Every team in the NBA’s greatest fear has been realized, Kobe Bryant is back. He has been back for three games now, and it’s as though he never left. Since he came back he has been the Kobe we have all come to expect, averaging just under 24 points per game and in his first game back he came up with a game winning three pointer. Now the Los Angeles Lakers do have one loss since his return, but it was on the road at the hands of the Mavericks so we can’t really hold that against them.

The fact that Kobe is back is a big story in its own right, after all he is one of the top two players in the game today, but the larger story is the way the Lakers performed without him in the lineup. While Kobe was out the Lakers managed to go 4-1 with their only loss coming against the Celtics. More importantly, in Kobe’s absence others stepped up.

So, basically while Kobe was out the Lakers didn’t miss a beat, and now that he is back the Lakers look to be better than ever. Even though Kobe’s injury was a hiccup in the short term, in the long term his injury will actually help the Lakers. While Kobe was out Pau Gasol became the go to guy and averaged over 18 points per game. When the game was on the line Pau got the ball, and when they needed a score to stop a run Pau got the ball. As a result, his confidence is at an all time high which will greatly help the Lakers down the stretch run and through the playoffs. The Lakers were arguably the best team in the league without Kobe in the lineup, and with him they are hands down a level up on every other team in the NBA.

Personally, I think that this year it’s the Lakers championship to lose. And on a larger scale I think its their dynasty to lose. This collection of players has all the makings of a team that can become a true dynasty and go down in history as one of the best teams in history. They have already made two consecutive final appearances and taken home one championship ring. Now, I know that isn’t really dynasty material yet, but when you look at this team and what they are capable of it’s impossible to not see them winning at least one more championship. I see them getting at least two more championships.

I don’t want to compare this team to the three-peat Lakers, but there are a lot of similarities in terms of the personnel. First, there are the mainstays, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher were all apart of the Lakers team that won three consecutive titles. Next comes the comparisons, the three-peat Lakers had Rick Fox as a guy who could score when needed but was more of a defensive presence that brought experience and toughness to the team which sounds a lot like how Ron Artest plays now. Lamar Odom reminds me of Robert Horry as both are long athletic power forwards who can do just about anything asked of them, score, rebound, or defend. An often overlooked player on the three-peat Lakers was Devon George, who is represented on today’s team by Shannon Brown. Brown is an athletic role player who knows that his position on the team is based mainly on defense but provides excitement and scoring when the stars take a seat, which is exactly what George brought to his team. Now comes the big guys, no one player can measure up to Shaquille O’Neal in his prime, but the combination of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum gets somewhat close. Shaq was the most dominant big man in the league during the Lakers run at three consecutive championships, and now Gasol and Bynum combine to form the best combination of seven footers in the NBA today.

It may seem as though I am stretching to make connections to the past, but I really do see a lot of similarities between today’s Lakers and the Lakers that won three consecutive championships. Even if you don’t agree, you have to see that this team is a long ways away from a couple years ago when it was the Los Angeles Kobes. This is a true team now, that will challenge for championships for years to come.