When there is blood in the water, sharks attack.  Circling their prey, assessing the circumstance, sizing up the victim and waiting for the perfect moment to make the kill.

Midway through the 2nd quarter of Game 5, the Los Angeles Lakers had done enough circling.  They had sized up the wounded Orlando Magic team.  They were ready for the kill.

A 16-0 run, featuring a trio of 3-point baskets, all but finished off the floundering opponent.

Kobe Bryant, the much-maligned head shark on a team of sharp-toothed hunters, led the surge.  Yet he did not do so with his flashy, me-first, take on the world attitude we have come accustomed to seeing.  Instead he led as the facilitator many have criticized him for not being.  He found Trevor Ariza on the wing for a wide-open three. He drew a double team and dished to Derek Fisher for another.  He drove and drew the defense and again kicked to Ariza for another dagger.  He rebounded.  He stole the ball. He led.

He smelt blood.  He sized up the victim.  He picked it apart.  One nibble at a time.

There was no questioning Bryant’s desire to win a fourth ring, this time without the 400 pound Shaqrilla.  He wanted that monkey off his back badly enough he finally became the superstar who realized he couldn’t do it on his own.

His game-clinching stat line: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, and a whole lot of hugs.

When you see a hunter glaring down his target in the scope, you get in the way at your own peril.  Kobe’s target was a fourth ring, and a first ever Finals MVP trophy.  Unfortunately for the Magic they were in the way.

Bryant wouldn’t be stopped.  Not when he was this close, not when he could smell the blood in the water, and taste the championship mixture of sweat and champagne.

He hit jump shots with hands in his face, 15-foot fall-aways over out stretched hands, 3-pointers, one handed baseline jams, and acrobatic lay-ups over Dwight Howard.

Bryant said after past games that Orlando threw the kitchen sink at him defensively, on Sunday they threw the whole house; it didn’t matter.

The weary hunt tests the mettle of even the best hunters.  Bryant’s past two hunting trips to the NBA Finals he tried the go-it-alone approach and came up empty.  He might of tried the same approach again in Game 5.  He could have forced shots, went to set records.  Even if they lost, he still had Games 6 and 7 at home to get the ring.  But the seasoned hunter knew his prey was in the cross hairs and he couldn’t let it slip.  If he couldn’t pull the trigger himself, he’d make sure his teammates had a clean shot.

When he trusted them, they didn’t miss.  Ariza, who could have been named Finals MVP Jr., made sure Bryant’s faith was rewarded.  He knocked down jumpers, made cuts, and wrecked havoc on the defensive end by keeping Hedo Turkoglu off his game.

Accepting the MVP Trophy, the trophy everyone said he wanted so badly, Bryant showed the least egotistical side one could imagine.  Embracing the trophy for no more than a few seconds, he gave to it to his daughter to hold.  For wanting it so badly, he sure was willing to share it quickly.

There was little question who the better team was going into the final series.  For that matter there was little question for most of the season who the most talented team was.  The only question was whether they would play like a championship squad or splinter under their own weight and expectations.

Would Kobe Bryant try to be Superman’s kryptonite alone?  Would his teammates step up when they were needed, and would he trust them?  Would Bryant be the teaching, imploring, I-got-your-back leader or would he be the egotistical, snarling, finger-wagging, back breaker?  In Game 5 he was the former.

They say old dogs don’t learn new tricks.  They also say if you are the best you don’t have to lean new tricks.  But to get a championship ring Bryant learned he needed help.  Michael had Scotty, Magic had Kareem, Duncan had Ginobli, Shaq had Kobe and Wade.  Kobe finally figured out he needed Gasol, Odom, Ariza, et al.

Championships in team sports aren’t won with one superstar and a bunch of table napkins.  Ask LeBron if teammates matter.  Ask A-rod.

It takes a team, a pack, a group committed to one goal.

To win a championship a leader needs to be at the front, taking the heat and making big plays. But when he has no shot, no place to move, he must trust his pack.

Kobe took that step, made the passes, swarmed on defense, and led his team in every way imaginable to the champion’s platform.  He got his championship sans Shaq.  He got his Finals MVP, he got to smile a great big smile for the first time in months

The only question left:  When is he going to Disney Land?

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Kevin Patra lives by the adage: Those who can’t do, write. Currently, he is a graduate student at the University of Southern California studying Online Journalism, after spending four years at the University of Michigan obtaining a bachelors degree from the school of Language, Science & Fun. Patra still owns a teal Grant Hill jersey and is looking for his old FILA basketball shoes.

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3. ⊚  Magic Skip Their Way To Game 3 Victory
4. ⊚  Lakers And Cavaliers Caught Watching The Show While Getting Outworked
5. ⊚  Lakers Win By 5 In Overtime