Live by the Kobe, die by the Kobe
by C.A. Clark on Apr 23, 2010 9:01 AM PDT
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Kobe Bryant effectively lost Game 3 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the OKC Thunder, which ended with a score of 96-101. The score was tied at 82 when Kobe spent three possessions trying to be a hero and challenging Kevin Durant, who is both bigger and more athletic than our ailing superstar. The results were two ugly 3 pt misses and a blocked 16 foot fade-away. On the other end, helped by the ability to run after all those long rebounds, the Thunder took advantage and scored 6 straight points (they would make it 8 straight after a Bynum missed hook shot), and the Lakers were never able to recover.
This is a team sport, so there's always more than one reason why a team lost, but Kobe's shot selection was definitely the driving force behind this particular L. That said, if you came to see a good Kobe blast in the face of his poor 4th quarter performance, you'll be sadly disappointed. Why am I giving him a pass? Because we've just been so freshly reminded of what Kobe can do to close out a game positively, in game 2's victory. And the difference between hero Kobe and goat Kobe is all in the results.
Much as we might not like how it manifests itself from time to time, Kobe is one of the best players in the history of the game in part because of his willingness to take tough shots in big moments. This is hardly the first time he's tried to take a game over in the 4th quarter, and it's definitely not the first time he's failed to do so, either. But we've been so freshly reminded of what Kobe is capable of, both good and bad, that I can't just sit here and blast him for the same stuff he was applauded for three nights ago.
In Game 2, Kobe was 4-8 from the field, and 7-9 from the FT line, en route to 15 of the 22 Lakers points in the 4th quarter. It was a vintage performance, one that had everyone from Johnny Ludden to J.A. Adande screaming 'Not so fast' about all those "the demise of Kobe" story lines. In Game 3, Kobe was 2-9 from the field, with no FTs, en route to 4 pts. Two completely different results, creating two completely different outcomes. But take a look at the shot charts.
I don't know about you, but I don't see a whole lot of difference there, besides the obvious presence of a few more X's. One major difference people will jump to point out between Game 2 and Game 3 is that in Game 2, Kobe shot 9 FTs, garnering 7 additional points. Those FTs came mostly on closer shot attempts, so if those shot attempts were to show up in the Game 2 shot chart, distribution between the two charts would look a lot different. It's a valid point, but Game 3 has it's counterpoint. In Game 3, Kobe did not get to the foul line in the 4th quarter, but he did actually increase his role as a facilitator. He had 3 assists in the 4th quarter of Game 3, as opposed to one in all of Game 2. It stands to reason that his assists came off of drives towards the basket, in which the Thunder focused on him to prevent a repeat of Game 2. So, in Game 2 he drove to the basket and got fouled, so the shot chart has no close shots. In Game 3 he drove to the basket and was doubled, so he passed the ball to his teammates, so the shot chart has no close shots. Perhaps he didn't take it to the basket as much as you would have liked in either game, but there weren't too many complaints after Game 2.
In fact, for what it's worth, Kobe actually did back off his attempts to win the game single handedly in Game 3, which is not something he's always done in the past. We blame him, and rightfully so, for taking and missing those shots, and the Lakers couldn't recover from those 3 wasted possessions, because this was already a very tight contest, but we've all seen Kobe enter hero mode, never to return. Last night, he did eventually realize a heroic ending wasn't in the cards, and went back to playing the distributor. You can fault him for entering hero mode in the first place if you want, but hero mode and fail mode are not the same thing every night.
I'm not trying to make excuses for Bryant. Blame for Game 3's loss falls predominantly on his shoulders. But I've come to terms with the fact that Kobe is what he is. The mentality he needs to provide us with some of the best moments in sports, the mentality that is the reason so many GMs would want Kobe to take the final shot in a ball game, is the mentality that allows the events of Game 3 to take place. So far in his illustrious career, there have been more Game 2s than Game 3s, so the mentality is, partially at least, justified.
All I seek is consistency in the commentary regarding Kobe's game. If you want to take him to task for Game 3, don't celebrate him for Game 2. If you want to put him on a pedestal for Game 2, don't throw him under the bus for Game 3. Kobe, the hero of Game 2, and Kobe, the goat of Game 3, are the same guy. Your reaction to him is all that's different.
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The game was over with about 13 seconds left and I said out loud, very dramatically, “Eh”. Kobe will see the tape and figure how to get around Durant the next time Brooks makes that match up late again. We lost once to Utah last year, and I feel that was a better team than this current Thunder team. Not taking anything away from OKC. They’re a solid team with only upside. But that Utah team was bigger, and nearly unbeatable at home.
Well let me welcome everybody to the wild wild west. A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness.
one problem
Kobe has a tendency to pass the ball more when the other guys have shown throughout the game to be stepping up and scoring…especially bynum and gasol. The fact that they played missed shot/cleanup duty for the first 3 quarters did not float my boat. we know all too well that our hot outside shooting streaks never last.
