Anyone who has ever read anything that I've written about Kobe Bryant knows that I have been a huge fan of his—and I still am.
Kobe has treated us to some of the most memorable moments the NBA has seen in the post-Jordan era.
Unfortunately, he has also given his fans some disappointment to go along with his hoops greatness.
While his infidelity, smugness, and often abrasive personality have given rise to quite a bit of unnecessary venom from sportswriters and NBA fans, his basketball skill has usually been unchallenged.
This season had been a sort of coronation of Bryant, as he finally seemed to come from under the shadow of the baggage he had accumulated over the years—the Shaquille O'Neal trade, the sexual assault trial, the "selfish on-court" play, and the willingness to throw his teammates and management under the bus.
He won his first NBA MVP award, and he finally led his team back to the NBA Finals—in a season that began with his tenure as a Laker in serious doubt.
Bryant and the Lakers' blitzkrieg of the Western Conference in this year's postseason had many basketball pundits etching L.A.'s name on the Larry O'Brien trophy before they had even stepped on the floor for Game One against the Celtics—present company included.
Even after the Lakers went down two games to zero, most people thought that once Kobe went home to play in front of his Hollywood pals, the series would dramatically alter course.
It almost did.
After wining an ugly Game Three at home, the Lakers started Game 4 playing as if the Boston Celtics didn't even belong in the same league as them. Then came the biggest collapse in Finals history, and the writing was on the wall. Surely Number 23 would never have given up a 24-point lead at home.
Like the guy said in the GMC commercials that saturated the Finals coverage:
Kids in America don't walk around with shirts that say "I almost won".
This was supposed to be Kobe's year. It was all laid out for him. The stars appeared to be aligned in just the correct sequence for us to witness another Jordanesque moment of KB 24, as we all prepared for the inevitable tears and champagne that would finally solidify Bryant as being truly "like Mike."
But alas, there will be no cheers in Tinseltown. No parades down Rodeo Drive. No I told you so from Kobe or his legion of fans.
After Game Four's meltdown, the Lakers managed to win an even uglier Game Five to send the series back to Boston with a chance to make history. More importantly, a chance for Kobe to make his own history.
No team had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals. Surely if there was a player who could pull off the impossible, it was the guy who once scored 81 points in a single game. The guy who once outscored the Western Conference Champions by himself over three quarters. The guy who once scored over 50 points in four straight games.
The moment was there for Kobe to seize and KB24 fans waited with baited breath to say to the world we told you so. But the moment never came.
Bryant nailed three shots from the behind the arc in the early moments of the first quarter in Game Six, and I thought to myself, those shots were pure liquid.
I had flashbacks of Jordan dropping 63 on Bird and Co. in 1986.
But that was it. The highlights were over, as Boston's suffocating defense and spirited bench play eventually ran the Lakers out of the gym by halftime.
Forget the controversy surrounding the officiating. Forget the fact that the Celtics did in fact play superior defense than Lakers, who looked like they were studying the George Karl defensive play book. Forget the fact that Doc Rivers was schooling Phil Jackson on the bench. Forget even the fact that Kobe's supporting cast never really showed up for the Finals.
I, we, were waiting for the moment when Bryant said forget this, it's time for me to take charge.
The moment(s) never came. The victory by sheer willpower never materialized. In these Finals, Kobe played a little too much team ball and too little 'Black Mamba' ball.
Kobe may very well be the most talented player to ever lace 'em up. He certainly has the statistics to argue the point.
But unless he rattles off another three titles in a row, these Finals will be the blemish that all of his detractors will point to as the moment we all had to face the fact that maybe Kobe really isn't like Mike.
Bryant still has a lot of basketball left in his tank, but with younger players like LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant hot on his tail, his window is closing sooner rather than later.
Maybe Kobe fans should just take the 81 point game, the scoring titles, the three rings with Shaq, the MVP award and enjoy it—because we might not get much else.
All in all a superb, Hall-of-Fame career without question.
But when Kobe had a chance to become a legend—well, he just didn't make it happen.
Not yet, anyway. And maybe, not ever.
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3 months ago
my few thoughts about NBA.
Writers who spread this Kobe love feast could not have ever PICKED up a basketball. Parrot brained mouth pieces for the NBA. L.A. has problems playing .500 ball the until they get Gasol. Suddenly Odom is Karl Malone , Kobe is Jordan and these Lakers are equal to Russel's teams. UNTIL Donaghy. Now you have congressional staff having NBA parties for a different reason. NBA has film of SAC/LA 2002 game pulled from youtube. WOW. NBA couldn't look more fake if O.J. where a referee.Fake NBA referees should be under watch. Series only goes 6 games and the anointed unbeatable team is blown out by 40 points. Pierce dominated at both ends. Jordan would have outplayed MVP Rapist TODAY. Boston fans can't have more. NBA-NFL -MLB. WOW. Not mad al L.A. Just hope they put Stern in jail for B.S. he has been feeding us for 20+ years.
