Kobe On Fire

Kobe Bryant has made headlines again, but not for flagrant fouls this time. Instead, Kobe has done something else the league hasn't seen in awhile - post three straight games of 50 or more points. Better yet, the Los Angeles Lakers won all three games. What has caused this sudden boom in the play of Kobe and the Lakers? It's quite simple, really, according to Kobe: Luke Walton and Lamar Odom are healthy again. In the postgame interview after his third consecutive eruption of 50 or more, Kobe credited Luke and Lamar for directing the offense, sharing the ball, and generally making the game easier for him and the team. This credit may seem like a surprise or overstatement to casual fans, but those who have watched the Lakers this season cannot underestimate the importance of Luke Walton and Lamar Odom to the Lakers' - and Kobe's - success.

As good a player as Bryant is, he cannot win games by himself. He can score at will, but when he doesn't have other players directing the offense, he can force too many shots and disrupt the team's rhythm. But with smart players around him who are catalysts for good team play, Bryant takes better shots and scores even more without forcing his way. The result is good for the whole team - Kobe puts up incredible numbers, and the Lakers win ballgames. If this trend continues, the Lakers could become a team to watch in the playoffs, and Kobe could end up stealing the Most Valuable Player award from Dirk Nowitzki or Steve Nash.

Bryant image courtesy NBA.com (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

With or Without You

Late in the season, streaks have been notable for several NBA teams. The winning streaks of the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs have been impressive, but others are also worth analyzing. Perhaps the most surprising is the recent surge of the Miami Heat, who have won their last seven games without superstar Dwyane Wade. Shaquille O'Neal is back, though, and the Shaq Attack looks geared for the playoffs.

Another surprise is the Atlanta Hawks' four-game win streak. Leading scorer and superstar Joe Johnson went down five games ago - and ever since, the team has actually gotten better. The Hawks are a very young and hungry club who look like they are finally coming together and playing with a maturity they've lacked the past couple of seasons. Proving they can win without Johnson is a huge step in their ascent toward a competitive level, which they haven't been at for several seasons.

Two losing streaks could have large playoff implications. In the East, the Indiana Pacers have dropped ten straight games. They are still holding onto the eighth playoff spot, but don't expect that to last long - their team leader, Jermaine O'Neal, has missed the last three games, and isn't expected to return soon. In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers are on a six-game skid, looking woeful without Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Smush Parker - the three main ball-handlers on the team. Injuries have really hurt the Lakers of late; they also had a six-game slump back in February.

Expect more winning and losing binges as the season comes to a close. Injuries and the playoff race will each have a hand in making or breaking team chemistry around the league.

J. O'Neal image courtesy NBA.com (Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Playoff Race and Potential Match-Ups

Most teams are now around 60 games into the season, so there are only about 20 games left for each team. The playoff race is heating up in both conferences, and the competition for playoff seeding is intense. If the playoffs started now, here is what the first round match-up list would look like:

EAST
Seed 1 Detroit vs. Seed 8 New Jersey
Seed 2 Cleveland vs. Seed 7 Miami
Seed 3 Washington vs. Seed 6 Indiana
Seed 4 Toronto vs. Seed 5 Chicago

WEST
Seed 1 Dallas vs. Seed 8 Denver
Seed 2 Phoenix vs. Seed 7 L.A. Clippers
Seed 3 San Antonio vs. Seed 6 L.A. Lakers
Seed 4 Utah vs. Seed 5 Houston

From my view, the first and second seeds from both conferences should win the first round with relative ease - unless Dwyane Wade comes back at decent health for the defending NBA and Eastern conference champion Miami Heat. Wade and Shaq together in good health would make it far more difficult for the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the series. All the other match-ups could go either way. The Washington Wizards are only a few games ahead of the Indiana Pacers in the standings - and the Chicago Bulls actually have a better record than the Toronto Raptors, but have a lower seed since the Raptors are first in their division.

In the West, the Spurs and Lakers match-up could be a more competitive series than the teams' win and loss records indicate. The Spurs have eight more wins than the Lakers at this juncture, but the teams have a notorious rivalry dating back to the late 1990s, and it's never a good idea to count out a team with the likes of Kobe Bryant. The Lakers nearly beat the higher seeded Phoenix Suns in last year's playoffs, so don't be surprised to see Kobe and company make a run against the Spurs this year.

Finally, the Houston Rockets might be a better team than the Utah Jazz, but Houston has seldom been at full health this season. After starting out slow, Tracy McGrady is now playing his best basketball of the year, and Rockets teammate Yao Ming is expected to return to his dominant ways when he comes off the injury list on March 5th. The lethal duo of McGrady and Ming might be too much for the Utah Jazz to handle.

McGrady image courtesy NBA.com (Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images)