Kobe is a special talent, but the Rockets would love to wear him down like Ali did to Fraizer. But it should be a real battle, think Rosie O'Donnell vs "The Donald" without the bad comb over. Artest and Kobe are friends so that adds some spice to the
matchup. "Me and Kobe, our friendship came out of respect for one another. He's one of the only big name players who never backed down". Artest added, "I cause a lot of players to back down in their prime, but not kobe". "Even if he was playing bad he's still shooting, I respect him because he has a lot of heart and he works just as hard as I do."

But how much love does Artest really have for Kobe? I asked Ron if he thought Kobe was the M.V.P. in the league and his response was suprising and a little self-serving. Artest said, "I could never say anyone else, I would say Yao first and me second (laughter)."
The man has a case if you consider the Rockets have won 11 of their last 13 with Yao and Artest leading the way. I can't wait to see how this one turns out on the court tonight at Toyota Center.