3 months ago
i believe kobe will still get it done but not in the traditional kobe way........since everyone like to compare kobe to mj maybe juss maybe this is that last straw that last hard defeat b4 he really turns it up a notch. almost like when jordan had to go thru detroit in the late 80s. keep in mind the lakers really overachieved in my mind.... who expected them to get this far.. the team is very young kobe is only 29 and in his prime, the team is now playoff tested i have been following the lakers every since shaq left tinseltown. and they have built their team for the long run while i think a lot of teams want to when now. imagine this.....................starting lineup C-bynum PF-gasol SF-odom SG bryant PG fisher and the "bench mob" thats 3 guys in the starting lineup 6'11'' or taller with the best player in the world and a core nucleus of players with 3 or more yrs in the triangle offense............not to mention and minor tweaks the lakers will make to their roster in the offseason. Im not sayin the lakers are goin to win it all next year but......................DONT BE SURPRISED IF GOOD OL ZEN MASTER PHIL RIPS OFF ANOTHER 3 TITLES WITH THE LAKERS..........U KNOW HE HAS A TENDANCY TO DO THAT AT TIMES. as far as im concerned the lake show looks to be in great position to do such a thing.
3 months ago
Kobe is a huge regular season talent. He plays like Jordan in the regular season. If you look at his playoff history, though, he was never a big finals performer. He made big shots but his shooting percentage always bottomed out in the finals. Always. He actually shot better in this series than he did in his last finals with Shaq.
Kobe is one of the greatest regular season players of all time but his finals legacy has been staggeringly non-existent. It was hard to notice that in the first three championships because Shaq was mopping the floor with opposing teams. I think it's funny that this is the first year anyone noticed how horrible Kobe's shooting is during finals series. Shaq wasn't there to clean up this time.
3 months ago
It seems as if people forget that basketball is a team sport. You can never expect one man to beat five and relying on such ideas is sure to lead to failure. Kobe played just as well as any of the players on the Celtics. Without four other players contributing to their full potential, they will not be able to go all of the way. The Lakers defense was not disasterous, there is nothing you can do about the inside outside game if the other team is hot. The Celtics made more three-pointers in these finals than any other team in NBA history. Their defensive effort was unmatched but the Lakers did not move the ball well and execute the offense that got them to the finals. Too much pressure is put on Kobe and it seems as if the success of the team is attributed to the team and failure is put on Kobe Bryant's back. Maybe, just maybe, the reason that they lost was not because of Kobe. Even Jordan had Pippen and Grant. They all played well and the team won. If only Jordan played well, they dropped games just the same. Once again, it is a team sport so the team has to do well on both ends for success. Kobe did not fall short, the Lakers did.
3 months ago
Kobe is going to lead the Lakers to 4-5 more championships and end up with more points, all star appearances and most importantly rings than MJ.
3 months ago
When people compare Kobe to MJ, it's never really about what Kobe has done, but more about what he might, will, or is going to do. Fanboys have been doing that for years, and even now, some proclaim that Kobe still has 10 years to dominate. What a load of bull.
If Kobe had won the finals this season, those same fanboys would have put him on a pedestal higher than MJ. They would totally ignore the fact that MJ was consistently the best player in the league not for a couple of seasons, but for almost his entire career.
The problem is that even with all the evidence of MJ's superiority over Kobe right smack in front of their faces, they would still deny it and make up lame excuses.
Kobe has a long way to go to be on MJ's level .... and time is running short.
- In the Bulls' first championship run, MJ played with a bunch of scrubs and developing young players. Cartwright was past his prime and exhibited major suckage in those championship years. Pippen was a developing player but was far from being a star. Grant was also young and unpolished. Paxson was okay but not great.
- In the Bulls' second championship run, the team played smarter but was much older. Jordan and Harper were in their 30s. Rodman was still a great rebounder but arguably passt his prime. Only Pippen was close to his prime. That team was also filled with scrubs. Luc freakin Longley was their centre in that triangle. Kerr was a great shooter but unathletic and terrible on D. Ditto Judd Buechler. Jason Williams, Randy Brown, Scott Burrell, Jason Caffey, Bill Wennington, Jayson Williams, Dickey Simpkins, etc: SCRUBS. Only Kukoc was the notable talent off the bench. Where do people get the idea that those Bulls teams were filled with stars? MJ was also relied on each and every night to carry much of the scoring load, even well into his 30s.
- The defense in the 80s and 90s were the most physical in the history of the NBA. Those were also the tallest years in the NBA with some of the greatest offensive AND defensive centers of all time. Defensive rules these days give most of the advantage to the offensive player. If you want to understand how good and physical defenses were back then, then I advice you to watch these videos as they break down exactly how defenses were played and how the lax rules were used against MJ:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kp53zWynjh4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dxBhQKtG2Zo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mBKQ4UozGMU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4HGKEt7xBbs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8d8Ll9xgQ3U
- I haven't even mentioned the Jordan rules. I haven't heard of any team create a defensive system specifically designed to stop one player. Not only did that defense key in on MJ, but if MJ got close he'd get hammered and sent to the floor. The Knicks D was similar but arguably more physical.
