Approaching Another Milestone

As the Lakers continue their swing through the East Coast, Kobe continues his push towards another milestone. The team has won their last three games at Washington, Indiana and Philly last night in pretty convincing fashion since their loss in Toronto last Sunday, but Kobe is about to make Laker history.

After reaching 25,000 career points at the start of the trip last week in Cleveland, Kobe is now just 48 points shy of surpassing Laker legend Jerry West as the all-time leading scorer in Laker history. And all this hoopla over Kobe has started a whole new debate in L.A. over who the greatest player is in Laker history.

There are a few who believe it is Jerry West, but the real debate is between Kobe and Magic. Having grown up watching Magic do things no other guard in the history of the game has ever done, and being in awe watching him do it, and then having the honor as an adult to see Kobe do what he does, it's a very tough decision. They both certainly can make a great argument for this honor, but my vote goes to Magic, for several reasons.

While Kobe is a pure scorer, and arguably one of the most clutch players in the history of the game, Magic was the one who wowed and awed players and fans with his knack for making players around him better. Kobe's getting better at that, but Magic was great at it. He always knew where everyone on the floor was. He was an amazing passer. He was an amazing "quarterback" on the court.

Magic also had his share of game-winning shots, and you could make an argument that his game-winners are more memorable than Kobe's because of the conditions. There's the "baby sky hook" in Boston in the Finals in 1987. That one is probably his greatest shot ever. It's the most memorable. He had another clutch shot in Boston earlier that season the beat the Celtics at the buzzer.

Take a look...

And let's not forget his performance in the 1980 Finals against Philly, when Kareem couldn't go in Game Six because of a badly sprained ankle. Magic stepped in as the center and promptly led the Lakers to their first of five titles in the 80s while picking up the slack in Kareem's absence.

But Magic's fame and glory came for making players around him better. No one could read or see the court better than Magic. He did things on the court and with the ball that no one has ever done or been able to do. He knew exactly where every player was on the court at all times. He was the only player who had eyes on the back of his head as well as the front. Magic mesmerized teammates, opponents and fans alike.

Magic was not only a five-time champion, but he was a three-time MVP winner. Sure, Kobe is closing in as a four-time champion, and has an MVP of his own, but Magic will always be... the Magicman.