Friday, November 07, 2003
I finally managed to catch a Laker game... and it was a close one, but LA beat San Antonio 120-117 in double overtime. I'm a little worried that the Spurs managed to push LA that hard without Tim Duncan or Tony Parker, but then again sometimes it seems the Lakers slow down with "easy" games (let's face it, this is as easy as San Antonio will get) and steamroll through the hard ones. And I guess that Kobe's still fresh, Payton is still getting into his role of running the offence, and Karl Malone needs to work on getting in the triangle.
And there were some positives from the game. Malone and Payton are REALLY making a difference, and with LA's role players absolutely collapsing (Derek Fisher was the ONLY player to score for LA from the bench) it's vital for someone to step up, and those two guys are great at that. The fact that Manu Ginobli lit the Lakers up with good outside shooting in a high-profile game will finally get the message through that LA needs to brush up on perimeter defence (hopefully, anyway). And Shaq had a monster game. He took advantage of the lack of Tim Duncan doubling up and absolutely beat up on Rasho Nesterovic, pouring in 35 points and grabbing 20 boards. The remarkable thing there isn't so much that he managed to annihilate a second-string Spurs team inside, but that he had to do it while battling his own teammate, Karl Malone, who also managed to snag 19 rebounds. The two of them alone damn near outrebounded the Spurs.
What really bugs me though is... Kobe. Same old Kobe. Last year, Kobe took a lot of the last-second "clutch" desperation shots -- you know, the final shot to win the game, etc. And even though I still say Shaq is the Lakers' main man, Kobe is built perfectly for that situation. Shaq is usually double or triple-teamed at this point, and you need an athletic player with a good shot who can take on and go past opponents or even just squeeze that little bit of space to get a look at the basket. And you need an iron will to win. Kobe has all of that. The problem isn't so much that he knows it, it's that everyone in the league knows it by now, too. It's not "special" anymore that they're shunning Shaq in these situations and going with Kobe, so he too is attracting double coverage. Unlike Shaq and his unique ability (for a centre) to get a good pass out of a double-team -- Kobe sees it as a challenge. The more defenders, the better. He tries to take them all on, and when he fails, tries to force an impossible shot down an impossible alleyway nonetheless, searching for that game-winning glory. It was tiresome last year, but this year it's downright insane. Last year, you could understand Kobe's intentions. Who was he going to give it to? Shaq's in a double-team. Horry shot bricks all season (and, remarkably, in the post-season too). Fisher was hobbled by injury and inconsistent. Fox is not a reliable scorer. And Devean George... well. That was last season, though. And this is a new Laker team. But it's still the same old Kobe.
At the end of regulation, Kobe got the ball and decided to drive inside along the baseline past TWO Spurs and flip the ball in from virtually behind and under the basket rather than pass to a WIDE OPEN Gary Payton (Kobe missed, to no great surprise). Seriously, isn't that basic basketball skills? If you're doubled, find the open man? It's not like Payton can't shoot. He's a freaking All-Star, future Hall of Famer and damned fine shooter... and he was wide open. Unbelievable. As it is, the Lakers got away with it because the Spurs couldn't do anything with the 0.7 seconds Kobe gave them (though they came really close) and LA closed it out in double overtime, but the game could have been won right there.
I don't have qualms about Kobe deciding that he's the best option and gunning for the basket late on in games -- it shows admirable confidence and belief -- but I DO have a problem when someone else has a clear shot. It makes you wonder really just how Kobe can call Shaq selfish when he pulls stunts like that.
Posted at 11:42 PM
