for a miss. As soon as Trevor Ariza broke the Magic press and gave it to Fisher at midcourt, the 34-year-old savvy guard and a member of three Laker championship teams stepped into the vacuum provided by Bryant and unleashed a 3-point shot over Magic guard Jameer Nelson. It would have been one of the greatest shots in Finals history, only to be topped by Fisher in overtime when he drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc that gave the Lakers a 94-91 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the extra session.

Two classic shots from a man who exudes class in every which way. Thanks to Fisher, who had missed his previous five 3-pointers before making his last two, the Lakers are one victory away from winning the franchise’s 15th championship banner, Phil Jackson’s record 10th title as coach and Fisher and Bryant’s fourth ring.

“In a championship run, you gotta have moments where you just need big plays. Tonight was one of them. Trevor made a big three, Derek obviously made two big ones. That’s what the journey is about,” Bryant said.

Where does Fisher’s shots rank among his individual accomplishments?

“Maybe 100, 101, something like that,” Fisher joked. “Naw, obviously, personally in the last couple of years, leaving this team and playing with these group of guys, it ranks up there at the top. Even greater than .4 because I feel like we’re as close as possible to our end goal.”

I have a responsibility to my team that if I’m going to be on the floor then I have to make a difference. None of us can’t continue to expect Kobe’s gonna save us. We have to be willing to take responsibility, accountability. I felt bad because Pau was kicking it out to me for some wide-open threes that I was missing. I promised him that I was not gonna miss those shots anymore even though Kobe was the guy who passed it to me, the last one I hit, I thanked Pau for warming up my elbow.”

Speaking of elbow, it was Bryant’s right elbow that knocked Nelson to the floor that allowed Fisher to step into an open 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in OT. As Fisher jogged back, he had the look of a champion.

“I just sensed it was the dagger. That was the one that would put us in a position to close out the game,” Fisher said.

It was similar to the play that Michael Jordan made during the 1997 NBA Finals when he drew a double team and kicked it out to Kerr, who swished a jump shot at the top of the circle that ultimately knocked down the Utah Jazz and gave the Chicago Bulls ring No. 5.

When Fisher was asked if he now considers himself a Mr. Big Shot, ala Robert Horry, he said he’s a few rings short of joining Big Shot Bob.

“I definitely don’t compare myself to Robert Horry. I’m quite a few rings shy of where he stands. He’s in his own category,” said Fisher, who credited his teammates and Phil Jackson for sticking with him despite his early struggles in the game. He finished with 12 points in 42 minutes.

“Just the way he’s willing to stick certain people that he believes can get the job done, and that is not always about statistically what this guy’s gonna bring to the table,” Fisher said of Jackson. “When this guy or these guys are on the floor together, as a coach he’s confident in those five guys’ ability to win a game. We had that type of group before, where it was myself and Kobe and Robert, and Rick Fox and Shaq. Those were the five guys, I don’t care who we were playing, those were the five guys who were gonna finish a game. With Trevor Ariza’s development, we have that five guys now that consist of Pau, Lamar, Trevor, Kobe and myself, we’re kind of becoming those five guys that when the game is on the line, more times than not, those are the five guys you’re gonna see out there.”

On the shot that sent the game into overtime, Fisher said the play was initially designed for Bryant, which was to be expected.

“The ball will always be in Kobe’s hands down the stretch unless the defense does something to take it away. When they trapped him, he kicked it up to Trevor and then he kicked it up to me,” Fisher explained. “Initially, I didn’t catch the ball cleanly so I wanted to make sure I gained control of the ball. I checked the clock really quick, as I continue to kinda dribble one dribble, two dribbles, three dribbles, I just noticed that Jameer was backing up and backing up and backing up and I just decided to go up and shoot. I felt like I had the space he wasn’t close enough to deter me from shooting. In that split second, I made the decision and it worked out better for me.”

If Fisher was the main hero of the game, there were too many guys who got the goat tag and all of them were on the Orlando side of the court, starting with Magic coach and ending with Nelson.

“We thought 11 seconds was too early [to foul], especially with the way we were shooting free throws,” said Van Gundy, whose team was 22-for-37 from the foul line in Game 4 and was 11-for-19 in the fourth quarter and in overtime.

