‘Those other guys’ let Kobe’s heroics go to waste
June 15th, 2010 Posted in NBA basketball newsKobe Bryant often inspires panic. The pure, unadulterated kind where palms sweat and psalms are read. The coach of the Celtics, Doc Rivers, saw the sharp corners of panic setting in as Bryant started to go Wilt Chamberlain in the third quarter.
“We were up, I think, 12 or 10 when he was making that run, and we had to use a timeout to settle our guys down,” said Rivers, ” … you could see [the Celtics players] wanted to change the defense, they wanted to start trapping [Bryant], and I just kept telling them, Its only two points each time he scores. Its not 10 … But it makes you question your defense, because he was terrific.”
Rivers knew what his players didnt. Bryant was hurting them but he was the only one. It was five Celtics against one Laker, and as good as that Laker was, Rivers will take those odds every time.
The Lakers supporting cast was mushy and then eventually invisible, and these words from Paul Pierce are among the most damning one professional can say about another. If I were a non-Bryant Laker, I would pin them in my locker and look at them every day as a form of motivation.
“Kobe is the one guy that you probably cant stop in this league,” Pierce said, “but we feel like with these other guys we can slow them down and almost shut them down, and well give ourselves a great chance at winning.”
The Lakers supporting cast doesnt even have names in the eyes of Pierce. Theyre just dudes. Kobe and The Other Guys.
Pierce can say these things because hes right. Bryant scored a game-high 38 points in Game 5 while the four other Lakers starters had 34 points combined. The entire Lakers non-Kobe team had 48 points. Bryant had 19 points in the third quarter alone.
So here we are again, with Bryant spilling blood while his teammates watch with helpless impotence.
Bryant didnt morph into a selfish jerk this time. There have been plenty of those games, but this wasnt one of them. This was more about Bryants teammates. Bryant looked around and saw massive Lakers shrinkage and knowing he was the only Laker on the floor with a beating heart, he took control.
He had no choice.
Tough shot after tough shot fell for Bryant. Some of the Celtics players looked in awe. Ray Allen once just shook his head after Bryant made some twisting, deep falling jumper with Allen in his face.
“I feel like if Ray didnt [play] for us defensively, Kobe scores 50,” Glen Davis said.
But theyll take that. Again, Bryant is still only one man.
Are the Lakers done? Is this series over? Maybe not. The Lakers have Bryant, after all. Hes not getting much help, but hes stil and that makes Bryant dangerous.
If Kobe Bryants teammates want to win another title, theyre going to have to do more of the heavy lifting. (Getty Images) Yet there is nothing, absolutely nothing, the Lakers have done in this series that demonstrate they can beat this Celtics team consecutively whether the games are in Los Angeles, Boston, Honolulu, Thailand or deep inside the Copernicus moon crater.
Its because Bryants supporting cast in this series is coming up so sm and its not just the players. It would be nice if the Zen Master earned his paycheck, too.
The Celtics are proving to be grit and attitude, while the Lakers are Kobe. And Kobe. And Kobe. And then a few other guys who look like lost puppies.
Bryant was asked what he would say to his teammates before Game 6. His answer was pretty simple.
“Just man up and play,” Bryant said. “What the hell is the big deal? I dont see it as a big deal. If I have to say something to them, then we dont deserve to be champions.”
The big deal is Bryant needs help. Lots of it, and if he doesnt get it soon this series will be over very quickly.
Maybe sooner than people think.
