Kobe vs Shaq Again:

We all know about Shaq reveling in Kobe's loss in the 2008 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics. Shaq asked Kobe in a freestyle rap, how his ass tasted. Shaq also said Kobe could not win without him. With that the ball is not in Kobe's court, rather Shaq has benched Kobe.

Since the two parted ways, Shaq has one championship to Kobe's none and that prompted Shaq to freestyle dis Kobe. Kobe is much more likely to win with a dominant center. But that will not stop Shaq from pretending he is still that guy.

Why shouldn't Shaq rub his metaphorical ass in Kobe's face? Perception is reality. Yet all the naysayers in the media that have to say Shaq is just being immature.

Really? Or is Shaq is marketing himself? Shaq is not going to sit idly and give up the limelight to Kobe, who he views as arrogant. All publicity is good publicity and getting revenge at the same time is a fringe benefit. Don't forget that Kobe threw Shaq under the bus in Colorado and was more than happy to rip the Los Angeles love out of Shaq's paws.

The media is telling us Kobe is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. That's not true at all. Kobe is damned because he isn't (ever genuine). In the days leading up to the finals, he loved being compared to Jordan. He had even said as much in a 2000 interview with Sports Illustrated that he and Jordan were the two greatest players ever. Flash forward to 2008, he's pretending to be modest telling Stephen A Smith to "let it go man."

This is not a matter of who is behaving right or wrong. This is a matter of who people love Shaq or Kobe (or neither)?

Kobe was on the Dan Patrick show this morning and he was predictably pretending to be the professional. He's too zoned in on the upcoming Olympics and preparing for next year's seasons to be concerned with that, Kobe told DP. That excuse is Kobe's favorite white wash answer and he has no problem using it over and over. I guess part of that focus includes calling in from his yachting vacation.

Kobe is playing to the lowest common denominator, not Shaq. Because while Shaq is keeping it real (or at least expressing himself), Kobe continues to assume that the general fan base is stupid enough to buy into his disingenuous statements. Kobe is the one asking us how his ass tastes. You can get a close smell and pretend it smells lemony fresh if you want but ShotsHeard will not do that.