“In retrospect, we gave him so much space to shoot the ball. We played him like we tried to prevent the layup,” Van Gundy continued. “We denied Bryant the ball, but we just didn’t play Derek Fisher. We didn’t guard him. It was my decision not to foul, and yes I regret in now but only retrospect. To me, 11 (seconds) was too early. I’m gonna have to look at it again.

“That will haunt me forever. We could have played that a lot better.”

In a postseason that has seen Orlando get victimized by big-time, game-winning shots in each round, Fisher’s shots will ultimately be the ones that will leave the deepest scars for Van Gundy and the Magic.

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Jameer Nelson's decision to play in The Finals has hurt the Magic rather than help them.

A 3-1 deficit in The NBA Finals. It is staring the Orlando Magic in the face as it tries to figure out what went wrong in Game 4, a game that saw the Magic blow a 12-point halftime lead, turn the ball over 19 times and miss 15 free throws.

But the biggest reason why Orlando is on the brink of elimination is because of the presence of Jameer Nelson. In hindsight, the decision to activate him for the NBA Finals was probably the wrong one. Instead of providing a shot in the arm for the Magic, Nelson has become a detriment to team chemistry and his blown defensive assignment at the end of regulation will go down as one of the all-time blunders.

Nelson, the All-Star guard who has played in four games since injuring his right shoulder in February, inexplicably allowed Derek Fisher too much space to shoot a 3-pointer that tied the game at 87 with 4.6 seconds left and forced overtime, where Fisher hit another three to seal a 99-91 Lakers victory.

Mr. Nelson, meet Mr. Buckner.

“Obviously, we didn’t want to give up a three. I think I let Fisher get into rhythm and he shot a good shot. I could have pushed up a little more,” Nelson said of Fisher’s first 3-pointer of the game after missing his previous five attempts. Fisher’s second 3-pointer came in overtime, which also involved Nelson.

“I got elbowed,” Nelson said. “I went to go double Kobe and got elbowed. The explanation I got was the man had the ball so [the referee] can’t call the elbow,” Nelson said on the play where Bryant’s right elbow knocked him to the floor and allowed Fisher an open look at the top of the 3-point arc that made it 94-91 with 30 seconds left in OT.

Mickael Pietrus, one of the few Magic players who actually delivered in the clutch in Game 4 and did an admirable job of slowing down Kobe Bryant, says the game began slipping away in the third quarter when the Lakers erased a 12-point halftime deficit by outscoring Orlando, 30-14, in the third.

“I think we didn’t play well at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. We started panicking a little bit and lost a lot on turnovers,” Pietrus said.

Did Pietrus just say the Magic panicked? Somewhere out in Phoenix, Shaquille O’Neal is laughing out loud as he Twitters.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said the end of regulation will “haunt him forever,” but his nightmare was a self-inflicted psychological scar. His decision to play Nelson in the fourth quarter and overtime will turn out to be more damaging than any missed free throw or careless turnover.

Van Gundy reasoned that he gave Nelson more minutes in the second half because Orlando was struggling on offense and Alston would have had a difficult time getting in rhythm after sitting for a long time.

“I thought we had a really, really bad third quarter,” Van Gundy explained. “It wasn’t so much one guy over the other, it was just we had a unit in the fourth that was playing real well and then you get down to the point where Rafer hasn’t played in 10 or 12 minutes. I thought it would be to bring him back. Jameer wasn’t doing a whole lot, but it also wasn’t hurting us at all.”

Alston had 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting, two assists and one turnover in 27 minutes. Nelson had two points, three turnovers and three assists in 26 minutes.

“I was shocked. I was shocked,” Alston told the Associated Press of his Van Gundy’s decision to bench him. “It’s tough. You’re thinking Coach will come back to you. The first two games I could understand, but again we were right there to win the game. As a player you would like to have your number called.”

Van Gundy dismissed the idea that Orlando’s lack of experience was not a factor in the Magic being down 3-1 in the series. Instead, he pointed out some regrettable mistakes that will stick with them all summer and maybe beyond that.

