For much of his career, Kobe Bryant has received criticism for being a “me” player, a guy who had little leadership abilities and even less of an interest in passing the ball. Fast forward a few years and Bryant is now the toast of the NBA. Sure, the haters will be there for as long as he plays. But lets face it. After another dominating display by his Lakers last night, many Kobe pundits are being forced to eat crow.

In a show of solidarity and unity we never thought possible in LA, Bryant’s teammates surrounded him to applaud as he gave his MVP acceptance speech last night. Yep, the same “uncoachable” superstar that wanted out of Los Angeles just a few months ago has finally ascended into the role of “team leader.” Sure, Kobe still scored 34 points last night. But it wasn’t one of his 35-shot specials from a few years back. Bryant’s efficiency (18 shots), 8 rebounds and 6 assists are why the Lakers are looking so tough to beat in the postseason.

The Lakers remain undefeated in this postseason with a 6-0 record, but should be ready for a hostile environment this weekend in Utah. Look for Bryant to get booed every time he touches the ball, not like that’s surprising. Kobe seemingly saves his best performances for Salt Lake City. The Jazz will probably snatch a win in Utah, but even with all their physicality inside, it doesn’t look like they’re capable of matching Los Angeles’ torrid outside shooting and depth.

Note: Yes, we’re still alive…barely. Final exams are currently owning the Sportable Staff. Please bear with us. With Rich’s graduation coming up and the rest of us busy with class, we’ve been struggling to find the time to devote to the site. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Chicago Bulls 108, Detroit Pistons 92: Sure, you know the fact. No team in NBA history has ever come back from the seemingly insurmountable 3-0 deficit. But nobody can say the Bulls have gone out without a fight. After gaining confidence in their game four win, the Bulls went into Detroit and beat some ass. It’s taken a few games but the Bulls are rolling again. Ben Gordon led all scorers with 28 points while his backcourt mate Kirk Hinrich scored 17 points with 13 assists. If you caught any of the game, you saw even more of the tantalizing potential that rookie Tyrus Thomas has. Thomas scored 10 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 5 steals in the win. He’s a bit raw but he’s already one of the most athletic players in the league. Losing one game is one thing. But losing at home and sending this series back to Chicago is not what the Pistons had in mind. Game six is Thursday in Chicago. The Fat Lady ain’t singing yet.

Utah Jazz 100, Golden State Warriors 87: The Warriors had the feel-good story, the athleticism, and the best homecourt advantage we’ve seen in some time. But they didn’t have Carlos Boozer or Derek Fisher. The Jazz wrapped up the series in five games in a game that was far closer than the final score indicated. Boozer scored 21 and D-Fish scored 20, including several three pointers in the final quarter. With the Warriors now out of the playoffs, it’s tough to find a real good story in these playoffs. There’s LeBron James and a Suns team that’s been victim of some solid cheap shots from the Spurs. The Jazz now move on to the Western Conference Finals, while the Warriors exit as the most popular #8 seed ever.

In the battle of tortoise and hare, it’s the slow-paced Utah Jazz that are getting the best of it. Their surprising 115-101 win over the Golden State Warriors has them just one game away from the Western Conference Finals. In front of another packed house at Oracle Arena, the Jazz slowed the tempo and took both the Warriors and their fans out of their element. It worked.

“We’re doing better staying with what they’re trying to take away from us,” coach Jerry Sloan said. “Our team hasn’t had to make these adjustments, but our guys are getting better and better.”

Unlike the Dallas Mavericks, the Jazz haven’t been rattled enough to completely throw out their gameplan. The Warriors are a fast-paced team, Utah isn’t. Therefore, something has to give. Last night, it was Utah that successfully controlled the tempo and therefore, they controlled the game. Carlos Boozer’s 34 points and 12 rebounds was the difference here, as the former Duke star simply manhandled people inside.

The Warriors have been a great story but it’s been easy to overlook the Jazz’s great play this year. Their 12-1 start got people talking and they finished the season with 51 wins. They have the legit inside-outside game that the 1990s version of the Jazz did and it’s paying huge dividends. The series returns to Salt Lake City on Tuesday, where the Jazz can advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998.

Oakland and Salt Lake City are two cities that couldn’t be more different. Oakland is 35% black, Salt Lake City is 2% black. Warriors fans get hyphy after games, Jazz fans wind down with some Coltrain. The Golden State Warriors are a run-and-gun team. The Utah Jazz pound the rock inside and play physical. They couldn’t be more different but somehow, this series couldn’t be any better. Last night was the second great game of the series, won by the Jazz in overtime, 127-117.

