Kobe vs. Howard: Two Delicious Chickens

After squandering through tons of NBA Finals Predictions online and watching hours of coverage on ESPN, I've noticed that two names keep popping up (rightfully so) as key difference makers in the series, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. It got me thinking, are there any players in the NBA more different than these two--aside from Kirk Hinrich and Stephen Jackson. Sure, they're both megaultrasuperstars, but beyond that it's like trying to compare apples and orangutans.

In order to elaborate on their differences, I've decided to compare each player to a very distinct, and delicious, chicken dish in Los Angeles.

Dwight Howard: the Chicken basket from Reddi Chick-- simple, filling, and delicious. The basket itself consists of two components: chicken and fries. For the purposes of this post, think of the Chicken as Dwight's defensive game and the fries his offensive. The fries are crispy, but perhaps a tad too greasy. The seasoning, however, is awesome and makes up for the grease. The fries are littered around the rotisserie half chicken, serving as a delicious compliment to the true heart of the meal. The chicken is cooked to perfection, without too much fat or skin hanging off of it. Typically, you get a large breast, a leg, and a small wing--think of these as rebounds, blocks, and contested shots--enough chicken to keep you full for quite some time. When you get to the bottom of the basket you find grease soaked fries. I tend to leave these fries so as to not ruin the 3 and a half quarters of a delicious, delicious meal. Instead, I head to the soft serve (read: Rashard Lewis) to cap off my yummy 4 quarters of grubbery.

Kobe Bryant: the 1/2 Chicken plate from Cha Cha Chicken--multi-faceted, healthy and also delicious. The 1/2 Chicken is served smothered in a sweet and spicy jerk sauce and comes with sides of rice and beans, a small salad, and plantains. The chicken, Byrant's offensive game, is roasted to perfection and covered in a sauce that makes it unique. The little chunks of fruit in the sauce make it sweet. The tasteful blend of Cayenne and habanero make it spicy. The garlic makes it...well, you get the point. Beneath the sauce, lies the foundation of the meal--a straight forward, perfectly

cooked breast, wing and thigh that would be a more-than-satisfactory without the sauce. While both the sauce and chicken are awesome, it is the proportion of sauce to chicken that makes the meal unparalleled. To compliment the chicken, Cha Cha provides rice and beans, a salad, and plantains. The rice and beans (read: Kobe's defensive game) are perhaps the most underrated aspect of the meal. They're solid and well proportioned, and, if you're lucky, the sauce that makes the meal so special will sneak in to the occasional bite. Then there's the salad. Actually forget that, I usually get double rice and beans and I'm pretty unfamiliar with the salad. Mooooooving on, there's the plantains, a fine way to end the meal. The 3 and a half quarters of devouring chicken and rice and beans leaves you wanting a little more. The plantains are the perfect remedy. They're cooked perfectly and always hit the spot at the end of the meal.

So there you have it. I have somewhat successfully compared Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant to chicken.

PS If you live in LA and haven't been to one or both of these places, shame on you.