As a basketball I was lucky enough to see the end of the showtime Lakers era.  I started watching the NBA the year Magic Johnson led the team to the final time.  That was when I met my second 'favorite sports team'.     
   
     After that seasons the Lakers went through a downturn and though they had some decent teams, they really weren't championship contender.  Then came the Shaq and Kobe teams where you could tell that a lot of there key players were aging veterans from other teams and that the tension between Kobe and Shaq was real.  Of course they got as many championships as they could before breaking up and rebuilding the team with a core of younger players and a twenty-something Kobe.

    Today, the Lakers play in the Western Conference Finals against an aging dynasty in the San Antonio Spurs.  Surrounding Kobe are a group of youngsters entering there prime who are finally filling their roles and making plays.  Kobe is in the prime of his career and regarded as the best player in the league, and the perrenial dynasties are aging and falling down as young teams are coming back.  Could this be the new era of greatness for the Lakers, without Shaq?

Welcome back Lakers.