The moment was too big for Kobe Bryant, but Kobe's heart was too big for any moment
by C.A. Clark on Jun 18, 2010 7:45 PM PDT
Email
Print
You know, I just wanted it so bad. I wanted it so, so bad ... And the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me.
I really wish every Kobe Bryant press conference followed an NBA Championship. Obviously, it would be awesome for that to be true, if for no other reason than it would mean he was winning them almost daily, but the main reason is because, only directly after winning an NBA Championship does Kobe Bryant truly open up and let everybody in. The rest of the time, getting into Kobe Bryant's true thoughts and feelings is impossible. I'm not angry with him for putting up a facade. He doesn't want to be distracted. His focus is undaunted. All that said, it's refreshing to hear him speak and know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he's being completely straight with you.
You try not to [get involved in the hype]. Tonight, it got the best of me.
There's no way Kobe fesses up to being overwhelmed by the moment if he's not holding a championship trophy while he's doing it. And I'm glad Kobe copped to it, because if you look at his numbers from Game Seven, if you watched his performance, it was crystal clear that he was pressing. Game Seven, NBA Finals, Lakers vs. Celtics, revenge for 2008; he denied caring about all those factors beforehand, but his play showed that he cared. He cared too much. Last night, the moment was too big for Kobe Bryant.
That's not something I ever thought I would say about Kobe. He's had bad games before, had games where he didn't shoot the ball well. He hasn't had a bad game on this particular stage, because he's never had any game on this particular stage, but he's struggled before on nights when his team was facing elimination. This is hardly the first game he's forced bad shots. We've all seen him try to do too much before. But we've never gotten the impression that Kobe was intimidated by the stage he was on. Kobe's had games where he failed to live up to the moment, but before last night, I don't think it's ever been because the moment was too big.
But I'm not here to bash on Kobe Bryant's struggles. Nobody ever gets Kobe Bryant right. Detractors will talk about his unwillingness to share the ball, his need to force shots. Supporters will talk about how his team often forces him to force, by watching him instead of moving, or by passing the ball to him with 4 seconds left on the shot clock, expecting him to create something out of nothing. The argument of Kobe the Chucker vs. Kobe the guy forced to bail out his team is as subjective an argument as anything this side of Chicken v. Egg. And because Kobe is so polarizing, people's stances are always so black and white. I'm sorry, but Kobe's shot selection is mired in shades of gray. Sometimes he forces it because he's Kobe. Sometimes he forces it because his teammates require him to. I, for one, am done trying to separate the two. I don't care about his shot selection. It is a necessary evil, both in the sense that it is just part of the total Kobe Bryant package (which is so, so worth it), and in the sense that it is sometimes actually necessary for him to force shots.
The numbers are pretty painful, though. 6-24 shooting. 0-6 from 3 pt range. Before the 4th quarter he was also 3-6 from the FT line. He scored 23 points, in large part due to 8 points from FTs in the 4th, but to call his night a struggle is to call Rasheed Wallace a little bit hot-tempered. I have no desire to bash the Mamba, but if the Lakers had lost last night's game, Kobe would have deservedly taken a lion's share of the blame. His legacy would have taken a huge hit. You'd be hearing stories today involving his name and the word choke. Kobe knows exactly how lucky he is to have avoided that fate. He talked repeatedly about how lucky he was to have his teammates pick him up. While receiving his MVP trophy, he acknowledged how important Pau Gasol is to the team.
In the midst of a dreadful offensive performance, complete with 4 turnovers, it almost seemed like Kobe was wilting under the pressure. I already wrote about this in my slightly less analytical recap, but it's important enough to relive twice; there was a moment in the 4th quarter where Pau Gasol tapped out an offensive rebound, Kobe caught the ball, and it slipped right out of his hands. Ray Allen picked it up (I got it wrong the first time, I thought Rondo did) and ended up getting a blocking call on Kobe in transition. Kobe sat under the basket, and I stand behind my original description. He looked despondent. He couldn't understand why he was having such a horrible game. Jordan Farmar came over to help him up, and he didn't budge for a second. Then Farmar said something to him to get his mind back on track. Yet another example of how Kobe's teammates saved him last night.
