Could it be?

The Los Angeles Lakers are now 3-0 with Kobe out of the game with an ankle injury.

Not only are they 3-0 without Kobe, but they have won by double digits in all three games.

First came the Trailblazers.The Lakers were coming off of an embarrassing home game loss to the Denver Nuggets so when they arrived in Portland, they meant business.Ron Artest led the team in scoring with 21 points and Odom, Gasol, Fisher, and Brown all had scores in the double digits. Oh and Odom had a measly 22 rebounds. No biggie.

Oh did I mention Andrew Bynum has been out the last two games and only put up 3 points and 1 rebound against the Trailblazers?


Next came the San Antonio Spurs. Or as I like to call them, the most overrated team in the NBA. Gasol and Odom both get double-doubles helping out the team with Artest, Fisher, and Farmar also scoring in the double digits for points.

And tonight the win streak continues as the Lakers defeat the Jazz in Utah. And yet again, Odom and Gasol rack up a double-double each.

So the question has to be raised, are the Lakers better without Kobe?

His missing presence sure isn't being felt in L.A. Odom and Gasol are doing a great job taking charge and getting the Lakers to win without Bryant. The ball is getting spread around the court more. Instead of passing the ball to Kobe to make the shot, it is pushing other players to take action. Portland, San Antonio, and Utah are all teams in the top 8 of the Western Conference so it's not like the Lakers got their wins against the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Kings. These are playoff bound teams we are talking about. Granted these teams were all shooting below the season's shooting percent average, but who's to say that's not because of the ball pressure the Lakers defense put on their opponents?

I can definitely say that in the past three games, the Lakers have been winning by a comfortable margin and not by a game winning clutch shot (Kobe). So maybe they are doing better without him. The numbers don't lie. And I love Kobe as much as any Laker fan, but maybe, just maybe, Los Angeles comes together as a team better without Kobe.

Damn it hurt to say that.