Vikas Srinath
by vikas_s24 on Apr 23, 2010 10:41 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
LOVED....
the article CA!!! way to make people think!
I don't do it for your thanks, I do it because I had a calling, but I do love the support you give me and my Soldiers.
If the Lakers would have won by one point nobody would be saying anything negative about Kobe. Last year we started the series by a loss at home to the Rockets. It’s just one loss Chiken Littles. Let’s get over it and move on. Bring on game 4.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
The fact that the Lakers have played to such a high level even through the injuries is a testament to their skill, abilities, and resiliency. - 99bc99
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Apr 23, 2010 11:26 AM PDT reply actions
actually
i’m pretty sure they would be still talking bad about kobe. he doesn’t catch a break unless he hits the game-winning shot.
: ) true...
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
The fact that the Lakers have played to such a high level even through the injuries is a testament to their skill, abilities, and resiliency. - 99bc99
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Apr 23, 2010 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions
and even when he hits the game winning shot
ppl would say the game should’ve never been close enough to him to need to take that shot…
Is the problem with people actually criticizing Kobe?
Or is it that people are actually in the Right for doing it this time? I cant speak for anyone else but i show no Favorites. If i can rip Fisher when he plays like trash then rest assured when Kobe pulls what he did last night he’s gonna get the same treatment. It’s one game. We lost and hopefully he leaves the 1 on 5 mentality at the Hotel tomorrow night so we can win, go home and end the series in 5
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
Personally for me I see absolutely nothing wrong with saying anything negative about Kobe. Believe me I have done my share of taking shots at him also. But my only point is that people talk about him as if they are ready to quit on him. Its just one dam game. To expect Kobe to come through EVERY fourth qtr of his career is unrealistic. Which is the attitude that I see a lot. We talk a lot about turning the switch on and off for this team but Kobe can’t do that with his competitiveness. Sometimes that bites the whole team in the ass. But other times that competitiveness produces titles. That is why I don’t harp on him over such a loss. Now if we lost a series because of that than that is a different story.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
The fact that the Lakers have played to such a high level even through the injuries is a testament to their skill, abilities, and resiliency. - 99bc99
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Apr 23, 2010 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I see what you're saying
Im not mad because he didnt come thru at the end…Im pissed because he didnt allow anyone else to help the TEAM come thru in the end…Im not ready to quit on him but i stand by what i said in another post, “We wont win unless we have Smart Kobe” If the 1 on 5 Kobe continues to come out we will lose. Maybe not this series but there’s no way we’ll make it out the 2nd round.
Teammates.....What a unique concept
by EmmCeee on Apr 23, 2010 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was pissed and I agree with you 100% with everything you just said.
I can’t stand when he does that.
"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG
The fact that the Lakers have played to such a high level even through the injuries is a testament to their skill, abilities, and resiliency. - 99bc99
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Apr 23, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions
this
+1
"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O
As far as im concerned he doesnt get a pass
He put his 1 on 1 battle with Durant ahead of the team and that’s what i have a problem with..I call it how i see it on a game to game basis and last game he was trash. Sorry if it offends some of you who blindly defend everything Kobe does but it’s the truth. He’s not above anyone else when it comes to criticism. He’s my fav player in the league but he’s gettin what deserves. It is what it is
It's playoff time and im in asshole mode circa 09 Mamba...Fuck your team and their title chances.
you sound like kobe is your fav player in the league. you trash him just like all the ones that hate him. kobe is not above criticism, he never was, in fact he is the most criticized superstar in basketball. he don’t get half the calls he should get when he drives to the basket. kobe had a bad game, and yes, I also believe he lost game 3, but I also know he was trying to win. you need to question why the lakers big men cannot get free, if you watch the game just about the whole thunder team is in the paint, and yet, they have not gotten one defensive 3 seconds.
TRADE KOBE!
I totally agree with you CA Clark we HAVE TO TRADE KOBE!!
haha i love how you started the article with anti-Kobe sentiment, only to flip flop on your opinion.
Jokes aside, I totally agree, the Lakers and Laker fans sorta have to learn to live with Kobe’s late game heroics. He has done too much for us in closing moments for us to be able to pretend we knew he was going to suck yesterday. I’ve seen countless games where Kobe is having a bad shooting night, only to carry us in the final 2 mins. While I am defending Kobe’s action in the last 2 mins of the game, I am far from defending Kobe. He took WAYYY too many shots. The guy has to be more discerning when it comes to shooting. THERE SHOULD NEVER BE A PLAYOFF GAME THAT KOBE DOESNT GET TO THE FT LINE! Our biggest strength is Kobe driving to the basket, forcing the OKC big men to decide to challenge or stay with Pau/Drew. Laker starters combined took less free throws than just Kevin Durant!