Except he also saved himself. In the quote I used to open the piece, there is an ellipsis. That's a neat little trick journalists use to clean up quotes, to remove ancillary information that does not contribute to the message the quote is meant to convey. Here is what was in that particular ellipsis.
Plus, I was on E [the fuel tank, not the drug]. Man, I was really, really tried.
Here is Kobe Bryant, admitting that he was exhausted in last night's game. He doesn't need to admit it, we could see it in the way he was grimacing in the 4th quarter. He couldn't get his legs into his shots, which is why he was missing even the ones that were not poor decisions or necessary forces. The man was dead tired, in the biggest game of his life, and throwing down one of the worst performances of his life. He responded to these circumstances the only way he knows how.
By working his fucking ass off. The man had 15 rebounds. FIFTEEN!! As a shooting guard, that's downright insane. He may have been so tired he couldn't get the lift he needed to shoot, he may have been so fatigued that he couldn't focus well enough to avoid making costly mistakes, but Kobe still worked harder than anybody on the court. 4 of those rebounds came in the final quarter, a quarter in which he finally snapped out of it, and scored 10 points. Those 10 points came mostly on free throws, he still couldn't hit shots, but how those free throws were obtained says quite a bit. The first three came because he caught Ray Allen reaching with a swing through. It was a smart decision, but nothing that communicates his will to win.
The rest? He got two free throws by skying high to pick up a defensive rebound, and getting careened into by Glen Davis. He got two more when he attacked the basket hard and Paul Pierce got nothing but arm in attempting to block Kobe's dunk. Then, with 30 seconds left to play, Kobe missed another long jump shot. Pau Gasol picked up the offensive board, and was trapped on the baseline. He found Kobe, who took the ball, and used every last ounce of strength he had to throw himself into Rasheed Wallace and draw the foul that would seal the game. 3 plays, all displaying an energy Kobe Bryant willingly admits he didn't have. Add that to 15 rebounds, in a game in which he couldn't hit double digit shots. It's a lot easier to forgive him for the 18 possessions he used unsuccessfully, when he was responsible for acquiring 15 possessions in the other direction.
Kobe Bryant admits the moment was too much for him, which is good, because we all knew what we were watching. His teammates rescued him from having to live with the regret for the rest of his life, there's no doubt about it. But all you need to know about Kobe, all you need to see in order to understand why so many people love a player who does have a bit of a character flaw, it can all be seen in that box score. Kobe had one of the worst games of his life, in the biggest game of his life, and his response was to push his body past its limits in order to achieve success.
The moment was too big for Kobe Bryant. It caused his mind to make bad choices, while his body was failing him physically. So he turned to the one thing he had left. Thankfully for us all, Kobe Bryant's heart is bigger than any moment.
91 comments
|
11 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
wow im first
Bryant will be in his seventh NBA finals in search of his fifth championship — five more than regular season MVP LeBron James, who can only sit and watch.
just got lucky sir :D
Bryant will be in his seventh NBA finals in search of his fifth championship — five more than regular season MVP LeBron James, who can only sit and watch.
Kobe and the lakers deserved it.
Great post
"When Michael Jordan scored 69 points, I knew I'd always remember it as the night me and Michael combined for 70 points." -Stacey King, former Bulls player
the title says it all
"When Michael Jordan scored 69 points, I knew I'd always remember it as the night me and Michael combined for 70 points." -Stacey King, former Bulls player
Yep.
It is interesting how awful he played — mainly the poor shot selection, but a couple unforced errors as well — yet it was his teammates’ play that made such a huge swing in his legacy. A couple missed shots or less effort and they lose, and Kobe is a super-goat for jacking up so many shots and deliberately ignoring wide open teammates. Yet they won, so it will just be remembered as MVP and ring #5. Glad it worked out.