When you compare the series the Warriors had with Dallas and the battle they’re currently facing in the Jazz, the differences are very obvious. Utah, like Dallas, has great big men. The Mavs had Dirk, the Jazz have Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. But unlike Nowitzki, Boozer hasn’t looked like a deer in headlights against the Warriors. Unlike Avery Johnson, coach Jerry Sloan hasn’t allowed Golden State to set the tempo. Nobody on the Warriors can stop Boozer and the Jazz know it. He ended the night with 30 points and 13 rebounds.

Along with some great basketball, this series has produced a great story. Veteran point guard Derek Fisher didn’t fly into Salt Lake City until the third quarter. He had other things going on, things far bigger than a game of basketball. His baby daughter was in New York undergoing cancer surgery. Fisher entered the game to a standing ovation and hugs from both teams. Then he hit a crucial three pointer in the Jazz’s win.

The series now leaves Salt Lake City and heads to the raucous Oracle Arena for the next two games. This series is shaping up to be the best of the playoffs. We’re seeing two clashing styles and real high scoring. We’re even seeing the return of Andrei Kirilenko’s game! AK47 turned in a brilliant game two, compiling 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 blocks. It’s up to Baron Davis and his crew to send this thing back to Utah tied at two. Game three is Friday night.

Yesterday was yet another example of why watching the Western Division in the playoffs has been much more enjoyable than watching the East. While the Detroit Pistons were running the Bulls into the hard wood, the Jazz and the Warriors played a fantastic shoot out that culminated in a 116-112 Jazz win.

Before hyping the Jazz up anymore, I just want to throw out that Golden State is probably the most exciting team most people have never seen. It seems to me that Don Nelson took Phoenix’s style of run and gun and boosted it on steroids. The high octane three point shooting rotation that the Warriors have is outstanding to watch. The only unattractive part of their game is that tool Andres Biedrins playing down on the low post. Has anyone else seen his attempts at free throws? Pathetic.

The Jazz, all the while leaving Matt Harpring in the game and pissing me off in the process, got help from Carlos Boozer on a put back with 17 seconds left to put the Jazz ahead. While Boozer dominated the boards, point guard Deron Williams continued to excel in just his second pro season, posting 31 points and 8 assists including 4 of 7 from three point range. Mehmet Okur also had a nice game for the Jazz, putting up 21 points including a couple patented Eastern European three point shots.

If the rest of the series is going to shape up like game one did, it could arguably be the best series of the entire playoffs. The Jazz have shown against the Rockets and now the Warriors that they can keep up and aren’t going to give up, and it’ll be interesting to see how Golden State responds. Sorry Eastern Conference, but you’ll have to do better if you want to hang with the West.

Before last night’s game seven between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, the home team had won all six games in the series. But in the biggest game of them all, the Houston Rockets choked. Despite a solid 28-13 home record and three wins in Houston during the series, the Rockets fell to the Jazz 103-99.

Much of the hype before the series was centered around Tracy McGrady. T-Mac has been one of the league’s most prolific players but he’s been infamous for losing in the playoffs. That was supposed to change this series. It didn’t, leaving T-Mac’s playoff record at a dissappointing 0-6. But he’s not to blame here. He scored 29 points and dished out 13 assists last night. He averaged 25 points a game in the series. If you’re looking for people to blame here, it’s not Tracy McGrady.

I’m going to point a finger at Rockets freak Yao Ming. Despite developing a strong offensive(25 PPG in the series), the Rockets lost this series because Yao was abused like a stepchild inside. Despite having a good 9-10 inches on Carlos Boozer, Yao let the former Duke star drop 35 points and 14 rebounds on him. Duke stars are supposed to fade late, not come up huge in game sevens. When the game was on the line, Yao was outhustled by Boozer and outshot by Mehmet Okur. Unacceptable.

So now we have all four playoff semifinal matchups and without a doubt, the most intriguing and surprising is the matchup between Utah and Golden State. For once, there’s some parody in the NBA Playoffs and I’m happy to see it. Phoenix and San Antonio may have better teams, but this series has better stories. Under Jerry Sloan, the Jazz are showing signs of returning to past glory with another guard-forward combo: Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. And we shouldn’t have to mention the Warriors’ performance so far.