| Kobe Finally Elevates Performance In Playoffs Authored by Christopher Reina - May 30, 2008 - 9:41 pm
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I had never noticed a decline, remembering the clutch shots and the playoff success, but sure enough he has had substantial statistical declines in all but one playoffs since 2000.
But that has not been the case this year as the Lakers are 12-3 and Kobe is four wins away from his fourth ring.
As Jerry West spoke following Thursday's WCF victory, Kobe looked like a boy who has (at least momentarily) lost his shoulder's chip as he finally is receiving the universal accolades he has dedicated his life to acquiring.
Before he is anointed a Shaq-less champion, let's look at his previous playoff performances:
99-00
Regular Season FIC40: 15.6
Playoff FIC40: 12.3
Percentage Difference: -27%
00-01
Regular Season FIC40: 15.6
Playoff FIC40: 17.1
Percentage Difference: +9%
01-02
Regular Season FIC40: 15.8
Playoff FIC40: 12.6
Percentage Difference: -25%
02-03
Regular Season FIC40: 18.0
Playoff FIC40: 13.2
Percentage Difference: -36%
03-04
Regular Season FIC40: 16.0
Playoff FIC40: 13.4
Percentage Difference: -32%
05-06
Regular Season FIC40: 17.1
Playoff FIC40: 13.2
Percentage Difference: -29%
06-07
Regular Season FIC40: 17.5
Playoff FIC40: 13.8
Percentage Difference: -26%
07-08
Regular Season FIC40: 18.2
Playoff FIC40: 19.3
Percentage Difference: +6%
So why has Kobe been so much more productive this season in the playoffs?
First and foremost he has been an extremely efficient scorer, shooting 50.9% from the floor (57.0% when eliminating his dismal 23-78 from 3-point territory). He shot 45.9% during the regular season and heading into this postseason he had a career playoff shooting percentage of 43.9%, an extremely signficant improvement of 7% (19% better).
He has been scoring in transition, getting into the lane with greater frequency, creating more quality shots off the dribble and until the Spurs’ series, drawing fouls at an excellent rate.
But he has also been a more productive rebounder and assist man. Neither total (6.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists) is as high as 00-01 (7.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists), but they are increases of +0.9 and +1.4 from last year.
- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and the creator of The Reina Value which determines the value of players in relation to their contract. |