If he can improve the shot selection a little and they get a speedy point guard, they’ll roll to the third in a row.
Kobe's shot selection wasn't that terrible
like it wasn’t as bad as game 3 in my opinion
He just had trouble getting his shot off and trouble executing. He forced maybe what, 4 or 5 shots over the course of the game? That’s kind of what happens when you’re a perimeter player and the number 1 option for your team.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2010 NBA CHAMPION LOS ANGELES LAKERS, us included
actually, i didn’t had the everything (time, tv, pc w/ net, wi-fi cp) to watch, or get updated wtih the game, except my girlfriend who is luckily to have one of the abovementioned thingy. she doesn’t know anything about basketball (i baptized her to love the lakers and she’s posting in FB that she loves kobe even she hasn’t seen some photos of him yet).
anyway, was kobe really tired or did he have some game 7 jitters? i am just starting to watch game 7 in youtube.
also, great post sir.
Bryant will be in his seventh NBA finals in search of his fifth championship — five more than regular season MVP LeBron James, who can only sit and watch.
well done CA, well done
I was grilling him hard for his poor shooting. It was hard to believe he would perform so bad and in this game, with so much at stake. Some credit is due to the Celtics excellent defense which constantly harassed him with double and triple teams forcing him to pass or take extremely difficult shots, though he did miss a couple of chippys here and there that were close to the basket. Maybe he had some jitters or was gassed, he missed an unusual amount of FTs.
But your absolutely right, the 15 rebounds he grabbed were extremely critical to the win and in such a close game. What people I guess do a lot when they look at Kobe is only focus on the FG% but fail to look at other things such as the assists or rebounds. And in the case of Game 7, his rebounding made a huge difference and kept the Celtics from really pulling away from us and also kept them from making any ground when we went on that 4th quarter run.
Im just so glad that they won. They would never hear the end of it if otherwise.
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
Kobe is the MAN
You have to take the good with the bad. Everyone has things they would like to do better, things they consider bad habits but they do them anyway. Kobe would have loved to play the best game of his career in game 7 and we would have loved to see it but what we got was a total TEAM victory which I appreciate more and it’s how RINGS are won, no one man beats another team of five, it’s 5 on 5 for a reason. Kobe is more HAPPY he got help more then anything because it’s one thing to suck then have your teammates suck also in the biggest game on the biggest stage. I can’t bash his teammates anymore, I say they are the x-factor and rightfully so but they proved and showed they can get it done when things aren’t going so well, it’s basketball, you ain’t gonna make every shot and you ain’t gonna duplicate the same game you just had so when tip comes you just have to find a new way to get that WIN and thats what the Lakers did, even as ugly as it was, it was a WIN. #16 well deserved LAKERS.
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be committed against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the Limelight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
It was weird.
In my irrational state- and this is when he was really struggling- I yelled something to the effect of “Don’t let him touch the fucking ball.” But when Phil sat him down for like 14 seconds in the fourth, I was like “Why is he sitting down?!”
I'm here to talk about the past.
by 67MARQUEZ on Jun 18, 2010 8:31 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yes, I was yelling also, I was like WTF KOBE, WTF KOBE???
But they got it done, thats all you can ask for, they found a way, they stuck together, played defense and rebounded the ball and got the win. I felt soo much better only when Fisher hit the three pointer to tie the game at 64.
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be committed against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the Limelight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
Yeah it was that damn hump theory.
For a minute I thought we wouldn’t get the lead until the final shot, which concerned me because I was pretty confident I wouldn’t live through such a scenario.
I'm here to talk about the past.
Yeah, I was thinking "DON'T TAKE HIM OUT. WE'RE DONE IF YOU TAKE HIM OUT!"
"Prejudice not founded on reason cannot be removed by argument." - Samuel Johnson
I like what Ron Artest said in the postgame
a reporter asked him about his 20 points 5 boards and he said that it was not about his points it was about the total points the team had and I guess that was the case tonight. It was a flat out ugly game to watch but in different parts of the game each player stepped up.