“Well, 19 turnovers to eight. Free throw shooting and poor execution down the stretch,” Van Gundy said.

Dwight Howard tried to defend his teammate and close friend, saying it was more Fisher than Nelson’s decision not to contest the shot that killed the Magic in Game 4.

“We tried to take that away, but he just made a tough shot,” Howard said. “We just rushed a little bit. But there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”

Despite Nelson’s botched assignment on defense and all the turnovers, Orlando still had a chance to secure the victory with 11 seconds left when Howard was fouled by Bryant and sent him to the line with the Magic ahead 87-84. All Howard needed to do was sink one free throw the outcome would have been different.

“I just missed them. I’ve been working my free throws, I just didn’t make them,” said Howard, who was 6-for-14 from the line and his two huge misses with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter allowed the Lakers a chance to tie game.

“It wasn’t just me, it was all of us,” Howard said of Orlando’s 22-for-37 free throw shooting. “But there is no reason to have any doubts right now. Never stop fighting, never stop believing. We have to bounce back. There’s no need to hang our heads.”

Howard’s monster game – 16 points, 21 rebounds and a Finals record nine blocked shots – was overshadowed by his seven turnovers and his eight missed foul shots. Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 25 points, but he was 8-for-13 from the line. Rashard Lewis struggled all night and finished with just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Should the Magic somehow win Game 5, it would only prolong the inevitable. The Lakers are now in complete control of the series and the Magic players, as well as Coach Van Gundy, have no one to blame but themselves.

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Rafer Alston, aka Skip to My Lou, scored 20 points and helped point Orlando to a 108-104 victory in Game 3.

The Orlando Magic finally won a game in the NBA Finals after failing six times and, at least for one night, made NBA followers believe that they have a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in this series.

When you break down Game 3, the Magic won, 108-104, not because Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu played lights out, or even because Kobe Bryant showed his vulnerable side. The Magic broke into the win column mainly because of the man they call Skip to My Lou.

When you check the box score, you see that Howard and Lewis each scored 21 points and Turkoglu hit his playoff average with 18 points. As you go down the list you notice Rafer Alston had 20 points. Bingo! That was the difference.

“I was aggressive from start to finish,” Alston said. “I was able to mix it up. That’s what I do best instead of just standing on the 3-point line. That’s what you guys saw in me the first two games, standing on the 3-point line, as if I was Ray Allen or somebody. Tonight I was able to penetrate, get to the foul line, shoot the pull-up jumper, shoot the three, find open men.”

As Rafer Alston, the Magic point guard has struggled with his shot and found himself competing with Jameer Nelson for minutes in Game 1 and Game 2 – both Laker victories.

As New York City streetball legend Skip to My Lou, who showed up in Game 3, the Magic point guard played 36 minutes, made eight of his 12 shots, swished his only 3-point attempt and his push-the-pill-up-the-court approach was the biggest reason why Orlando shot 75% in the first half and 62% for the game.

“Skip did a good job of attacking and allowing guys to get open for free shots. We have to do that against a team like the Lakers. Make them move and try to get easier shots,” said Howard, who easily played his best game of the series with 21 points, 14 rebounds and sank 11 of his 16 free throws.

Notice that Howard referred to him as Skip and not Rafer.

Howard knows that when Alston is skipping with the ball and plays as Skip to My Lou, his game turns into an And 1 Mix Tape and his swag permeates through the rest of his teammates.

“Skip to My Lou got us started early in that first quarter,” Lewis said of his starting point guard, who gave Orlando another scoring threat besides Howard, Lewis and Turkoglu.

“We played with more speed, more energy on the offensive end,” Alston said. “A lot of pick and roll, which is our game, and find Dwight. The bad thing is we shot 62 and a half percent and almost lost the game. We gotta find a way to defend these guys, stop fouling Kobe on 3-point shots and pull-up jumpers.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy took a lot of heat for playing Nelson too much in Game 1, which many observers say disrupted his team’s flow. But Alston said there was never a moment where he was upset with Van Gundy for his point guard rotation.

