This Post is Brought to You by the Letter "L"

They say he stayed one and a half hours after the gruelingly physical game shooting jumpshots...and then he went to the weight room to train some more.

By "he" I of course mean #24. Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba. Who came out to play one of the most anticipated games of the season earlier today. Their opponent? The Miami Heat, whose star studded players were experiencing everything but a hot streak in their past several losses. Kobe and the Lakers, on the other hand, had just won eight games in a row. Yet both teams had everything to prove. And after 48 minutes of a really close game, the Heat were able to secure a win over the defending world champions.

There is something about watching the Lakers lose that I find incredibly...envigorating.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of pain/anger, too. But compared to the wins you start to expect and take for granted, a loss provokes a feeling of intensity unlike any other. Your heart sinks when Artest's shots bounce off the rim. Your blood boils when the referees start making horrible calls. And when you see Bosh screaming in victory as the clock winds to 00:00, well...I'll spare you the gruesome details of what you want to do to him. All in all, a win feels great. But a loss after a close game? A loss after you truly believed they had it? That feels real.

And what also starts to feel very "real" is the fan in you. Because at the end of the day, what makes you a true sports fan is sticking by your team through the ups, and especially through the downs. After all, it's those downs that give you a tiny dose of reality that really make you appreciate what those wins are all about in the first place: hard work, heart, unity...

and practice, loads of practice.

They say he stayed one and a half hours after the gruelingly physical game shooting jumpshots...and then he went to the weight room to train some more. That's the mentality of an MVP. And as for us fans, we'll stick around after the loss, too...supportive, grateful, and hopeful as ever.