I’m not worried of letting this series get away from us, but I am VERY worried about Kobe’s growing shooting woes. 10-29 is unacceptable when we have so many guys that can score! I think its only fair of Phil to challenge his starters to get at least 14 fts per game, and take advantage of our size!
In Kobe we trust!
problem with Kobe
one of the things that makes great players great is their egos. They know they are better than everyone else. Kobe has had this attitude since he first stepped on the basketball court for the Lakers. The problem comes when you start to get older and your body can’t do what it has always done in the past. Kobe is only 31, but he has put a lot of hard basketball minutes on his body. He is currently 7th in active minutes played, Everyone in the top 10 on that list has seen their skills decline. Kobe already has more minutes than Jerry West did when he retired. That isn’t even counting the number of international games that Kobe has played. There comes an inevitable time in everyone’s game where they just can’t do the things they used to do. But ego driven players like Kobe will be the last to recognize their physical limitations. Whether it’s just nagging injuries that will heal with some rest or the inevitable physical decline due to age and basketball “mileage”, Kobe just isn’t the same player he was at the beginning of the season. The question for the playoffs will be "Will Kobe realize his physical limitations and learn to depend more on his teammates or will the Lakers go down in flames with Kobe still trying to prove he is the best ? The sub question will be "if Kobe depends more on his teammates will they step up ? Gasol had a really good game yesterday and Drew is playing much better than I expected. Kobe should never have more shots than both of them combined. The Lakers will probably live or die with Kobe. Right now , I’m not liking their chances.
Mamba Samba
I’ve kinda had a hard time with Kobes play in every game of this series. He did his best to shoot us out of game one when we had the clear advantage going inside and game two, yes the shots were falling in the fourth for him but had we stayed with pounding it into our bigs ( yes, I know they were fronting them that game but there’s plenty of ways around that as so eloquently put in another post here ) He just had to be the man. it paid off, we got the W. but like Charles said: The game doesn’t have to be that hard.
This Laker team would kill it with a balanced attack. When Bynum misses two free throws in a row in game two, why is that? he’s a good free throw shooter but hasnt touched the ball for three quarters— mainly because Kobe is taking up all the possessions. This team is far to talented with to many weapons for Kobe to ever even have to “carry” it. Your not looking over at Kwame Brown and Smush Parker here.
He’s a great player and never fails to impress me at how incredible he is but I wonder when is HE going to see how effective this team really could be without him trying to take all the shots. I think the Lakers are at their best when he’s running ‘the point’ making decisions, shooting when the situation demands it and getting other people involved.
" Get out of my way Saturn! "
by Captain $hugg on Apr 23, 2010 12:59 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
this too
+1, and rec’d. In reference to his chess and checkers analogy, by now he ought to see the difference between strategic and tactical play…
"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O
if kobe passes more the ball and do not shoots almost 30 shots we could bet them easily next game
The PuertoRican Kid
by Kobe:The Legend on Apr 23, 2010 1:16 PM PDT reply actions
At the very least in the sequence of 3 bad shots against KD, Kobe should have taken it to the rim to pass or get fouled. A couple of times he got the ball after Ron and everyone else froze up an the shot clock was down but he had enough time to attack the rim instead of jacking up deep 3s. I know he will adjust and attack KD off the dribble more to get a little more space to create for himself or others.
Much as we might not like how it manifests itself from time to time, Kobe is one of the best players in the history of the game in part because of his willingness to take tough shots in big moments
No argument from me on this. However, at the time he started those “aimless” shots (as bs0dx1 said), it wasn’t crunch time. It was early/middle of the 4th, and we were leading. He didn’t need to go hero mode at that point. He lost his smarts when KD was put in front of him.
"E-Coaches are heavy in here tonight! Take E-Sasha and put him on the E-bench on your fantasy league, that’ll show him!" - Jevon O
The only time I haven't been disappointed with Kobe was...
THe 4th quarter of game 2. Every other quarter of the series has led to anger at Kobe’s decisions with his inability to shoot the basketball. He needs to realize that the cast on his finger is actually affecting his shot. Once his ignorance to this fact is gone, then maybe I’ll be happy with Kobe.
Kobe hit 4-5 threes in the first half...
and 0-6 for the rest of the way
"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.
exactly CA, good post
Cause you miss some and you make some, in Kobe case it gets glorified but each and every Laker could of done a play or two better to get a win but you win and lose some, attacking Kobe every chance Lakers lose is ridiculous. He makes those shots then its cool and everyone is fine with it, then if he did something differently y’all would question that move as well. Give me a break and turn the song off already, people repeat the same crap after every Lakers loss, its tiresome, the flip-flopping is funny
by BrittneyM-mobile on Apr 23, 2010 10:52 PM PDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
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