I keep hearing, “Kobe can’t do it all by himself” and I think therein lies the problem. Kobe Bryant is trying to win this series by himself. Granted, he has been unstoppable at times scoring 38 points and shooting 48 percent from the field in Game 5, but the Lakers were still unable to get the victory.
The rest of this series may go a long way to writing the rest of Kobe’s legacy. Come back from down 3-2 to win the series and Kobe could finally be put in MJ’s sphere-maybe? Lose tonight and Kobe will have lost another NBA Finals series. He would have to hear the critiques say: “He’s just not the winner that MJ was.” Fair or not, it’s that simple.
by Justin Mertes-Mistretta
Kobe Bryant can score just like Michael, but MJ always found a way to get his teammates involved, regardless of how many points he scored. Kobe, all too often has the tendency to choose one or the other. Sometimes, he’ll try to force-feed his teammates, getting them involved, but he’ll become complacent as a result. Other times, he’ll hog the ball and score 40 points, refusing to pass the ball. In order for the Lakers to be successful, Kobe will need to find a way to get his teammates involved while being a dominant scorer at the same time.
To be fair to Kobe, his teammates did not show up in Game 5.
Pau Gasol played softer than ever, getting his shot blocked by Tony Allen, who is 6’4’’. Watch here. It was an amazing block, but come on, when someone is 7’0’’ they should never get blocked by a 6’4’’ human. As Bill Walton would say, “throw it down big fella!”
Ron Artest was supposed to be the x-factor that shut down Paul Pierce. This has not been the case, as Pierce is accumulating his season average of 19 points per game. In Game 5, Kobe Bryant was even seen demanding that he be put on Pierce. When Artest is unable to stop Pierce, he is a detriment to the Lakers, because his offensive ability is insulting. Watching Artest shoot a basketball has to be accompanied with a bottle of Pepto Bismol to sooth the nausea.
In order for the Lakers to win this series, someone other than Kobe will need to step up offensively.
Lamar Odom has been quiet so far this series, averaging less than eight points per game. He needs to come off the bench looking to score, instead of just taking up space at the top of the key. He showed how effective he can be at home during the Phoenix series.
The Boston Celtics are very much in control of this series right now and the general consensus is that they will win the series. I, on the other hand, will stick to my guns and say the Lakers win in seven. Kobe will get his teammates involved at home. There might even be a Sasha Vujacic sighting!
Read more articles by Justin Mertes-Mistretta at https://www.percysperspective.com/