Footwedge wrote: Today's shot that Bryant knocked down was a horrible shot...a shot he makes about 30% of the time. Kudos to Allen for deeing it up. Sometimes bad shit happens when you do good things in life.

If I were Mike Brown, I would let him take that off balance, hand in your face, falling away from the hoop prayer thrown up by Bryant each and every time. Cav fans saw the brick Wade layed last week. Same deal here.

Over the long haul, the Lakers will lose more often than not with that type of execution.

Trueblue23 wrote:

Footwedge wrote: Today's shot that Bryant knocked down was a horrible shot...a shot he makes about 30% of the time. Kudos to Allen for deeing it up. Sometimes bad shit happens when you do good things in life.

If I were Mike Brown, I would let him take that off balance, hand in your face, falling away from the hoop prayer thrown up by Bryant each and every time. Cav fans saw the brick Wade layed last week. Same deal here.

Over the long haul, the Lakers will lose more often than not with that type of execution.

True, but Kobe is the best player in NBA history at making nearly impossible shots.

cbus4life wrote:

Trueblue23 wrote:

Footwedge wrote: Today's shot that Bryant knocked down was a horrible shot...a shot he makes about 30% of the time. Kudos to Allen for deeing it up. Sometimes bad shit happens when you do good things in life.

If I were Mike Brown, I would let him take that off balance, hand in your face, falling away from the hoop prayer thrown up by Bryant each and every time. Cav fans saw the brick Wade layed last week. Same deal here.

Over the long haul, the Lakers will lose more often than not with that type of execution.

True, but Kobe is the best player in NBA history at making nearly impossible shots.

Rofl, sarcasm?

I'll take Jordan.

SQ_Crazies wrote: I for one don't think the shot was a terrible shot, IMO if you're the opposing coach that shot is about the worst possible shot you'd want to give Kobe in that situation. However, the part I don't tend to agree with about what happened was the "perfect defense" part. Allen played solid D, I mean it's not hard to stick with him when you know the clock is running down and you know when he's going to pull up, but it was far from perfect. He didn't leave the ground, he just stood there with his hands up--and I'm sorry, but you are NOT contesting a Kobe Bryant jump shot standing flat footed unless you're a 7 footer. Not taking anything away from the shot, it was a great shot but the defense was far from perfect. You see better defense than that in nearly every possession in the NBA. All he was doing was trying to stay close and not foul and hope he misses it.

wildcats20 wrote: Here's the thing with MJ's game winners and Kobe's; and Phil said this in the interview with Magic on Sunday.

Jordan's shots were much, much easier. He didn't take too many falling away 3's or anything like that. Almost all of Kobe's have been tough, hard fought shots.

So in THIS case and THIS case only, I would take Kobe. BUT there is no one on this planet I would take over MJ to take a game winner.....if that makes sense.

Glory Days wrote:

wildcats20 wrote: Here's the thing with MJ's game winners and Kobe's; and Phil said this in the interview with Magic on Sunday.

Jordan's shots were much, much easier. He didn't take too many falling away 3's or anything like that. Almost all of Kobe's have been tough, hard fought shots.

So in THIS case and THIS case only, I would take Kobe. BUT there is no one on this planet I would take over MJ to take a game winner.....if that makes sense.

haha thats because Jordan's moves literally put people on the ground and left him with wide open shots as evident in the first and last shots in this clip.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3285905

Glory Days wrote:

wildcats20 wrote: Here's the thing with MJ's game winners and Kobe's; and Phil said this in the interview with Magic on Sunday.

Jordan's shots were much, much easier. He didn't take too many falling away 3's or anything like that. Almost all of Kobe's have been tough, hard fought shots.

So in THIS case and THIS case only, I would take Kobe. BUT there is no one on this planet I would take over MJ to take a game winner.....if that makes sense.

haha thats because Jordan's moves literally put people on the ground and left him with wide open shots as evident in the first and last shots in this clip.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3285905

Gasol was asked about Bryant’s new record and offered politically correct – and believably authentic – commentary (“I’m proud of him; I congratulate him”) before adding the kicker: “Now we can focus on winning games again.”

Gasol had just 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting Monday and surely hoped to shine brighter in the city where he not only is already a franchise all-time scoring leader but holds 11 other all-time Grizzlies records.

