Black Mamba is tough to figure. Has there ever been a more gifted yet enigmatic player than Kobe Bryant? Game 1 of these NBA Finals proved that Kobe Bryant, despite his colossal talent, still hasn’t completely figured it out. How does the MVP come up with a 9 for 26 performance that included a 1 for 6 fourth quarter effort? That’s excusable if he’s taking good shots, but he wasn’t. He’s shown the ability to make just about any shot at any spot on the floor, but that’s not the point. Not in the NBA Finals where every possession matters and a bad shot can turn into momentum for the Celtics. It’s something Lakers fans have probably come to expect. Still, after the strides made this season you probably didn’t think you would see it in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. You did.
Undoubtedly, Kobe will come back for tonight’s Game 2 and put up a superstar effort. He may be the facilitator for three quarters and then take over in the 4th as has been his M.O. all season long. The question is why do these bizarro Kobe games happen at all anymore? Clearly, the answer is more complex than can be written about here, but it still warrants some chatter…especially in a series with such historical relevance where superstar legacies are on the line.
After such a successful season why would be revert to the old selfish Kobe on the biggest stage? The question might offer the answer. Remember the last time Kobe was in the Finals with Shaq? He wasn’t having any more of the sidekick business. He wasn’t having it to the tune of a woeful shooting performance that led to the Pistons winning the 2004 NBA Finals in 6 games. Now he IS the star with his OWN sidekicks. So this is his chance, his opportunity to lead this team to championship glory like he’s been dreaming of since Shaq’s departure. So why the bad shots? To misappropriate a ridiculous phrase used for a current Boston sports icon that resembles the Predator…that’s just Kobe being Kobe. I guess. By the end of tonight’s game this could all be moot and the Lakers may be in control with a chance to close it out at home. Still, no matter the end result, Kobe’s legacy will always include strange games whereby he momentarily gets tripped up by his own ego. Much like Lamar Odom is consistently inconsistent, Kobe’s selfish play has always hampered him. This year it happened far less frequently than years past. The result? A number one seed in the Western Conference and a justly deserved MVP trophy. Game One revealed what many of us already knew…that this series is all about Kobe. For the Lakers to defeat the bullying bean towners it better be all about Kobe the MVP and not Kobe the egomaniac.
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