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
hey guys
Pau is on Jay Leno tonight and most of the other Lakers are on Jimmy Kimmel. So tune in.
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
Shoulda been Conan
coulda had fun with him being from Mass. and all.
We’ll just have to win again next year and go on his TBS show.
You made us proud Lake Show! 2009 and 2010 BACK 2 BACK CHAMPS!
what time?
Faith.... a fan's biggest downfall
by desecrator09 on Jun 18, 2010 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions
11:35 for Leno
12:05 for Jimmy Kimmel
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
lol that picture is ready for a good caption.
Any jokers in here? =]
Queensbridge. Littlerock. 16.
Lakers 2010 Champs.
by bluexfalcon on Jun 18, 2010 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
The half-crazed ramblings of a Lakers fanatic living in Japan...
by With Malice on Jun 18, 2010 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ok... I'm tryin'!
The half-crazed ramblings of a Lakers fanatic living in Japan...
by With Malice on Jun 18, 2010 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Kobe didn’t suck… His shooting was off due to pressure and fatigue, but he played intense D and hustled all game.
This was a tough stretch. Game 5 he played 44 minutes… then 1 day of rest plus travel, then he played 40 minutes in game 6 (I think Phil should have rested him a bit more towards the end of game 6 regardless of how much he wanted to be out there) then 1 day of rest and 45 minutes in game 7
And these were not just minutes, but minutes played against one of the most intense teams and defenses in the Celtics. It was truly a war out there. The intensity and physicality were unbelievable. If Kobe had sucked in Game 7 the Lakers would have lost.
And he deservedly won series MVP when not that long ago people were wondering how much he had left. He is likely gonna have knee surgery and maybe finger surgery in the offseason. He played well enough through the playoffs that people kinda forgot his significant injuries.
Sure the pressure got to him some, he forced some shots, wanted it so bad that it threw him off balance, but he still got 10 points in the 4th, and 4 more rebounds… and in the end he still had 23 and 15
Saying he sucked is a disservice to everything he did to win this game against a relentless opponent
Great article CA
I mean 10 points in the fourth quarter? That’s pretty damn amazing. If Kobe went 5 for 5 for 10 points we’d have been talking about how he’s the clutchest player ever even though he was cold through the first three quarters. The reality? Kobe’s 10 points in game 7 might have actually been more impressive.
The fact is the Celtics just WOULD not let Kobe score down the stretch. If they defended like any other normal team Kobe would have hit a few more shots. Every other team lets Kobe bring the house down with that thunderous tomahawk jam. Any other defender besides Ray Allen gives Kobe a little more room to operate. Rasheed Wallace and KG are the only kind of guys that will knock Kobe that hard in the fourth quarter. Not only did the Celtics make it incredibly hard for Kobe to find a shot down the stretch, but when he did they often times doubled up his workload by making him earn it at the line.
And Kobe responded, going 8 for 9 down the stretch helping will his team to a victory. This championship is a little bittersweet because deep down I wanted Kobe to have some transcendent game seven performance that would shut up the haters for eternity. It’s nice to know that there are still plenty of us out there that appreciate more than just the boxscore.
“Check my stats”.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
by Justin N. on Jun 18, 2010 9:32 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I hope Kobe slept all day.
Although he probably didn’t. Kids don’t usually let that happen.
"Prejudice not founded on reason cannot be removed by argument." - Samuel Johnson
so will kobe have the surgery that he and we want to?
Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don’t forget anything. - KOBE "JELLYBEAN" BRYANT
I think Kobe is having the knee surgery, at least that was the report floating around since he's not playing
in the Olympics. I think he’ll need surgery on the index finger.
i think hes gonna get surgery for his finger
he was talking about on 710 espn how “he’s gotta do something” cause he “can’t even sign his name”
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
i really hope he do the surgeries
so we will be really on track for a 2nd 3-peat. all we have to do now is sign up some good names for the bench.
Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don’t forget anything. - KOBE "JELLYBEAN" BRYANT
Awesome article, C.A.