- Statistically, MJ is so far ahead of Kobe that it's not even fair. People also forget that MJ is the only player in history to win the scoring title, DPOY, and MVP all in the same year. He is also #1 all time in blocks for a guard, #2 all time in steals, and #3 all time in rebounds for a guard.
- MJ's career shooting percentage is 49.7%. Remove the years in Washington, and he shoots better than 50% for his career. He also is the all time leading ppg scorer in the playoffs at 33 ppg.
- Arguing that today's defensive rules would bother MJ would be moot, because under the same rules he still averaged about 22 ppg as a 39 and 40 yr old with two bum knees in Washington.
- MJ has never lost a finals series, and was finals MVP each and every time. In his first ever finals series, MJ averaged 31 ppg, 11 apg, 7 rpg, shooting better than 50%. At age 35 in the '98 finals, MJ averaged 33 ppg despite having a torn ligament in his shooting hand.
- Bottomline, Kobe has lots to do to even be mentioned in the same sentence as MJ. Heck, he has lots to do to be even mentioned in the same sentence as Bird, Magic, Russell, Chaimberlain, etc. Lots to do, but getting short on time.
3 months ago
Does anyone else ever get tired of hearing the "blame Kobe's teammates" excuse? His teammates didn't lose the series for them. Kobe lost it. It was Kobe that turned the ball over 4 times and missed 15 shots game 6 (that's throwing away 19 posessions right there). Kobe shot terribly the entire series, but he kept firing up bricks under double teams while open teammates (who kept knocking down threes when they were actually given the ball) stood around waiting to see if Kobe would even look at them. Farmar was 3 for 4 from three point land. But Kobe had a grand total of 1 assist in game 6. Maybe he should have tried getting the ball to Gasol, who gave the Celtics fits whenever he actually got to touch the ball, but only managed to get 7 shots (making 4) in game 6. And as bad as Kobe stunk it up on the offensive end, he saved his worst for the defensive end where he basically did nothing. He tried to guard Allen in the first two games, but when Allen kept torching him, they let him guard Rondo. The result...a 20 point outburst by the normally quiet Rondo. Since Kobe wasn't guarding Rondo, you would think he might have tried double teaming other players and get some steals, draw some offensive fouls, block some shots, or get some rebounds. Well, he got 1 steal and 3 rebounds (and I don't remember him ever drawing an offensive foul in his NBA career). And despite his great leaping ability, I don't remember him blocking any shots in the series either. For a suposed all defense player, he sure doesn't do much on the defensive end. The Lakers gave very little effort on the defensive end, and Kobe lead the way with his lackluster effort. Man, talk about overrated. Is there a more overrated player in any sport?
3 months ago
Kobe is not a great player unless his shooting percentage goes up. Michael Jordan is the greatest ever because he shot over 50 percent in his career minus the two seasons with the wizards when he was 40 and 41 respectively. I do not understand the rational about kobe being dominant. He is not dominant, his shot is not automatic like mj's shot was and he drives to the hole like a good wnba player. People can say what they want with the comparisons but time will define truth as it has a little bit already with kobe showing he is a good player at best.
Mj is the babe ruth of basketball
Kobe is the ryan sandberg of baseball
3 months ago
this year's finals has set kobe's legacy. if the loudest optimists in L.A. are right, and the lakers win the next 5 championships with bynum back in the line-up, kobe bryant can still never legitimately be compared to michael jordan again. it doesnt matter how much each had around them; it's their very demeanor and approach to the game.
in fact, let me offer a far better comparison. in game 7 of the first round of the 2005 western conference playoffs, kobe's lakers were on the brink of blowing the series after going up 3-1 against phoenix. the lakers were destroyed 121-90 in that game, but the real story was that kobe took only THREE shot attempts in the entire second half, making just one. when asked about it afterwards, kobe said he decided he had to go back to team basketball and get his teammates involved to win. that story is a very close parallel to game 7 of the 1968 finals, where bill russell's celtics beat wilt chamberlain's sixers 100-96. thats no news in itself, but the fact that wilt chamberlain took only ONE shot attempt in the second half is legendary. this despite the fact that all his teammates had gone cold (hal greer finished 8-25 and matt goukas 2-10). afterwards, he would say that the entire boston team was defending him, and he was just playing the right way.
let me ask everyone this: in a game 7 in the playoffs, would michael jordan EVER EVER EVER take only three shots or less in the second half? when you are that dominant a basketball player, the standard "right way" definition doesn't apply to you anymore.
wilt chamberlain was the most dominating center of his generation, but, in his career, he still only managed to take one championship against bill russell's nine during the celtics dynasty. then he struggled against the bucks and knicks to win only one more afterwards. kobe bryant is the most dominant offensive force of this generation and a solid defender to boot, but his prima donna attitude on and off the court only leaves his legacy on par with chamberlain's. that's still lofty status, but nowhere near the stratosphere of russell and jordan.
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