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That was the first basketball game I've seen in person since the 1993 playoffs when the Sonics played the Suns. The officiating was so bad that I've maybe watched 20 minutes of basketball since that series ended. Literally, the last game of the 1993 playoff series had 100 free throws - 64 for the Suns and 36 for the Sonics.
Basketball's an interesting game where one person can really dominate a game. Even from the second level it was obvious who the best player on the court was. Even when Kobe didn't have the ball or score, he drew so much focus from the Blazers. On every time out the Lakers looked to Kobe for moral support or whatever reason. I'm not sure if all NBA games are like that, but that game was really Kobe vs. Lillard with other guys taking up space.
Baseball is such a different game. I'm trying to think of position players who really rule a team like Kobe does. Jeter is that guy. Ripken in his prime. Super Barry Bonds. Junior never seemed like that to me. Pujols in St. Louis? Chipper Jones? Ichiro in Japan? Buster Posey? I'm sure some of the guys who remember baseball before the mid-80's could pull out more names.
There are a few guys and they are hardest man to find. I'd say that's true no matter what sport or job. Good, true leaders are hard to find. The good news for Seattle fans is that Russell Wilson is here for the next 15 years.