With the Lakers ready to put away the San Antonio Spurs, the reigning NBA champions, Kobe Bryant is on the doorstep of solidifying his status as one of the three or 4 greatest basketball players of all time.

Kobe is finally winning without Shaq, a monkey on Kobe's back that has allowed skeptics to always say, "He hasn't won shit without The Diesel." Which is true. He still hasn't won a damn thing without The Big Man to play off of.

And I'll admit it. I really dislike Kobe. I use dislike because hate is too strong a word. I don't really hate anybody but Osama Bin Laden, Hitler, and my 8th grade science teacher. But to me he's confident to a fault. His swagger is more Sherminator than it is Shaft. His mannerisms seem forced, contrived, and pre-conceived. There's something constructed and inauthentic about him that just gets under my skin.

Add the legions of Laker fans to the mix? Well, you get the picture.

But yeah. He's really about to turn me around. I respect Kobe for his basketball skill. He is undeniably the premiere NBA player in the league today. He's unstoppable.

I also find it pretty ironic that this season turned out to be his first MVP season, considering this is easily the strongest team Los Angeles has fielded since the departure of Shaq to Miami.

Congrats, Kobe. I can't really hate anymore. But I will continue to dislike you.