The NBA Playoffs kicked off this past weekend —and per usual— sports fans across the globe have already prematurely crowned their champion. If play concluded after the regular season, fans would undoubtedly deem the Miami Heat (led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade) as champs; but not so fast.. there’s a snake lurking in the grass — a black mamba to be precise.

Riding the coattails of their sensational regular season —albeit finishing second in their conference— the Heat don a 2-game series lead over my beloved New York Knicks. (However, even I would be displaying slight remiss if I failed to mention that this seasons’ Knicks were the rich man’s Washington Generals.)

So before everyone gets any further ahead of themselves, I’d like to re-introduce you all to this guy named Kobe Bryant. You may have heard of him: 5 championship rings —one for each finger— sound familiar?

I am baffled at the continuous disrespect Bryant has received over the last two or three seasons. Be it intentional or unintentional and regardless of his age, Bryant remains one of the top three players on the planet; a declaration not up for debate.

Oddly enough though, I would bet the house, farm, and excess acres that Bryant wouldn’t have it any other way at the moment. Yes, he occasionally sounds off when provoked by the press on what he perceives to be disrespect, in terms of the “experts” writing he and the Los Angeles Lakers off, but he has to be overly comfortable at the moment. With all the buzz and hype alike surrounding the Heat, and the Thunder-Mavericks series heading for the long haul, Bryant is poised to strike when the time is just right; as only a black mamba knows how.

This a movie we have all seen before, and Mama has seen that man. -SC.