By J. Adande
LOS ANGELES -- Sure, we've seen this before from Kobe Bryant -- the 40-point night, the clutch shooting, the takeover mentality, closing like Circuit City. Only this came in a different context. This one, which salvaged a 105-103 victory for the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, followed 94 games that followed a summer of Olympic competition that followed a 103-game season.
His 18-point fourth quarter followed his finger popping out and having to be forced back into place, another in a long accumulation of injuries. It came amid the slight signs of fatigue, such as the ball hitting the front of the rim even on some shots that went in. And it all came on the day his sensei passed on "favored son" status to Kobe's younger rival."I do think LeBron [James] has surpassed Kobe as a player."
Those were the 10 words from Jerry West that resonated around the league Tuesday. Not that West is the first to say it, but he's easily the most important to say it, given his relevance to Bryant. This isn't just "the critics" or "the media." West was the one who traded for Bryant back before teenagers -- especially teenage guards -- were considered safe picks. He was the one whose counsel Bryant sought when he was first learning his way around the league or squabbling with Shaquille O'Neal.
Bryant claimed that he wasn't offended that someone who meant so much could cast his vote elsewhere, and said, "The debate of who is the best player ... that's going to go on for whatever. That's not something I concern myself with."
Just keep in mind, Kobe doesn't do coincidences ... unless you think it was merely coincidental that he scored 55 points the last time he played Michael Jordan.
Not that this game was about satisfying his personal agenda. The Lakers needed a great game from Kobe because too many other players seemed frozen by the moment and the Denver Nuggets' toughness. Kobe's most honest assessment came when he said, "I felt like the first half, their frontcourt really dominated us."
Not to mention Carmelo Anthony was busy putting his name into the league's best-player conversation by scoring 20 points in his first 20 minutes of play. The Nuggets struck first, taking a 13-point lead in the first quarter.
The Lakers took advantage of the little cracks the Nuggets gave them (missed free throws and poor backcourt shooting) and grabbed the lead at halftime. But the Nuggets are relentless -- the one constant in all three of their playoff losses is they fought to keep the outcome in doubt until the waning seconds -- and sure enough, they had a seven-point lead with seven minutes remaining.
A nervous, impatient murmur/rumble/cheer went through the Staples Center crowd. Kobe sensed the moment, as well, recognized that the game -- and home-court advantage for the series -- was slipping away from the Lakers, and he did something about it. He drove for a layup that cut it to five. He made two free throws on the next possession, then hit a fadeaway jumper the next time down. He scored 15 points in the final seven minutes, and passed to Derek Fisher in the right corner for a critical 3-pointer, as well.
"Tonight we had very little else going on for us, and he muscled his way through that game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
"A night like tonight, it's something we needed," Bryant said.
Bryant calmly sank free throws after Chauncey Billups made impossible 3-pointers. He kept his balance and cool after Kenyon Martin gave him a message-sending whack on a late drive. He did it all after taking turns guarding Billups and even Anthony for a stretch, among his defensive assignments.
The Lakers felt like they escaped; the Nuggets felt aggravated that they let a great opportunity get away.
It took a disconsolate George Karl a half-minute to even respond to the first postgame question.
"They're great in the game, they have the best closer in the sport, and we didn't do enough," he said. "We didn't do enough to win the game."
Kobe gave as complete a performance as you could ask for from a player, the type of performance we demand of someone who wears the label of superstar. He made 13 of 28 shots, 2 of 3 3-pointers and 12 of 13 free throws, in addition to grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists on a night the rest of the team made only 24 shots. He played 43 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter, which he normally starts on the bench.
Nights like this remind you that we should wait for James to actually win a championship or two before we can establish his place among the game's greats. We all love what LeBron is doing. We shouldn't forget what Kobe has done and is still capable of. We didn't unanimously move Michael Jordan past Magic Johnson until he got his ring collection going in the 1990s. We shouldn't call Tiger Woods golf's greatest until he gets past Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors.
The question is whether Bryant can still do this on a nightly basis. It took him four games to put his stamp on the Utah series, and he couldn't deliver the fatal blow to the Houston Rockets in Games 4 and 6 of the last series. The reason LeBron has surpassed him in so many eyes is because LeBron's team has nearly maxed out so far in these playoffs, while Bryant and the Lakers have been advancing on numbers, not style points.
"It hasn't been, 'Can you stay on top as the best individual basketball player,'" Bryant said. "That's not something that has driven me. It's about winning another championship."
Both goals might need to be fused if the Nuggets are going to be this tough and the rest of the Lakers aren't going to respond.
Only two other Lakers scored in double figures -- Pau Gasol and Fisher each had 13, and it took Fisher 13 shots to get there. Jordan Farmar played only nine minutes, his first-half action cut short after attempting a blind, behind-the-back outlet pass. Sasha Vujacic (1-for-5) is still in a shooting slump. Lamar Odom has scored in double figures only once in the past four games. Andrew Bynum has more fouls than field goals in the playoffs.
So it's on Kobe. Does he have to come up with a performance like this three more times to win the series?
"Hopefully not," Bryant said. "But if that's something that's needed, then that's something I'm prepared to do."
He's still clutch ... even if he's no longer Mr. Clutch's choice.
