One-Man Show Wins Him Over

"Ko-be, Ko-be, Ko-be" cried the crowd.

And it was a \o7Clipper \f7home game.

A soaring three pointer. Good. He was double-teamed so he passed to Brian Cook for a three pointer. Good.

By then, the Lakers were up by six points, at which point Bryant made another three pointer to make it a nine-point lead.

And on it went for the rest of the quarter, Bryant either scoring, passing to a man who was open because he was desperately double-teamed, or driving to the hoop and getting fouled.

Double teams became triple teams. After one whistle, Cuttino Mobley simply grabbed Bryant and spun him around as if attempting to diminish his heat.

It was so freakish, Sam Cassell laughed, Mike Dunleavy looked to the heavens and sighed, and those 20,154 feuding fans suddenly seemed to join the same team.

"Ko-be, Ko-be, Ko-be."

As usual, he didn't just give the Lakers a victory, but the brief inspiration of avoiding losing four consecutive games to the Clippers for the first time since the Clips moved to Los Angeles in 1983.

Not to mention, he thumped the town out of its basketball doldrums.

Entering the latest edition of the city rivalry, it was the resistible force against the movable object, the tortoise and the tortoise, David squared.

It was two struggling basketball teams in the biggest game in town since the Rose Bowl, only this time it was USC's defense against USC's defense.

The Clippers entered the game having won three of their last 11 games.

"We're treading water here," said Coach Mike Dunleavy.

The Lakers entered the game have won only one of their last six games.

"This game would have been more interesting if we were playing like they were playing -- 'treading water,' " said Coach Phil Jackson. "Because we're sinking."

Amid all the splashing and kicking, there emerged one clear advantage. The Lakers had hot Kobe Bryant. The Clippers did not have injured Corey Maggette.

It should have been enough.

And, man, was it ever.