Quote:
Originally Posted by killer_carlson
It didn't take a genius to see that Odom was hot, but Kome refused to share the ball. That's his downfall.
With Jordan, Bird, Johnson, Thomas, Olajouwon, Duncan, etc - you know, aka team leaders - when they weren't feeling it, they shared the ball. Kome can't figure that out.
True, he did have 10 assists last night, but NONE came during key moments when he decided to go 1 on 4 or 1 on 5, posession after posession after posession.
I wonder what his excuse will be this offseason? Gasol suddenly wasn't the guy? Odom couldn't handle the pressure?
Lets face it. Kome is a good player, but he is a guy who refuses to share the spotlight since Shaq left. Without Shaq he is no different than Alan Iverson in my books.
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Sometimes I wonder if people just insist on hating on Kobe and refuse to actually watch the game to see what is actually happening in the play. I watched the game over on my PVR after reading this to see if I missed anything from when I was there, live, in LA watching the game unfold before my very eyes.
I do recall Lamar playing well in the first half. More like the first quarter. I don't believe he had very much to contribute in the second quarter when LA started to pull away. He made 1 field goal. So being "hot" for 12 minutes when they were already up by 10-15 or so points and having guys like Trevor Ariza and Ronny Turiaf fill in wasn't really an option. I can tell you right now that after the half, the building, not just the team, was flat. The energy had been sucked out right when the ball was thrown in. During the half spirits were high, but I swear to God, something happened as soon as the whistle went to start. Not exactly a stat, but sometimes mood and momentum play a big part in sports. We all know that.
Lamar was getting the ball in the second half, but everytime he would attempt at doing something with it, his play would be a hand-off, pass to the corner or a quick, one-two dribble and back to Kobe. He was hesitant the whole time. He looked like Lamar from Game 1 & 2. That's how "hot" Lamar was. I personally believe that he focused alot of his attention on guarding KG, understanding that the offense was going to be on Kobe and I feel that since KG was eating him up, it hindered his progress in the series especially after having such an incredible quarter.
As for Pau, Pau has been having fits all series with old man, PJ Brown and the very big and very physical Kendrick Brown. His weaknesses have been exposed and they are forcing him to try and go inside rather than taking the baseline or quick mini-hooks which have been his forte since Memphis. He would get the ball at the elbow or mid-post and immediately, he would be looking for Kobe or Sasha to shoot. Pau is not playing well, making bad passes, not playing physical and a step slow against Boston. This is where LA misses Andrew Bynum.
Kobe is not just "good", as you've stated. He is great. If you were actually watching, you would have seen that he took those shots, driving in and looking for contact. The Lakers wanted to get to the line. But again, a poor second half from EVERYONE on the squad, including Kobe and Boston hitting every shot from 3's and free throws led to the comeback.
I just can't understand when people think that comparing Kobe to Michael is such a valid argument. Why? Because the media tells you that Kobe isn't like Michael and therefore he is not a capable player? Michael has failed plenty of times taking the last shot, hogging the ball. Those are never talked about because he was such a winner. Michael is my favorite athlete of all-time and I remember all of his missed attempts at glory. Does that mean he couldn't be "THE" guy? Does it mean Michael is selfish? No. It meant he wanted it. His teammates knew that. Why do you think they band behind him? This Laker squad has banded behind Kobe and they open the doors for him to win games for them every night. They know that supporting him and giving him the options to win will ultimately help them all achieve their goal. Just like the Bulls... or the Lakers... or the Spurs or whatever other team you listed. Mentioning Isaiah was a joke because if we're talking about selfish and egotistical and arrogance, Isaiah tops that list.