`Idiotic criticism' slips away with Kobe's fourth NBA title.

Byline: William Rhoden The New York Times

ORLANDO, Fla. - The debates swirling around Kobe Bryant never revolve around his extraordinary talent.

From an Olympic Gold medal last summer through a grueling regular season, a rigorous playoffs and now the NBA finals, Bryant's place among NBA superstars is set. Now, after Sunday night's performance in Game 5 of the NBA finals, even the Kobe-Lebron James debate is settled: Which player would you rather have to start your team? For much of the season the consensus choice, fueled in large part by Nike's marketing, was James.

As the playoffs rolled on and a national audience saw Bryant, hampered by a torn ligament in his pinkie, make tough shot after tough shot, opinions began to shift. After Cleveland was exposed in the Orlando series, the choice between James and Bryant was clear: James makes his teammates better but Bryant carries his teammates to championships. Whether they like it or not.

On Sunday, Bryant led the Lakers past an overmatched Orlando team to an NBA title, a record 10th for coach Phil Jackson and the fourth for Bryant.

And - ah, yes - the first for Bryant without Shaquille O'Neal.

In what was a foregone conclusion, Bryant was named most valuable player of the NBA Finals for the first time.

Asked how this fourth was different from the previous three, Bryant said, "It felt like a big old monkey was off my back." He added: "I just don't have to hear that criticism, that idiotic criticism anymore, that's the biggest thing. I don't have to hear that stuff anymore."

What did he mean by "that stuff"?

Maybe he meant the stuff from last year when the Lakers were humiliated by Boston in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. "Now when I go to Disney World and Disneyland, I can enjoy the moment," he said.

Or he could have been referring to the lack of compassion in the past with his teammates. The debates around Bryant never revolve around talent, but focus instead on personality.

Bryant is not a merciful opponent, and in the past he has not been what you would call a merciful teammate, either. He is known to be relentlessly tough on teammates who don't measure up. That can and has included nearly everyone, including O'Neal, whom Bryant chided near the end of their marriage for not being in championship shape.

The more Bryant spoke after Sunday's triumphant moment, the more it became clear that the "stuff" he was referring to had to do with O'Neal. Not Shaq, the man, but O'Neal the force.

After O'Neal left the team, the speculation - much of it fueled by O'Neal himself - was that Bryant would never win a championship without big brother Shaq anchoring the team. For Bryant, that notion became a constant, throbbing media mantra. "Like Chinese water torture," he said on Sunday.

He was the one, so the narrative went, who drove off O'Neal. He was the one who short-circuited a dynasty. Jackson even leveled criticism at Bryant. In his book: "The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul," Jackson described Bryant as uncoachable.

The great virtue of professional sports is how winning can make everything right. O'Neal texted Bryant his congratulations on Sunday, amid rumors that he was headed to Cleveland to join James. Phil Jackson slipped on a yellow baseball cap with the black Roman numeral X designating his 10 NBA coaching championships.

And Bryant finally conceded that his fourth ring was sweetest because it forever put an end to the business of his not being able to win without O'Neal.

"From the standpoint of responding to the challenge, from people saying I couldn't do it without him, that feels good because you prove people wrong," Bryant said. "It feels extremely good to do that."

There was no uncontrollable sobbing, no emotional outburst. The relief and the joy he exuded seemed authentic. "It feels like I'm dreaming right now," Bryant said. "I can't believe this moment is here."

Adding a final note about the Shaq years, Bryant said, "For me, it's about the years that we had, but also enjoying the ones to come."

How many more championships can the Lakers win with Bryant? The core of the team is relatively young. Bryant is 30, Lamar Odom is 30, Pau Gasol is 29, Trevor Ariza is 24, Andrew Bynum is 22. The wild card is Jackson, who is 64.