In a young season rife with rightful criticism, Kobe Bryant
went completely against type on Friday night in playing the sort of
team ball necessary to down the defending champs on their home court by a 112-110 overtime score.
He also acted, for long stretches, as stereotype late-career Kobe Bryant. It was fascinating.
The kicker is the fact that had
Kobe Bryant played the sort of shot-happy, inefficient ball that has
marked his 2014-15 season, he could have passed his model Michael Jordan
and moved into third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Instead,
Bryant held back and made the correct plays that he usually anticipates
before any other mere mortals, plays he often disregards prior to
tossing up another jumper.
Kobe finished with 22 points on
22 shots as a heretofore terrible Lakers team knocked off a Spurs squad
working with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and even Tony Parker
for a spell. Kobe entered the game needing 31 points to top MJ, but he
sat huge chunks of the second and fourth quarter without a complaint,
and his work down the stretch helped an active Lakers squad retain their
lead in the win.
His absence, for whatever reason, also saw the Lakers building that lead. This team is so strange.
Bryant made expert pocket and screen-and-roll passes, hitting the sorts of teammates he recently denigrated in full and knowledgeable view of the media on Thursday afternoon.
Kobe may have missed 15 of 22 shots, but he had ample opportunity to
gun for Jordan’s scoring mark several times in this contest, but instead
chose to make the intelligent and proper basketball play that suits his
basketball genius – obvious passes he often ignores in order to launch
yet another shot.
Bryant routinely found big men Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill, and swingman Wesley Johnson
for great looks with gorgeous passes on his way toward nine assists in
40 minutes of action. In the game’s deciding play, with Kobe barking at
guard Jeremy Lin (who had sat about 30 minutes of real time prior to the
play after being pulled to the bench) late in overtime, mercurial
Lakers scorer Nick Young hit a 3-pointer with just under eight seconds
to go in overtime. Young actually finished the contest with a team-high
29 points, two short of what Bryant needed to top Jordan.
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