LOS ANGELES -- Sure, we've seen this before from Kobe Bryant -- the 40-point night, the clutch shooting, the takeover mentality, closing like Circuit City. Only this came in a different context. This one, which salvaged a 105-103 victory for the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, followed 94 games that followed a summer of Olympic competition that followed a 103-game season.
His 18-point fourth quarter followed his finger popping out and having to be forced back into place, another in a long accumulation of injuries. It came amid the slight signs of fatigue, such as the ball hitting the front of the rim even on some shots that went in. And it all came on the day his sensei passed on "favored son" status to Kobe's younger rival."I do think LeBron [James] has surpassed Kobe as a player."
Those were the 10 words from Jerry West that resonated around the league Tuesday. Not that West is the first to say it, but he's easily the most important to say it, given his relevance to Bryant. This isn't just "the critics" or "the media." West was the one who traded for Bryant back before teenagers -- especially teenage guards -- were considered safe picks. He was the one whose counsel Bryant sought when he was first learning his way around the league or squabbling with Shaquille O'Neal.
Bryant claimed that he wasn't offended that someone who meant so much could cast his vote elsewhere, and said, "The debate of who is the best player ... that's going to go on for whatever. That's not something I concern myself with."
Just keep in mind, Kobe doesn't do coincidences ... unless you think it was merely coincidental that he scored 55 points the last time he played Michael Jordan.
Not that this game was about satisfying his personal agenda. The Lakers needed a great game from Kobe because too many other players seemed frozen by the moment and the Denver Nuggets' toughness. Kobe's most honest assessment came when he said, "I felt like the first half, their frontcourt really dominated us."
Not to mention Carmelo Anthony was busy putting his name into the league's best-player conversation by scoring 20 points in his first 20 minutes of play. The Nuggets struck first, taking a 13-point lead in the first quarter.
The Lakers took advantage of the little cracks the Nuggets gave them (missed free throws and poor backcourt shooting) and grabbed the lead at halftime. But the Nuggets are relentless -- the one constant in all three of their playoff losses is they fought to keep the outcome in doubt until the waning seconds -- and sure enough, they had a seven-point lead with seven minutes remaining.
A nervous, impatient murmur/rumble/cheer went through the Staples Center crowd. Kobe sensed the moment, as well, recognized that the game -- and home-court advantage for the series -- was slipping away from the Lakers, and he did something about it. He drove for a layup that cut it to five. He made two free throws on the next possession, then hit a fadeaway jumper the next time down. He scored 15 points in the final seven minutes, and passed to Derek Fisher in the right corner for a critical 3-pointer, as well.
"Tonight we had very little else going on for us, and he muscled his way through that game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
"A night like tonight, it's something we needed," Bryant said.
Bryant calmly sank free throws after Chauncey Billups made impossible 3-pointers. He kept his balance and cool after Kenyon Martin gave him a message-sending whack on a late drive. He did it all after taking turns guarding Billups and even Anthony for a stretch, among his defensive assignments.
The Lakers felt like they escaped; the Nuggets felt aggravated that they let a great opportunity get away.
It took a disconsolate George Karl a half-minute to even respond to the first postgame question.
"They're great in the game, they have the best closer in the sport, and we didn't do enough," he said. "We didn't do enough to win the game."
Kobe gave as complete a performance as you could ask for from a player, the type of performance we demand of someone who wears the label of superstar. He made 13 of 28 shots, 2 of 3 3-pointers and 12 of 13 free throws, in addition to grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists on a night the rest of the team made only 24 shots. He played 43 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter, which he normally starts on the bench.
Nights like this remind you that we should wait for James to actually win a championship or two before we can establish his place among the game's greats. We all love what LeBron is doing. We shouldn't forget what Kobe has done and is still capable of. We didn't unanimously move Michael Jordan past Magic Johnson until he got his ring collection going in the 1990s. We shouldn't call Tiger Woods golf's greatest until he gets past Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors.
The question is whether Bryant can still do this on a nightly basis. It took him four games to put his stamp on the Utah series, and he couldn't deliver the fatal blow to the Houston Rockets in Games 4 and 6 of the last series. The reason LeBron has surpassed him in so many eyes is because LeBron's team has nearly maxed out so far in these playoffs, while Bryant and the Lakers have been advancing on numbers, not style points.
"It hasn't been, 'Can you stay on top as the best individual basketball player,'" Bryant said. "That's not something that has driven me. It's about winning another championship."
Both goals might need to be fused if the Nuggets are going to be this tough and the rest of the Lakers aren't going to respond.
Only two other Lakers scored in double figures -- Pau Gasol and Fisher each had 13, and it took Fisher 13 shots to get there. Jordan Farmar played only nine minutes, his first-half action cut short after attempting a blind, behind-the-back outlet pass. Sasha Vujacic (1-for-5) is still in a shooting slump. Lamar Odom has scored in double figures only once in the past four games. Andrew Bynum has more fouls than field goals in the playoffs.
So it's on Kobe. Does he have to come up with a performance like this three more times to win the series?
"Hopefully not," Bryant said. "But if that's something that's needed, then that's something I'm prepared to do."
He's still clutch ... even if he's no longer Mr. Clutch's choice.
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