Kobe trusting his teammates down the stretch was awesome. The Lakers truly won this championship with a team effort. Each win in this series by the Lakers featured a different player stepping up and having their moment.
30 points in the 4th quarter...
against the Celtics..
in game 7..
of the NBA FINALS…
Team ball. ’nuff said.
My thoughts
Kobe is human. Yes, he was nervous. The stakes were very high. The competition was an almost equal adversary. Worse yet, they were a monkey on his back, a thorn in his side, and worse yet, a psychological barrier in his mind. He was exhausted from the physical and emotional strain of the series and the game and because he was giving his all %100 of the time during the game. I didn’t think his game was so bad. A lot of his shots were very close, rimming out. His shot was just a little off.
But he made up for it with effort plays and by trusting in his skills enough to know that they’d come around eventually, and they did, as you pointed out. Those 15 rebounds were big. But the great thing was that Kobe was humbled a bit, humbled by his own teammates. This victory was the ultimate gift for Kobe from his teammates for saving them and pushing them all season long. They paid him back picking up their games, playing as a team, and playing with the confidence that he helped instill in them when he needed them most. Kobe was still in my opinion the MVP in Game 7. His off night may have been a blessing in disguise because the team rallied around him.
Bad game or not, the stars on both teams played badly. Look at Allen and Pierce’s stat lines. It was a pressure packed, defensive struggle. Kobe kept missing but he never gave up and neither did the Lakers. And throughout the game, as close as his misses were, you just had the feeling that they were gonna put it together at some point. They could have folded under the pressure, but they collectively refused to give in. They knew they were the better team. Like the guy above wrote – a 30 point 4th quarter in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I think they put it together at the right time.
The X-factor turned out to be Artest after all. He was the difference maker in Game 7. But the MVP was still Kobe.
Magic made me a Laker fan.
His shot selection wasn't that bad...
Or at least, I don’t mind it, because those are shots he often makes.
What I think happened with many of his shots was that the Celtics’ swarming defense from the get-go was a lot more focused on getting the ball out of his hands than any defense he has faced in a long time. In a Finals Game Seven, they were determined to do everything humanly possible to make others beat them. Kobe’s no longer used to this pressure, and seemed to be startled by it.
He also rushed shots, out of both pressure of the moment and of imminent defenders, and he had little lift on his shot, as has been the case in seemingly every game after 1 days’ rest.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/ - Visit, and be loved. Troll, and die a painful death. =]]
Questions? Queries? Comments? Concerns? Expletive-filled inflammatory trolling? Contact me at saurav.a.das.1994@gmail.com
#16
Hey, in a way, it was great that the team were there – and I think it bodes well for Kobe trusting more next season.
On the greatest stage the game has, Kobe’s team were there to pick him up when he fell.
Cannot ask for more than that.
The half-crazed ramblings of a Lakers fanatic living in Japan...
I think
this is what he should now need to improve: have the mental discipline to temper the desire, and hence channel it into a positive output, regardless of the occassion
"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
i actually watched this game! aren't you proud of me?!
…what does C.A. stand for? anyway, i love your articles—i can totally hear you saying all of this in your emphatic manner. :)
-your sis-in-law
by vixxi on Jun 18, 2010 10:14 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Greatest Comment Ever
LOL
Queensbridge. Littlerock. 16.
Lakers 2010 Champs.
by bluexfalcon on Jun 18, 2010 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions
hehe
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/ - Visit, and be loved. Troll, and die a painful death. =]]
Questions? Queries? Comments? Concerns? Expletive-filled inflammatory trolling? Contact me at saurav.a.das.1994@gmail.com
by Saurav A. Das on Jun 22, 2010 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Feel unloved, C.A?
:P
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/ - Visit, and be loved. Troll, and die a painful death. =]]
Questions? Queries? Comments? Concerns? Expletive-filled inflammatory trolling? Contact me at saurav.a.das.1994@gmail.com
by Saurav A. Das on Jun 22, 2010 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Magic Credits the Fans (as he should)!
