James has won the series against Bryant
The Heat have won both games, and James has outplayed Bryant. Reuters

In 2010-2011, it's LeBron 2, Kobe 0.

For the second time this season, LeBron James won a showdown with Kobe Bryant.

The Heat won both games, and James put up better numbers than his fellow superstar.

On Thursday night, James scored well below his average but nearly came away with a triple-double. James tallied 19 points, to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds.

On Christmas Day, James didn't come close to getting a triple-double -- he actually did have a triple-double. In a blowout victory, James scored 27 points and had 10 assists, and 11 rebounds.

In the two games against the Heat, Bryant has not seemed as sharp as he usually is.

On Christmas, Bryant shot only six of 16 from the field, but added seven assists and six rebounds.

On Thursday, Bryant shot only eight of 21 from the field, and hit two three-point shots, but that's about it. Bryant didn't seem to play with the same type of flare he often plays with.

What really matters for James, is that he won both games, which is a major accomplishment in his first season in Miami. The knock on James is he hasn't won a championship, and because he didn't win one in Cleveland, fans feel he made the leap to Miami because he needed to team up with superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to do it.

This is a big season for Bryant, too. Like his idol Michael Jordan, Bryant wants to win two three-peat championships with Phil Jackson. Bryant desperately wants to win, so when the playoffs roll around, Bryant will be at his most determined, especially if it's against the Heat.

But looking deeper into the numbers, Miami has now beaten the Lakers six of the last seven times.

If Thursday's game was indeed a preview of the NBA Finals, Bryant and the Lakers should be concerned.