Daily Babble: A Happy Kobe Is a Scary Kobe

by Steve Weinman on Feb 3, 2008 3:25 AM EST in NBA Articles

It may be time to re-evaluate Kobe Bryant's play over the past three and a half-seasons.

If there was anything for which the polarizing Bryant has always been given credit, it was for rarely if ever mailing in a game.

But after watching what he did to the Raptors on Friday night, one can't help but wonder if these last few years really have been nothing more than a mode of mild amusement for Bryant while he was busy waiting it out for adequate help.

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Well, no. Not really. The questioning of Bryant's hard work on the floor here is wholly tongue-in-cheek. The amazement at what the promise of a brighter future did to Bryant's already-otherworldly game isn't.

For those who didn't see this game, I can't implore you strongly enough to watch the highlights. The box score line looks plain by comparison. That box score line would be the following:

19-for-28 from the field, 4-for-8 from deep, 4-for-4 from the line, 46 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover

Seriously, those jaw-dropping statistics don't even come close to explaining what Kobe Bryant did to his opponents on Friday night. Because he didn't just beat them. He demoralized them. And he did it like it was nothing.

Ever seen Death Wish IV: The Crackdown? That would be the one in which Paul Kersey (played by Charles Bronson) single-handedly stops illegal drug trade in his area. The opening of the movie features a dream in which three thugs are mugging a woman in a dimly lit parking lot. Suddenly, Bronson materializes out of nowhere. The thugs ask him who he is, and Bronson simply answers, "Death," before taking care of the situation.

That sums up Kobe Bryant's Friday night in Canada. "Death." To his opponents, at least.

Dribbling up the floor in transition, easily jogging past his man and dunking. Simply stepping through a double-team at the three-point line en route to throwing down with the right hand over an unsuspecting defender. Trying to drive the lane, fumbling the ball to the corner and picking it up in time to drain a fall-away three on the run from the corner. Hop-stepping through a double-team, jumpstopping in the lane and unloading with another big right-handed finish. Going to the sweet up-and-under reverse lay-up plus the foul.

Those would be just a select few of KB24's exploits on the night he learned that Pau Gasol was coming to Tinseltown (although it's also worth noting that the guy may just have an issue with the Raps, given that he dropped 81 on them two years ago). He played with a special panache, putting on a show of force that must have put the rest of the Association on notice.

This is the man with perhaps the single strongest will in the league today. On Friday night in Toronto, he demonstrated what might happen when he really wants to kick another gear. In a lineup finally featuring Lamar Odom as the fourth best player rather than the second, this sort of behavior could be a nightly occurrence from a more motivated Kobe than has been seen in years.

Whether or not this Lakers team is now the favorite in the West will merit further thought and time or investigation, certainly more than can be done at three o'clock in the morning (the current hour). How Gasol and Andrew Bynum will mesh remains to be seen.

But that Kobe Bryant is officially the NBA's most terrifying man once more no longer remains in any question.

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I’ve had my head handed to me for saying the two following things. 1. Bryant is better than Jordan. (And to think we had Bryant in before the draft, worked him out, and passed on him. I still can’t get over that.) 2. The Lakers will end up with a better record than the Cs this season. Fire away lads…. Now think of this. Andrew Bynum is 20 and already looks like a stud center. Odam can catch fire anytime and is a double/double guy at PF and he is, I think, 26. Now the Lakers have Gasol at SF/PF. The Lakers starting front line will be one of the best for the next 5-7 years. In 5-7 years Garnett, Allen and maybe even Pierce will be long gone. We just got outdealt again by the Lakers front office. If Ainge doesn’t get rid of Rivers and hire Larry Brown I’m going scream. We have maximum 3 years to win a banner with the players we have and Rivers isn’t going to take us there. Imagine a Lakers/Cs Finals this year. In game 7 who would you rather have, Jackson or Rivers? I just can’t rid my self of the feeling that the Lakers front office has been so much better than the Cs for 20 years. It started with the mid-season deal for Mychal Thompson in the 86-87 season. Thompson played McHale very well and that was all the Lakers needed to have the edge in the Finals. The Lakers have won 5 banners since 87. The Cs 0. I freakin’ lose sleep over this.