“He told us he was looking for somebody that maybe get out there find a rhythm, maybe stick some shots,” Alston said of his coach. “First two games, myself and Jameer were struggling to do so. Stan and I have a great relationship. He understands that he’s just trying to coach to win games; I’m trying to play and help him win games and help this team. Never once took it personal.

“In the first game, I just said it was a rhythm thing and never had that done before, never played like that. Second game, I was able to find a flow but not hit shots. Tonight I was able to make shots,” added Alston, who was 3-for-17 from the field and had just 10 points in the first two games of the Finals.

“The guard play was great. Rafer got off to a good start and played very, very well; played with great confidence,” Van Gundy said. “We still turned the ball over too much, but the guard play was clearly much, much better.”

And the reason for Alston’s turnaround?

“You have good games and bad games. Rafer has bounced back well in the playoffs before. He’s had some great games in the playoffs and he’s had some other games that weren’t as good. That’s just sort of the way it goes. I don’t think there’s any big psychological mystery to the whole thing,” Van Gundy said. “The one thing that you can’t question with our team is our resilience. I thought we held our composure pretty well.”

Speaking of composure, when the ever-honest Van Gundy was asked again about the motivational push that got Alston going in Game 3, he sarcastically replied: “I’m a motivational genius. That’s what I am. I thought for two days about what to say to him and I said, ‘Play your game.’ Took me two days to come up with that.”

If Alston keeps “playing his game,” the Magic might actually push this series back to Los Angeles. “This league is a make or miss league,” he said. “First two games, I’m missing and I look horrible. Tonight, I’m making and I look good.”

Van Gundy agreed.

“When the ball goes in, those look like really good shots,” the Magic coach said. “And when they don’t go in, you say ‘Wow, they’re not getting any good shots. When the ball is going in 62 percent of the time, those are great shots.”

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Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy has exhausted every option in this series, and still finds his team down 0-2. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Game. Set. Match. The NBA Finals are officially over. The Los Angeles Lakers absorbed the Orlando Magic’s best shot and still pulled out a 101-96 overtime victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

The percentages do not favor Orlando as only three teams in the history of the league have been able to climb out of an 0-2 hole in the Finals: The 1969 Boston Celtics, the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers and the 2006 Miami Heat. The ‘06 Heat is also one of just three teams to sweep the middle three games (the Detroit Pistons did in 2004 and the Lakers pulled it off in 2001), something Orlando needs to do just to stay afloat in this series.

So, to say that the Magic is in deep trouble is the understatement of the season. They basically have one foot in the grave, and Coach Stan Van Gundy appears to be running out of options.

The Magic got a great game out of Rashard Lewis (34 points, 6-of-12 on 3-pointers) and still lost. It got a great game out of Hedo Turkoglu (22 points, 8-of-17 from the field) and still lost. Van Gundy exhausted every possible combination on the court, drew up a great play at the end of regulation and still lost.

“We tried some different things. I’m not sure I’ve got another lineup to throw out there that you haven’t seen now,” Van Gundy said. “We played with no point guard, we played conventionally, we played Rashard at the three, we played Hedo at the two. We played Hedo at the one, two and three. We played Rashard at the three and four. We played big. What did they say? You keep throwing stuff at the wall and hope something sticks.”

The Magic had chances to win, but Van Gundy pointed out the 41% shooting and the 20 turnovers ultimately doomed them. The Magic guards shot 6-for-26 for the game and center Dwight Howard was responsible for seven of Orlando’s 20 turnovers, another reason to call him Blankman instead of Superman despite scoring 16 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. To avoid a Lakers sweep, Howard needs to play like a real superhero and stop looking at the referees for help.

“Yeah, I was frustrated,” Howard said. “Being a leader of my team, my teammates cannot see me frustrated. I gotta played through all the different situations and learn from them.”

After two games, Kobe Bryant is playing like a Finals MVP and Dwight Howard has been very ordinary.

Orlando played much of the second half with Turkoglu at the point, benching Jameer Nelson and Rafer Alston. After his brief shining moment in the second quarter of Game 1, Nelson has not been much of a factor in the Finals, which was to be expect since he has not played since February. Alston, however, does not have an excuse. Skip to My Lou has been skipping these past two games. He was 2-for-9 for six points in the Game 1 and followed that with a 1-for-8 effort in Game 2 and scored a measly four points.