“With everything that I’ve seen in 30 years, I’ve never seen Laker fans like that. And that’s serious,” Johnson said. "We’ve been intense before, but never like that. It blew me away.
“What they did in Game 7, showed up early and were loud, and a lot of times in the game didn’t sit down. It was ‘De-fense, De-fense’ the whole game, not parts of the game. Once the guys got rolling and started playing well, they were the ones that helped will that team to victory.”
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-magic-lakers-20100619,0,3160547.story
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Please Magic, I was hoping that you would cuss out your ABC coworkers.
Guess I’ll have to wait.
Queensbridge. Littlerock. 16.
Lakers 2010 Champs.
by bluexfalcon on Jun 18, 2010 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Magic backs Phil big time...
From that Times story:
“I want to make sure of something,” Johnson said. “I want Phil back in the worst way. I will give [Buss] some money if I have to.”
I think it says a lot about Kobe's greatness
and how much we expect from him as fans when a 23/15 night is considered a horrible night. Im glad he was able to find a way to positively put his imprint on the game despite the awful shooting. Same as Pau, those guys are true champions. btw, great article Dex C.A
Our goal is to win the championship, not just the first game
-KG's recent nightmare
I like this:
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have more rings than any active player in the NBA.
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
by shaqfor3 on Jun 18, 2010 10:49 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Great recap CA
It’s exactly how I felt. Kobe was let down in Game 5, his team mates didn’t make the game. And in Game 7, when it came down, and Kobe was going to lose everything he’d worked for, his teammates came through. It was an epic, epic game. I’m so happy, this has been a wonderful season.
Thanks again for the recap, putting into words what we all saw and experienced.
Also, Crazy-Ass Ron stood up tall to Paul Pierce, and I knew it was going to be a good game.
For me its the consistent inconsistency that concerns me - PAGFL
It's always AMMO Time, in spirit- DexterFishmore
by 99bc99 on Jun 18, 2010 10:53 PM PDT reply actions 6 recs
and in the end the good guys won
6 peat in progress
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
www.mybeatshop.com/czheckproductions
Great men are never without flaws, but neither are they without magnificent traits that caused them to rise to such heights.
wow, a lit bit too fast, lol
"You are asking me if LeBron is going to New York?, I’m trying to tell you in a polite way, I don’t give a shit"
Gone Fishin
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2010/6/19/1525920/i-think-enough-hours-have-passed
To a worthy opponent – and yes, that is a certain sportswriter lounging on the boat
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gil Meriken on Jun 19, 2010 10:28 AM PDT reply actions 10 recs
LOL @ Bill Simmons!
"Prejudice not founded on reason cannot be removed by argument." - Samuel Johnson
bwahahahahahah
Queensbridge. Littlerock. 16.
Lakers 2010 Champs.
by bluexfalcon on Jun 19, 2010 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
This is epic, haha, look at KG
Without the Celtics though, this wouldn’t have been half as sweet.
For me its the consistent inconsistency that concerns me - PAGFL
It's always AMMO Time, in spirit- DexterFishmore
epic and rec'd
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
www.mybeatshop.com/czheckproductions
Great men are never without flaws, but neither are they without magnificent traits that caused them to rise to such heights.
REC
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be committed against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the Limelight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
BEST CAPTION EVER!!
"If you have a debate with a scholar, you can win. If you have a debate with an ignorant person, you will definitely lose."
"Lets go for for it again"- Kobe Bryant, 2010 Championship ceremony.
by akb24b on Jun 19, 2010 12:19 PM PDT reply actions 12 recs
REC
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be committed against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the Limelight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
hahahaha...........
WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." -- Rudy Tomjanovich
by rs850_Lakers on Jun 19, 2010 7:58 PM PDT up reply actions
lmao..
priceless… i actually thought he wanted the wheelchair.. then fuck the black would have come out…
Hey guys, thought I'd be moving across the globe and wouldn't have time to chat
Found a new job, I’ll be a regular still.
