| Kobe Express Rolls Authored by Scott Essman - November 9, 2005 - 12:23 am
In Atlanta, a train pulled into town Tuesday night. No, it wasn't in any station on any of the MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) lines. This train pulled into the Philips Arena.
Of course, this train is the Kobe Bryant Express. The Lakers' focused shooting guard, who often drives to the basket, took 26 shots from the floor on Tuesday, hitting 15 of them and adding 7 of 11 from the free-throw line, totaling 37 for the second game in a row.
In fact, Bryant now has a 2005-2006 season point-scoring average of 36.3, the highest such total for an NBA player this season. More so than his first year without center Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe's current season seems about answering questions about the man's ability to dominate games.
Other questions that have arisen since last season include Bryant's ability to get along with and take coaching decisions from Laker coach Phil Jackson, who coached Bryant each of his three consecutive championships with the Lakers. Bryant seems to want to convince the world - and himself perhaps most of all - that he can get back to winning ways with Jackson back in the engineer's seat.
On Tuesday, the Lakers coasted most of the game, with 10 points + leads over the hosting Hawks. The only Atlanta surge occured with Bryant on the bench late in the game. However, it was not enough, as Bryant and his supporting cast - led by Smush Parker with 21 points and Lamar Odom with 13 points and 11 rebounds - made the 6-point final scoring difference look closer than it really was. If Bryant continues on this mission, and this Laker train pulls into other cities similarly to how it arrived in Atlanta, the Lakers may be looking at a season that again extends into late spring. |
