Monday, January 23, 2006

Kobe's 81

If you haven't heard, or don't care, Kobe Bryant dropped 81 points on the Toronto Raptors last night. That's the most points since Wilt Chamberlin dropped 100 back in the day. Putting 81 on any team is an awesome feat. Neither I nor about 99% of the league could do that. That's a rediculously sick accomplishment. However, in the greater scheme of things, it's a wasted feat. I'll tell you why:

1. Kobe dropped 81 on the Raptors. I think the Raptors are one of the worst teams in the NBA and will definitely be battling for a lottery pic come draft time. Since it seems that Kobe is trying to become the Jordan of our era, let me see you consistently rip up the good teams. Drop 70 on a Boston team with Hall of Famers like Larry Bird, Kevin McKale, the Chief Robert Parish. Continuously rip out the hearts of Knick fans by throwing double nickels on Patrick Ewing, Greg Anthony and John Starks. 81 is awesome, but the Raptors are a punk team.

2. Of course Kobe had to mention some injury he had. This time it was a sore ankle. That's great that you did it with a sore ankle, but no one has to know about that. Let a trainer or someone leak that info to the media. You don't have to say I had a great game with a sore ankle. Did Jordan let folks know he had the flu when he dropped 40+ on Utah in the Finals. Nope. The media found out, but he didn't have to say anything. The great ones never have to say their hurt. They just play like they're never hurt. Isiah Thomas had abroken leg when he was hobbling down the court in a playoff game killing folks. I don't think in the post game interviews he touted having a great game with a broken leg. It's nothing to the great ones.

3. Kobe took 46 shots. 46 shots! Wow! Talk about a ball hog. I know shot better than 50% from the field but man 46. That's rediculous. You should be dropping 70-80 a night with 46 shots. With that he shot 20+ free throws. So that's 60 plus shots you took. 60+. Come on man. I know you're the truth, a killer on the court. Totally sick, but 60+ shot attempts. What about your teammates?

4. And speaking of teammates, where were they? I think they had about 30-40 points total. The one thing I hate most about Kobe is he doesn't make his teammates better. Lamar Odom is a pretty good forward and should be a Scottie Pippen type player...if he saw the ball. How can guys ever get into the flow of a game with one person shooting the rock 60+ times. What happens when Kobe's having a bad night or injured? How can the other players get his back if they don't have any real experience other than watching Kobe shoot. Great players pass the ball. Jordan passed, Magic passed, Isiah passed, Bird passed. Having strong teammates around you gets you to the ultimate goal, an NBA Championship. Not trying to outscore the other team yourself.

5. The Lakers are still 7th in the West. 7th and probably not going to get past 5th in the West. They are destined to be elimated at best in the 2nd round of the playoffs. I real MVP like Steve Nash has his entire team playing at a good clip, even without Stoudemire. It's about teamwork.

6. There was a mch better game played last night between Phoenix and Seattle. The highest scoring game in a long time. Ray Allen is a menace. Score was like 150-153 or something like that. The TEAMS played a great game, albeit no defense, but a great game nonetheless.

So I don't want to discount Kobe's feat. It was an awesome accomplishment. I would think more of it if it were against a better opponent or if the Lakers were playing better. If the Zen Master wants another ring, he may need to calm his best player down. Worked for Jordan.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home