Let's talk about Kobe Bryant

Last night, Kobe Bryant went 3-for-21 from the field, marking his worst shooting performance of his entire career. Not to mention that he was 0-15 in the first half and didn't score his first point until the fourth quarter.

Kobe Bryant was clutch again in the midst of his worst game ever.

Kobe, a 16-year veteran, plays 38.6 minutes per game on a very down Lakers team and admitted fatigue may be becoming a problem. His scoring numbers are actually up this year, but that is because he is just needed more this year on a team without lots of scoring options.

Yet, the fact that he went 3-for-21 was not the story of the game. The story was the fact that he scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead three-pointer with just over 20 seconds left in the game, giving his Lakers the win. Granted it was against the struggling New Orleans Hornets, but this game just proves what I have long thought was the case.

If I needed one player to carry my team throughout a grueling regular season- LeBron James is the guy. He is the best all around player in the NBA and really could be the MVP every year.

However, if I needed one player to get me through the playoff- Kobe Bryant. He is without question the most clutch player in the game, and has been for a long time now. In late game situations and in the playoffs, he is just money. After having the worst game of his life last night, he went off for 11 points and hit the game winning shot last night.

Clearly LeBron is the better all-around player, but will he ever be the closer that Kobe has become?

What will be interesting to see is this year's NBA Finals, which the Heat will for sure be playing in, most likely against the Thunder. I am curious to see whether Dwayne Wade or LeBron gets the call in the late game situations in a championship series. We all know this is not LeBron's strength, but it's time this guy proves he can do it.

And speaking of the Thunder, Kevin Durant is the best pure scorer since Michael Jordan, and he may be even better than Jordan in that department by the time he retires, but that argument is for another time.