dawsey6
01-27-2021, 09:29 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8UJHvDjslo
In remembrance of Kobe, I decided to watch the 81-point game. Before yesterday, I'd watched several highlight reels which were astounding enough, considering his motor and determination to win that game jumped out through the screen. I remember the morning after because I had knocked out early that night and didn't watch any games, and I was pissed because I feel like I always miss the great games. But I always told myself I'd watch the whole game at some point. Finally did, and here are a few takeaways that I feel get left behind in the folklore.
That Lakers team played TERRIBLE that game. Even when Kobe started going off.
A lot has been made about how talentless the 04-07 Lakers were, and how Kobe didn't have enough help to be competitive. But everyone else on the court for LA played like TRASH this game. Lamar Odom was supposed to be the 2nd best player, and he couldn't buy a basket, stalled the offense much more often than he made a good pass, and had terrible footwork. Smush made a few good plays but made horrible decisions the whole game. Kwame Brown....forget it. The only other player that I thought consistently made good plays throughout the game was Chris Mihm. He just happens to be not that talented. Kobe looked like a lion trying to keep his 11 cubs from being eaten alive by predators. The Raptors just played better basketball as a team that game. But LA deserved to be mollywopped by Toronto that night. When people talked about "he should be more of a team player" they must not be referring to this game.
With the exception of the last 7 minutes of the 4th, Kobe's whole scoring output was a grind.
Kobe barely ever streaked in the game or got "hot" until the 4th. Until then, it was about hunting for advantages, getting to the line, making risky plays that sometimes ended good and sometimes in TOs and bad misses, and also occasionally just straight-up bad Raptor defense. Kobe manipulated the Toronto defense to create spacing even when it wasn't deserved because his teammates weren't hitting shots. He manipulated the refs, too. In the 3rd quarter, he drove baseline and moved in front of the basket to shoot and got hit in the eye by Mo Pete with no call. He barked at the ref and got T'd up. The very next play, he made the EXACT same move and the ref called a blocking foul. He did all the little things to control everyone in the game to grind out the win by squeezing out a ****-ton of points. THEN he got hot halfway through the 4th.
He was pissed.
I've watched Kobe since his rookie year. All throughout his peak. All through his great playoff runs. Never did he shoot the ball the way he shot it in this game. First of all, even in the relatively quiet 26-point first half, he seems kind of super-saiyen. Just watching him in the triple-threat position he was on a different planet. He looked pissed. He shot the ball pissed. The arc on his 3-pointers were pissed. It's hard to describe, but even when he went for 62 in 3 quarters again the Mavs, it didn't quite look like this.
Kobe had always been special, but after 81 it seemed like the Black Mamba has really arrived. You knew you weren't dealing with the hotshot volume scorer anymore. Not a late-January goes by where I don't think about how Kobe did that to a professional basketball team.
Rest in Power Kobe Bryant. Sorely missed.
In remembrance of Kobe, I decided to watch the 81-point game. Before yesterday, I'd watched several highlight reels which were astounding enough, considering his motor and determination to win that game jumped out through the screen. I remember the morning after because I had knocked out early that night and didn't watch any games, and I was pissed because I feel like I always miss the great games. But I always told myself I'd watch the whole game at some point. Finally did, and here are a few takeaways that I feel get left behind in the folklore.
That Lakers team played TERRIBLE that game. Even when Kobe started going off.
A lot has been made about how talentless the 04-07 Lakers were, and how Kobe didn't have enough help to be competitive. But everyone else on the court for LA played like TRASH this game. Lamar Odom was supposed to be the 2nd best player, and he couldn't buy a basket, stalled the offense much more often than he made a good pass, and had terrible footwork. Smush made a few good plays but made horrible decisions the whole game. Kwame Brown....forget it. The only other player that I thought consistently made good plays throughout the game was Chris Mihm. He just happens to be not that talented. Kobe looked like a lion trying to keep his 11 cubs from being eaten alive by predators. The Raptors just played better basketball as a team that game. But LA deserved to be mollywopped by Toronto that night. When people talked about "he should be more of a team player" they must not be referring to this game.
With the exception of the last 7 minutes of the 4th, Kobe's whole scoring output was a grind.
Kobe barely ever streaked in the game or got "hot" until the 4th. Until then, it was about hunting for advantages, getting to the line, making risky plays that sometimes ended good and sometimes in TOs and bad misses, and also occasionally just straight-up bad Raptor defense. Kobe manipulated the Toronto defense to create spacing even when it wasn't deserved because his teammates weren't hitting shots. He manipulated the refs, too. In the 3rd quarter, he drove baseline and moved in front of the basket to shoot and got hit in the eye by Mo Pete with no call. He barked at the ref and got T'd up. The very next play, he made the EXACT same move and the ref called a blocking foul. He did all the little things to control everyone in the game to grind out the win by squeezing out a ****-ton of points. THEN he got hot halfway through the 4th.
He was pissed.
I've watched Kobe since his rookie year. All throughout his peak. All through his great playoff runs. Never did he shoot the ball the way he shot it in this game. First of all, even in the relatively quiet 26-point first half, he seems kind of super-saiyen. Just watching him in the triple-threat position he was on a different planet. He looked pissed. He shot the ball pissed. The arc on his 3-pointers were pissed. It's hard to describe, but even when he went for 62 in 3 quarters again the Mavs, it didn't quite look like this.
Kobe had always been special, but after 81 it seemed like the Black Mamba has really arrived. You knew you weren't dealing with the hotshot volume scorer anymore. Not a late-January goes by where I don't think about how Kobe did that to a professional basketball team.
Rest in Power Kobe Bryant. Sorely missed.