“Obviously we’re not making a concerted effort at pounding the ball inside,” Gasol said after the loss.

He said he’s not sure why this plagues the Lakers despite their consistent size advantage, but added pointedly: “It happens often.”

Are the Lakers better when they go inside?

“One hundred percent,” Gasol said.

Bear in mind that Phil Jackson was a little miffed at Bryant on his historic night, too. Jackson told the team at halftime, when Bryant had 23 of the Lakers’ 50 points, that Bryant was “forcing the action.” Jackson also said in the halftime locker room, alluding to the 29 points Bryant needed in the game to pass Jerry West: “Let’s get him over the hump, so we can play team ball again.”

This Kobe Bryant(notes) thing is almost at a boiling point. And because there are various shades of gray here that you have to have your big boy pants on to understand, you have to first consider the fact that I've been watching Phil Jackson work his particular brand of offense since 1989. And work it properly since 1990. Zing.

Kobe Bryant is shooting too much. He's shooting too much for his team's ability, he's shooting too much considering his own physical shortcomings, and he's shooting too much for this team's offense to be successful.

Kobe Bryant is a brilliant basketball mind and fantastic competitor who also nearly willed a dog-tired Los Angeles Lakers team (who plays in Massachusetts one day, and Tennessee the next?) to a road victory against a formidable Grizzlies squad that was really up for their particular game o' da year. He was a Marc Gasol(notes) double-team away from winning or tying it himself in the final seconds, as well.

Kobe Bryant also scored 44 points on 28 shots, a potent night for anyone, much less someone working with nine fingers and all sorts of other ailments.

But he's shooting too much. You can't point to that particular night's shooting percentage and call this a smart deal, not when the Lakers are only managing 101 points per 100 possessions against a rather putrid Memphis defense. Not when the Lakers are currently ninth in offensive efficiency, when they should be first (even with Derek Fisher(notes) around, even with Pau Gasol(notes) missing games) by a long shot.

The ball has to move, others need to be made dangerous, and other options have to be explored. Scoring 44 points on 28 shots is great, but you can't have Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum(notes) combine to take just 10 shots in 56 minutes. Or, 18 fewer than Bryant in 16 more minutes. That's ridiculous.

And Kobe knows better. In just about every given basketball instance, he knows better. All the greats have known better, and ignored those better instincts to do things his way. Bird did it. Jordan did it. Jerry West did it. But that doesn't make it right. And you can't make it a habit. It has to be an occasional dalliance with the very, very wrong.

Not a consistent theme, and that's what Kobe's been on about for the last two months or so. We appreciate the grit, the all-world season at an advanced age and on the best team in basketball. We love all these knockout game-winners he's been throwing in. We know that even if Kobe keeps it up, it might not matter. The Lakers are too good.

Things are starting to turn, though, and it's up to Kobe to stop it. If you're a daily reader, you know I've been warning about this for a while. He has to let up, he has to involve his teammates, and he has to run the offense. This team is too brilliant for things to be this Kobe-centric; because he's not waving off Chris Mihm(notes) anymore.

The Memphis Grizzlies went out and earned this win. Los Angeles had tired legs, yeah, big deal. The Grizz took it. Memphis got to the offensive glass, it got to the line (it wasn't exactly super-successful at the line, 22-32, but it bettered Los Angeles' output), and the bench was borderline passable for once.

Rudy Gay(notes) had 25 points and only four rebounds, mainly because Marc Gasol (13 and 11) and Zach Randolph(notes) (22 and 17) grabbed everything else. The Grizzlies are five games above .500 and should be proud of that, but they're also tied for eighth in the West. There cannot be any letup.

wes_mantooth wrote: I don't understand why people are comparing assists with Lebron and Kobe.......passing is not Kobe's game. He flat out shoots daggers in the other teams heart at the end of games. They are soooooo different in terms of their game that it is retarded that we keep comparing them.

Glory Days wrote:

wes_mantooth wrote: I don't understand why people are comparing assists with Lebron and Kobe.......passing is not Kobe's game. He flat out shoots daggers in the other teams heart at the end of games. They are soooooo different in terms of their game that it is retarded that we keep comparing them.

that and whatever kobe does is working for the team, 4 rings....what lebron is doing for the team hasnt worked yet, no rings.