“I thought Rafer was playing well. They’re just leaving him open on every post up and couldn’t get the ball in the basket,” said Van Gundy, whose team was 33-for-79 from the field and got just 17 bench points. L.A.’s Lamar Odom (who scored 19 points) outscored Orlando’s bench by himself.

“We were searching for somebody to make a shot. Obviously, we didn’t find anybody,” Van Gundy continued. “I thought, for the most part, L.A.’s defense was good and I thought our guards had very good open looks. We just couldn’t knock anything down. I thought they got plenty of shots. I don’t think it was much trouble getting our guards shots. They’re not guarding them. They’re only guarding three guys.”

The Lakers mainly focused their defense on Howard, Turkoglu and Lewis and took their chances on the “other” guys. J.J. Redick was 2-for-9, Mikael Pietrus was 1-for-3 and Nelson was 1-for-3. When asked how he can fix the problem, Van Gundy answered: “I don’t have any idea on how to fix that.”

The Magic player who feels worse than Alston is rookie guard Courtney Lee, who missed a layup with 0.6 left in regulation that would won the game for Orlando. The missed opportunity ended up biting the Magic as the Lakers outscored them 13-8 in overtime.

“We missed it. I don’t know what else to say,” Van Gundy said. “We executed well, Hedo made a great pass and we missed it.”

When a reporter commented on the fact that Van Gundy has done everything he can to win the game, the Magic coach replied: “I wouldn’t say that. We win and lose together. It’s not me doing everything and our players not getting it done. All we did was try a lot of stuff today.”

All Van Gundy and his staff can do now is avoid getting swept.

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Lakers star Kobe Bryant is now three victories away from winning his fourth Larry O'Brien Trophy. (GETTY IMAGES)

After driving his Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-75 bashing of the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at Staples Center, Kobe Bryant is beginning to scare a lot of people.

Bryant is so close to winning his fourth Larry O’Brien Trophy that he’s starting to grind his teeth after each jump shot. He’s constantly urging his teammates to strive for perfection. He’s on such a roll that Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy and the Magic players are looking completely deflated. And several members of the media are feeling uncomfortable with his almost grumpy behavior.

Bryant is so close to accomplishing his ultimate goal he can almost taste the victory champagne. The scowl and the serious demeanor show his heightened focus and determination. His will to win has never been higher, which says a lot considering Kobe has been to the mountain top three times in his illustrious career.

But this time it’s different.

He is now three victories away from winning his fourth championship ring, which would cement his legacy in the sport. More importantly, he is three victories away from removing the 7-foot-1, 350-pound gorilla off his back. He is three victories away from being named the Finals most valuable player and re-establishing himself as the best player on the planet.

“I just want it so bad that’s all. I just want it really bad. It’s just putting everything you have into the game and the emotions kind of flow out of you,” Bryant said after lighting up the Magic for 40 points. He also added eight rebounds and eight assists, the fourth player to post 40-8-8 in the NBA Finals, joining Jerry West, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

The Lakers are only up 1-0, but it seems as though this series is over because Bryant looks like he will not allow his team to lose this series.

“My kids call me Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs. That’s pretty much how I’ve been at home,” Bryant said. “There’s a lot of motivation. I’m using it all right now.”

The Magic stayed even with the Lakers for one quarter and even took a five-point lead almost four minutes into the second quarter. The Magic led 33-28 with 8:30 left in the first half and that is when Phil Jackson called timeout and inserted No. 24, The Black Mamba, back in the game. From that point on, the Lakers blitzed the Magic, 72-42.

“We have the best player in the game and he came out in attack mode,” said Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who won three championships with Bryant from 2000-2002.

Bryant made Orlando pay for not doubling him, repeatedly torching Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus on isolations and pick-and-rolls. He scored on mid-range jumpers, fadeaways, floaters, step-backs and dribble drives. In so many moves, he single-handedly broke Orlando’s spirit.

