Kobe is 32 years old and in his 15th season for the LA Lakers. He is going for his sixth ring this season and the Lakers look like the favorite in the West once again if they can hold off the Spurs. So far this season he is averaging nearly 27, 5 and 5 but rarely has the attention been focused on him. Instead, the media has flocked to Miami to cover the Big Three's every success and failure or headed to Denver to see when Carmelo will be catching a flight to New York. Meanwhile, Kobe and the Lakers have gone about their business out West, compiling a record of 19-7 which is good for first place in the Pacific Division. What sets Kobe apart is his determination and want to win, which makes him like Jordan. LeBron just doesn't seem to have that. Kobe takes over a game with an assassin's mentality and plays through pain. Never has he allowed people to even think that he quit on his team like LeBron did last year in the playoffs. That could be the reason Kobe has five rings while LeBron is still in pursuit of his first and felt the need to go down to Miami and team up with Bosh and Wade. Much like Jordan, Kobe loves to be the man and relishes the moment when its time to takeover the game.
On Wednesday night I had the chance to go the Lakers-Pacers game down in Indianapolis and it was my first time seeing Kobe in person. In a word, it was incredible. He was quiet in the first half but then there was a stretch in the second half where you could just see him turn it on and by the end of the game he had 31 points and Conseco Fieldhouse was going crazy everytime he put another one in. Two plays stick out in my head from that game, the first being a three from the top of the key where he caught the ball and thought about shooting but then decided against it. He stood there with the ball for about five seconds and then in the blink of an eye he put it up and swished a three. Shooting a shot after thinking about it is not the easiest thing but Bryant made it look easy. Later on in the second half he caught the ball a good five feet above the three point line at the top of the key and without hesitation just drained it. He smiled and ran down the floor as if to say, "This is what I do everyday."
This was the best blog I have ever read. I'm glad people are realizing how much greater he is than Lebron
ReplyDeleteThe way I have seen Kobe play is in 1998 Jordan mode-using guile to win. He's not driving by defenders, but incorporated a post up game and a deadly fadeaway into his arsenal. It helps that the Lakers are the most talented team in the league; Gasol-Odom-Bynum(when healthy) might be the best frontcourt in the league.
ReplyDeleteKobe has already hit the 1,000 game threshold (1,047-not including olympic games), the mark where players usually start to break down (Jordan and Pippen reached 1,000 in 1998, Timmy Duncan in 2009, KG in 2009). There's been basically two exceptions to the rule for anyone not a point guard who extended their careers long beyond the 1000 game mark-Karl Malone(1,476) and Kareem(1,560). I can't see Kobe playing at a very high level when he's 35 with close to 1,400 games on his odometer.