I have stood by Kobe for years, even though I love the Big Fella. When Kobe broke up that team after the 2004 NBA Finals I continued to root for him even though I was pissed at him. When the Lakers won the Western Conference this season, as I wrote last week, I half-heartedly jumped back on the Lakers bandwagon. Not to be a diehard fan but to root for them in this NBA Finals. I figured Kobe Bryant was ready to take that final step in becoming an all-time great and win his first Shaq-less title. Now, four games into the NBA Finals, with the Lakers down 3-1 after blowing a 24 point lead in game 4, I am ready to end this Kobe talk until further notice. And that could be never again.
Kobe Bryant can’t be considered a top-10 or better player until he wins a title as the leader of a team. I don’t care how great he is offensively and how many MVP’s he may win. Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal have 4 rings, those two are all-time greats. The self-proclaimed “Black Mamba” is Scottie Pippen, an above average player who was the second best player on a team that won titles.
After watching Game 4, it was confirmed to me that this man is no Michael Jordan and never will be. When the Celtics began making their run in the middle of the third quarter the Lakers needed someone to step up and make a big shot and Kobe was nowhere to be found.
(By the way, a road teams momentum can end with one big bucket. The home team needs to make a big 3, a 3-point play, a fast break dunk, anything. If that happens the home crowd gets re-energized and the road team’s momentum goes out the window).
Kobe Bryant had his chance in Game 4. If he could have stepped up late in the third or early in the fourth and take over the game for three minutes the Celtics never would have gotten all the way back. Make a jumper, play tough D, get a rebound, dish the ball off for an easy bucket, whatever. The Lakers needed one or two plays and they could have held the Celtics off, tied the series at two and come out Sunday with the chance to put the C’s behind in a series for the first time in the playoffs.
But Kobe couldn’t do it. He couldn’t have his MJ moment. 36 in Game 3, taking over Game 4 when his team needed it and winning Game 5 could have put the “Black Mamba” on the road to being one of the best ever. But instead the jumpers clanked, the passes got stolen and Kobe got beat on the defensive end. Now, with the C’s one win away from their 17th title and the Lakers one loss away from losing a series most everyone thought they would win, you have to wonder where Kobe has been. Will he show up in Game 5 and take this back to Boston? If he does, could Kobe get hot and stun the Boston crowd? I don’t think he can because let’s face it; this man is more Gardner Snake than Black Mamba.
Keywords: Kobe Bryant
Comments
That's "garter" snake, but I get your drift. I don't understand this whole effin' Lakers team, as you may note from my smart-ass "fan's revenge" latest posting. I feel the responsibility for the schizoid nonsense the team showed has to be equally shared among the coach, the rest of the players, and Bryant. Mix it up throughout! What's this "take turns between facilitator and offensive take-over" crap? There's no way the Celtics could have smothered the Lakers had they continued to play smart team ball, and maybe just gradually add more Kobe offense -- not this either-or dysfunction. And "Zen master" Jackson's vaunted equanimity is starting to seem senile to me. Oh, well, even if this year's team made sense and went all the way, they will never be on the classic level of the Magic-Kareem-Worthy Lakers, as Kobe will always be junior to Jordan -- mostly I suspect, due to inferior spiritual intelligence. They may win Game 5, for a little self-respect, but I won't tune in till the 2nd half, in fan protest for their disgraceful failure to play the entire game. Frequently admirable Derek Fisher said they "got out of the rhythm" that made them so dominant, or some such? But why? They don't get paid enough to professionally, calmly play the entire game? The Celtics didn't beat them; they beat themselves. You can see my posting for whole sentiment. And good posting yourself. Cheers!