“When he gets it going, he’s one of the best players of all time,” Lakers forward Lamar Odom said of Bryant. “Offensively, there isn’t anything he can’t do. We understand how much he wants this. He has his game face on. He’s ready, he’s prepared.”

When Van Gundy reviews the video, he will have a hard time watching because Bryant was just scary good and there was nothing Orlando could have done to stop his Unstoppableness.

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Dwight Howard made just one of six shots from the field in Orlando's 100-75 blowout loss to the L.A. Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

Hey, Dwight Howard. Shaquille O’Neal just sent you a message on Twitter: “I want my nickname back!”

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals with the whole world watching his every move, the self-proclaimed Man of Steel of the Orlando Magic was completely undressed and reduced to a mere mortal. He made just one of his six field goal attempts in his Finals debut – a far cry from his 40-point superhuman effort in the series-clincher against Cleveland – and 10 of his 12 points came from the free throw line. He did grab 15 rebounds, but you expected that from him. What the Magic did not expect was his ineffectiveness on both ends of the court.

When you want the general public to call you Superman, you cannot have a bad day. If Superman had a bad day, Lex Luthor would rule the planet and there would be complete chaos.

At the end of the day, Howard went from being Superman to Blankman.

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to blitz the Magic, 100-75, because they outrebounded the Magic, 55-41, and outscored them, 56-22, in the paint to take a commanding 1-0 lead in the series. It’s a commanding 1-0 lead because Phil Jackson is 43-0 when he wins the first game of a series and Kobe Bryant quite simply will not allow his Lakers to lose.

The Lakers’ domination of the paint was more of a reflection on Howard’s inability to put his stamp on the game. If Howard, aka Blankman, is supposed to be the best big man in the NBA then the league must have some really bad centers because the 23-year-old NBA first-teamer looked very ordinary. For a guy who is the reigning top defender in the league, Howard did a very poor job of protecting the basket. For a guy who makes 56% of his field goals and leads the league in dunks, Howard was outscored by Mickael Pietrus (14 to 12) and failed to throw down a single dunk in 34 minutes.

During his best years, Shaq would bust through arm tackles and take two or sometimes three people with him to the rim and unleash one of his signiture throw downs. Howard was held down by Pau Gasol, who is not exactly the most physical player in the league.

When Laker big men Andrew Bynum and Gasol took away Howard’s dunks, the Orlando big man began shooting blanks. His shortage of inside moves was magnified.

“He has to work on getting another move,” said Gary Payton, who now works for NBA TV. “Bynum and Pau Gasol are very good. They can play defense and they can go at [Howard]. What they did was, Bynum started off from the beginning. He went at him. Then, all of a sudden, Gasol started guarding him and he gets two offensive fouls on him. That takes you out of your basketball game. [Howard] has to understand that he has to face up guys, get a Tim Duncan bank shot or something like that, or get another move.”

Because Blankman could not punish the Lakers’ single coverage in the low post, the Magic shooters struggled mightily from the perimeter, making just eight of 23 threes (34%) and shooting 29% overall. Hedo Turkoglu was 3-for-11, Courtney Lee was 3-for-10, Rafer Alston was 2-for-9 and Rashard Lewis was 2-for-10 and scored just eight points, the first time he has been held under 15 points in the playoffs.

“If you can play Dwight Howard straight up, not allowing him to get dunks and make him finish his shots in the lane, you have a good chance of beating this team,” said Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who has scouted Orlando all season.

Basically, Shaw revealed that the Lakers’ game plan on defense was to stay with Orlando’s snipers.

“You live by the bomb, you die by the bomb. That’s our philosophy,” Shaw said. “Everybody talked about how we’re going to match up with their 3-point shooters. Well, they have to match up with us on the inside. We play inside out. And we feel like we have an advantage because we can make Dwight Howard guard Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum inside and that means Rashard Lewis has to guard the other one as well.

“So, if we keep that as our focus, that’s putting a lot of pressure on them defensively,” Shaw continued. “The more we can play Dwight Howard straight up we can match up with their shooters, and if they keep bombing from the outside we’ll live with that.”

The Lakers’ convincing victory in Game 1 revealed two things: Orlando is not going to win a championship and Dwight Howard is just a civilian posing as Superman.

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