Most Valuable All-Star Performance: Kobe Bryant

In our Fanhouse email thread, we debated whether or not some guys were gunning for the MVP award during the All-Star game. I argued that Amare was blatantly trying to win it; the guy was basically shooting everytime he got the rock, and late in the game, with the outcome no longer in doubt, I thought he went out of his way to score. As well as Stoudemire played tonight (sans Nash), the evening belonged to Bean Thousand. Kobe Bryant showed the world yet again why he's the world's best basketball player. Thirty one points, five rebounds, six assists, and six steals earned him the second All-Star MVP of his career.

Kobe Bryant's performance was especially necessary tonight with most of the players looking lethargic (read: hung over) and the game threatening to turn into one of the worst in All-Star history early on. It should come as no surprise that Mamba played hard from tip off; the guy simply doesn't know how to take a night off. His intensity raised everyone else's level of play, and despite the fact that most of the players got next to no sleep this weekend, we had ourselves a half decent game. Kobe's numbers also came in the flow of the game (there were no forced shots), and he did a commendable job as floor leader with Steve Nash in street clothes.

Kobe's MVP performance in many ways completed his image rehab. The last time he won this trophy, he was booed lustily by the fans in Philadelphia. This time around, the Vegas faithful chanted his name in the closing moments.

"To have this type of reaction here in this All-Star game is very humbling," Bryant said.

Everyone seems to have moved on from the Colorado fiasco, the new jersey is a top seller, Shaq is in his corner, and thanks to a new-found approach to the team game, the Lakers are poised to hurt a few people's feelings in the playoffs. Yup, it's good to be Kobe Bryant these days.