Anyway, it’s hardly the right time to start seeing where teams will wind up, since FA season hasn’t even started, Draft, etc. I would just like to put out some Western Conference predictions.
1. Los Angeles Lakers 60-22
2. Portland Trail Blazers 58-24
3. Dallas Mavericks 55-27
4. Oklahoma City Thunder 52-30
5. Denver Nuggets 50-32
6. San Antonio Spurs 50-32
7. Houston Rockets 48-34
8. Memphis Grizzlies 48-34
This is just clowning around, guys, take it with a grain of salt.
by rickfox on Jun 19, 2010 4:15 PM PDT reply actions
Check out Abbott's new peice of crap, some sort of mental gymnastics to claim LeBron is still better than KB
I’m not sure I’m quite ready to renew the Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James thing so quickly after a cathartic Finals, but Cavs: The Blog’s John Krolik is there with the needle, popping balloons at Bryant’s title party — and he makes a point:
LeBron, Game 6: 27 points, 8-21 shooting, 19 rebounds, 10 assists. Satan.
Kobe, Game 7: 23 points, 6-24 shooting, 15 rebounds, 2 assists. Champion.
LeBron did have five more turnovers than Kobe, but still. For a couple of minutes there, I dreamed about how if Kobe lost while playing like he did, the LeBron/Kobe article would have to become about basketball. The whole "Kobe is a better sports human" thing would sort have melted after a historic choke in game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics.
I hate to comment on Yahoo or ESPN, but couldn’t resist this time. My little rant:
Ajfarsi (6/19/2010 at 12:31 PM)
This nonsense isn’t even worthy of a comment. I just wanna tell you that you’re a j a c k a s s
Ajfarsi (6/19/2010 at 12:31 PM)
hmm
weird time to compare. I mean the difference is that it didn’t look like Kobe quit in the previous game. In fact, it was the exact opposite. lol. people be reaching. people be reaching.
Unfortunately the legend of MJ has long surpassed the reality of MJ. -Jevon O
you just go, "yeah, go f*ck yourself"
Today's sports media excels at over-reaction to a single event and specializes in hyperboles. But hey, it's that or my biochem textbook...
Because, you know, game 6 is why LeBron's rep took such a hit ...
that’s shockingly bad stuff right there
Anybody knows why Gasol was on Leno while the rest of the Lakers were on Kimmel?
kinda interesting isn’t it?
I do know that Gasol was on Kimmel
Sometime before the Finals was over.
It probably has to do with the Lakers PR guy making sure that the late night hosts got equal coverage and love.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
Great write up. Love Kobe and Lakers.
WE ARE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." -- Rudy Tomjanovich
The NBA is fixed.
C.A you’re so dumb. Kobe shot 66-163. In the fourth quarters he hurt his team. Pau closed games far better than he did. But the true MVP of the finals were the officials. In game freakin seven kobe basically gets as many free throw attempts as the entire celtic team.. 15 as to the celts 17. And Pau got 13. Tis criminal. The celts couldn’t play their normal game down the stretch because they were all in foul trouble. If the game was even called some what fair the celtics easily walk away with a championship. I am not a celtic fan but I liked how hard they played. Thanks to the NBA and their little marketing darling (kobe b. aka- no show in the fourth quarter) the celts got royally screwed. The reason behind this travisty is so the nba could empty all the silly laker fans pocket books. The NBA sucks balls.
p.s kobe has never commited a foul and has never got a shot off without being fouled. For all you know you may have fouled showtime.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Silver Screen and Roll
Related FanShots on Silver Screen and Roll
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Hamed Haddadi goes to the zoo
- David Stern changed the competition committee to push new rules, report says
- Nazr Mohammed films Oklahoma City Thunder fans welcoming the team back at 5:30 in the morning (VIDEO)
- The Orlando Magic finally part ways with both Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith
- Mike D’Antoni breaks silence on New York Knicks exit: ‘An obstacle had to be removed’