by The Real Large James on Feb 3, 2008 8:13 AM EST reply actions

Sorry my man…your prognostication is weak-sauce…the Celtics are fine and will be very competitive for a lot longer than 3 seasons…Kobe is still the same player, he isn’t magically going to be any more unstoppable than he was before…the Lakers are good, but i’m not bowing down to them just yet…fire Rivers, hire Brown?

by BillfromBoston on Feb 3, 2008 9:06 AM EST reply actions

I knew Kobe was going to that. Knew it. First thing I did after the hearing the Pau Gasol trade was find a Lakers schedule to see their next game. Pau wasn’t meant to arrive until Sunday in Washington and Toronto was sandwhiched in between.

So what was the result? Just an expression of joy from Kobe Bryant. He was just going to come out like a loveable child and play for fun. He was just going to toy with the lesser kids on the playground and embarrass them at every turn.

And to double up and to just make it worse for Toronto …. Lakers were short handed and lacked scorers. Kobe had the green light all night long.

And to triple up on Toronto’s misery …. Kobe kills this team. They have nobody who can come close to guarding him. Their best defensive player on Kobe just left (Mo Pete) also.

You just knew Kobe was coming out like that with the swagger, the smile, the brilliance.

It’s such a beautiful sight to see Kobe Bryant have fun on the basketball court. Such an exciting and dominant player. It’s been a long time too. We started to see it with Bynum earlier in the year but this …. what’s coming next is just going to be special.

There’s always one clear sign on when Kobe Bryant is having fun on the court – how high he jumps – these last few years, Kobe’s had to conserve his energy most nights because he’s had to carry the team constantly and they’ve over-relied on him so extensively so much that he simply couldn’t put his body through those plays and all that contact every night. But then there was those other nights, those nights where he’d be feeling fresh, those nights where the team was looking correct, those nights when his teammates where stepping up …. and suddenly the man started to smile again. And once the smile came, then the hops came. You just knew he’d come out against Toronto and leave it all out on the court. You knew he’d make another crazy athletic play after another and another and another. Check the highlights and watch the dunks. Kobe hasn’t done that much since Shaq’s left, hasn’t been able. Now, he can.

What a fun game to watch. I’m glad I went out of my way to watch it.

Kobe’s smiling ….. look out world …. dangerous things happen when Kobe starts smiling.

by Who on Feb 3, 2008 9:06 AM EST reply actions

My look at this it is a team sport and the Celtics have played like this. Ray, KG and Paul have all changed their games offensively and defensively to win games and become the best cohesive unit they can be. Example of a team the way I see it, the players are positioned on the court for their offensive strengths and the person who is open will get the winning shot and it doesn’t have to be one of 3 stars. If you force shots when someone else is open (and there is time left to shoot) it is a sign the team concept is failing. Many teams in the past playing for the NBA or College championships have had more individual talent then the other team they are playing but they did not win it all. Passing and playing defense wins and I am glad we have the current Celtics playing like all the other championship Celtic teams. Celtics and Laker competition is back and they both could be in the finals this year. For those who have not experienced I hope it happens this year.

by CelticsWin on Feb 3, 2008 10:26 AM EST reply actions

Thanks for reminding us all about this, Steve. >:(

by MikeDfromNP on Feb 3, 2008 11:47 AM EST reply actions

50% from the line? See, Kobe isn’t that good.

by Roy_Hobbs on Feb 3, 2008 12:17 PM EST reply actions

Sorry to disappoint you, RH, but it turns out I cited the stat line in correctly at first. He did shoot 4-for-8 from deep, and I must have been thinking about that when I typed it again, but what actually happened was that Kobe went 4-for-4 from the line. My apologies for the mistake; thanks for catching it.

-sw

by Steve Weinman on Feb 3, 2008 12:35 PM EST reply actions