Lakers 100, Spurs 92: It didn’t matter if the Spurs were up 10 or 20 – the Lakers were winning this game. We only caught the tail end, just in time to see Kobe hanging and hitting an elbow jumper to help LA pull away. Kobe tallied 39 and then went to see the Sex and the City movie with his wife. (Cheaper than a ring!) Pau Gasol collected 19 boards, and the two helped offset a triple-double from Tim Duncan (19 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists). What a difference a year makes, huh? On May 30 of last year, Kobe went on the Dan Patrick radio show, angry and frustrated. It had a been a trying few weeks for the star – he had no help, LA had been eliminated again, and the horizon appeared bleak. His old wingman Shaq had won another title, LeBron was on his way to the Finals, and the Bean had jokers like Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm patrolling the paint with precocious Andrew Bynum.

Hope Kobe sends the Memphis owner and GM some serious Christmas loot after LA captures the title this year.