The Black Mamba still has it

Kobe Bryant. The man. He dropped 38 points against the Mavericks last night, in case you missed it. After Mark Cuban advised the Lakers to use the amnesty provision in the collective bargaining agreement to release him over Twitter, Bryant had one of his best games of the season. In addition to his 38 points, he had 12 rebounds and seven assists. Did I mention that was on 13-21 shooting?

This year has been an interesting one for Bryant, the 34 year-old has struggled with finding his role within the team roster changes. Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard both joined the team this season, sending Kobe's rule over the team reeling. Once Shaq left back in 2006, it was clear that the Lakers were Kobe's team. For a good part of the season, Kobe was leading the league in points per game. Now he's dropped back to third, averaging 27.1 a game. Still, that's a solid season for a 17-year veteran of the NBA.

Kobe Bryant proved Cuban wrong last night as he led the Lake Show to a 103-99 win in Dallas, putting LA within 2.5 games of the Rockets, and a potential playoff spot. How will things shape out? Jeremy Lin and James Harden seem to have a good thing going on in Houston, but the record doesn't show it. The Lakers are headed to the Pepsi Center to play Denver next, and the Nuggets have quietly had a stellar year, boasting a 23-3 record at home.

Who are your playoff picks in the Western Conference? What will become of the Lakers? Let me know!

Picture Credit: http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_NBA/201302241454536613551-p2.jpg