Today is a great day in the world of professional basketball. Now, if you have had the opportunity to read the Advocate and some past columns, readers will find that this writer is not very fond of the National Basketball Association. If this writer's not mistaken, the NBA has been referred to as a bunch of overpaid, crybabies who are only good at throwing sucker punches.

Well, today is the only day of the year that, in this writer's opinion, NBA basketball is worth watching.

That lone reason, it's Shaq versus Kobe. That's right folks, the Lakers travel down to South Beach to see if the can take the Miami Heat. Over the past few weeks, everyone has come to learn that what was billed as the happy couple on the west coast while they were winning ring after ring has proven to be untrue. These guys don't get along. And the beautiful thing about it is that Kobe's image as the NBA's golden child is getting more and more tarnished each time he opens his mouth or sets foot on a court. When Shaq was traded to Miami, and the Laker dynasty crumbled. That didn't help Kobe out either.

Now, today, this afternoon America will get to see what kind of man Kobe Bryant is.

In this writer's opinion, Kobe is afraid of the Diesel.

It's that simple.

Griffin Pritchard is the sports editor of the Greenville Advocate. He can be reached by phone at 382-3111 or email: griffin.pritchard@greenvilleadvocate.com