| Kobe Soars To 65 Authored by Scott Essman - March 17, 2007 - 5:27 pm
Coming off of a brutal road loss in Denver, and nursing a seven-game losing streak (the longest of coach Phil Jackson's career), the Lakers had no reason to win on Friday night in Los Angeles against Portland.
Throughout the night, they played virtually zero team defense, had no offensive concept, and were facing a Trail Blazer nemesis - a rivalry that goes back decades. Nevermind that the Blazers have few weapons to match the teams of the late 1980s and late 1990s.
Aside from Zach Randolph - now enjoying his best season - the team is now filled with ascending young players like Brandon Roy and Jarret Jack. Still, they gave the Lakers fits for four quarters and most of overtime. Randolph naturally led the team with 31 points.
All that taken into consideration, the Lakers were prime for another loss, and were certainly dead in the water if the game came to overtime. Or one would think. It's been that type of second half.
But the Lakers have one thing in addition to their B and C level players, such as Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Maurice Evans and others.
They have the greatest player in the world on their team. His name, of course, has been Kobe Bryant for an amazing 11 seasons now though Bryant is only 28 years old.
Bryant is not only the player in the NBA most valuable to his team, he is a lock for the best player of his generation, following the generation that bred Larry
Bird and Magic Johnson and later Michael Jordan.
Especially when it counted on Friday, Bryant was
everywhere on offense - driving down the middle of the
lane, hitting jump shots from all over the court, and
hitting crucial come-from-behind three point shots,
including one amazing shot from the corner defended by
TWO Blazers.
Bryant totaled 65 points, but it must also be stressed
that NONE of his points were in anything considered
garbage time as in other previous high-scoring games
by Bryant and other players. Each one of Bryant's 65
- with 42 coming in the second half - were crucial.
With less than 15 seconds to play in regulation, Bryant shot a three-pointer that was contested by Randolph, but the 258-pound Blazer was clearly overmatched, and Bryant easily hit the game-tying shot.
"I felt good," Bryant said to Fox Sports Net announcers just after the game ended with a 116-111 overtime victory. "I was in a groove out there."
Bryant hit 23 of 39 total shots with an astounding 8 of 12 three-pointers. In the fourth quarter and overtime, the Blazers scored at will, keeping the Lakers at bay or trading them basket for basket. But Bryant wouldn't let his team lose an eighth straight game.
His clutch shots, necessary three-pointers, and solid 11-12 free throws kept the Lakers close through the fourth quarter until his three-pointer over Randolph tied it. In OT, the teams traded baskets until the Lakers finally got a few stops down the stretch, opening the lead and eventually sealing the victory.
One can only wonder what else Bryant is capable of
when his team needs him. Scoring 65 crucial points
(56% of his team's total offense) was miraculous to
watch and came at a time when his team needed him
most. That is the exact definition of a most valuable player. |
