The Lakers Didn't Need Black Mamba, But Where Was Kobe?
For those of you Lakers fans who don't gamble, now you know what Vegas feels like. When the Lakers went up by 21 at the end of 1, everything was great. But it was too great. It was like getting off the plane in Vegas, taking the cab over to the hotel, leaving your bags with your friends in the check-in line and going over to the craps table for a quick couple of rolls. Only you caught fire, so the roll lasted a good 25 minutes and you were up $650 before you even checked into the hotel. So you went over to your friends, told them what happened and the non-gamblers among them thought about how you just paid for your trip. But you didn't. You knew better. You knew that the +650 would go to +200 before you even made it out to your first dinner. It's just what happens. You have your heat check and it usually lasts a bit too long. You know, when you upgrade from the $15 table to the $25 table to test your luck. Has anyone ever survived that? Of course not. That's what that 21-point lead felt like. The second quarter of Game 4 moved you into the "Well, I'm still up, but gambling is just paying for my cab rides and maybe my flight now" zone. Sure, you're still up a couple of C-notes, but the high-fiving around the craps table has stopped. The fist pounds at the blackjack table are no more. The "Let's see if my luck carries over to the Roulette table" moments have passed. But you're still up. The Lakers tried about 10 too many 3-pointers to see if they could go up 40. Of course it's impossible, but they tried anyway. They had to. It's the heat check. Farmar's bucket at the buzzer at halftime was that one last blackjack before you called it a night. A good taste in your mouth, but still the knowledge that you were in Vegas and had about 10 solid gambling hours left to blow it.
Day 2 happened. You knew it would. The second half was that insurmountable feeling. You get two face cards. The dealer hit five cards to 21. You're at the craps table, betting the pass and the come lines, only to watch the shooter throw a 6 then an 8, then a 4, then a 9, and you know what's coming next. You've got 4 numbers covered, backed at full odds but you know what's coming. That number, and it comes. All your money, gone, and now you're scared. Now you're playing every hand, every roll, with a drink in one hand and your elbow resting on the table with your chin cupped in your other hand just watching the inevitable happen. You feel like you could walk over to the Roulette table, put ten bucks on the red and ten on the black, and be positive that a green zero would come up. This Boston fan asked me why I wasn't going nuts and cheering as the Lakers were up in the second quarter (I was wearing a Farmar jersey so he knew where my interests lied) and I responded, "I'm nervous." I've been to Vegas. I knew. Too many things went right for the Lakers in the beginning. Every open shot went in. Lamar was otherworldly. You saw it, I don't really need to explain. It was perfect, too perfect. Up $650 in half an hour too perfect. Plus, too many things went wrong for the Celtics early on. Missed shots, unforced turnovers, etc. Outside of Ariza, nobody really did much on D to stop the Celtics early on. They just missed every shot they took and looked like they were alligator-arming everything. You had to know it wouldn't last. They would come back. Not because they're a great team but because it's just what happens. But, everything I just wrote only applies to squandering the big lead. I didn't think the Lakers would actually LOSE the game. We have Kobe. Someone like me doesn't have the power to turn things around in Vegas. But this wasn't me. This was Kobe, in his domain. Kobe would see the Lakers sinking, right the ship, and the Lake Show would pull away at the end. Right?
Which brings me to why the Lakers lost. If the Lakers get a solid performance out of Lamar, an acceptable performance out of Pau the Marshmallow Man, and the rest of the team doesn't completely blow up, then the Lakers should be fine. I know that the Lakers blew the lead. They turned it over, they were soft inside, blah blah blah. But I already told you, I expected that lead to get whittled down to around 5. It's the NBA. Every game comes down to the 4th quarter no matter how big a first half lead someone has. I expected that, but I also expected the Lakers to pull through. For Celtics fans the second half was probably like watching Independence Day and seeing the "July 4" appear. Comeback time. Watch out aliens. Will Smith is about to get his. The virus has been uploaded and some random drunk pilot took it straight up our rectums causing us to self-destruct. This game that random pilot was James Posey but that's not the big picture. The comeback should never have been polished off. Kobe should have been there to save us. He didn't need to be Black Mamba to win that game but he needed to at least show up and be Kobe Bryant. He needed to start going to the rim much earlier, hit jumpers with four minutes left to get the crowd back into it, get the energy up and finish the game. He didn't do it. He played in a malaise. He played like he knew it was coming. Kobe can't be the one to do that. I expect role players to know bad times are on the horizon, to falter. I don't expect the team's savior to do that. The team can't survive it and they didn't. I haven't watched any of the post-game commentary yet, haven't read an article (though I heard SG kept a running diary so I'm kind of excited to read it), but I'm sure people are talking about the Lakers' bigs being soft, KG taking it to the Lakers, Ray Allen going off, Fisher being on the bench for too long, the help not sliding over until late on the Sasha getting taken by aging Jesus Shuttlesworth (my friend Adam went ballistic at this and he doesn't even like the Lakers), and a slew of other factors that all played minor roles. But none of those things would be mentioned today if Kobe had done his job.
To take it a step further, Kobe is one of those guys who cares about his legacy and he's not in la-la land when it comes down to that legacy. George W. Bush cares about his legacy but thinks that in 50 years everyone will call Iraq a victory and that he will be absolved. He's in la-la land. Kobe gets it. It's why he wanted to be the go-to guy. He couldn't co-exist with Shaq because he needed to start securing his own place in NBA history. Kobe doesn't want to be the next MJ, he wants to be remembered as better than MJ. He would never say that but he oozes it. He knows that championships and Finals performances define careers when you're the star of the team. It's why Karl Malone never sniffs a comparison with Duncan (don't you love that I figured out a way to take a random cheap shot at Malone, who by the way abandoned two of his children only to start talking to one when she got to the WNBA and he was forced to acknowledge her). Kobe knows that he doesn't just need a championship of his own, but a dynasty of his own. And not just any dynasty, but one on par with the Roman Empire. All the pieces are in place. Win this year, get Bynum back next year, get lucky with avoiding big injuries and he's got it. At least that's what I thought. All of those people who refused to acknowledge Kobe as the legitimate heir apparent must have seen something that I missed. They saw this performance coming. I didn't. Because MJ would never have faltered in this Game 4. Again, the lead would have whittled down but then His Airness would have driven the stake into the Celtics' hearts. 10-point victory, series all knotted at 2.
I know you were expecting some more X's and O's out of me but I whole-heartedly believed that Kobe was the sole reason the Lakers would win this series. I always believe in best players making big time plays no matter how things have transpired previously. Those kinds of players are just wired differently. No conscience in them. It's just that simple to me. I coached basketball as a high school assistant a few years back. With about 3 minutes left in a pretty big game I knew things could come down to the wire. Our best player was off that game but I still drew up a play with said best player coming off of a stagger screen on the weak side for a potentially game-winning 3 with a backdoor cut option for the ball side screener. The shot didn't fall but I would not have wanted anyone else taking the shot on that squad. I always trust in my team's Kobe. You're not getting there without Kobe coming through. The Celtics may have some solid advantages on the floor, especially with Eddie House getting minutes now (Doc got lucky with Rondo getting injured and someone must have issued a death threat with the sole request being bench time for Cassell). But I thought the Lakers had the biggest advantage, the best player on the floor, maybe even the Tiger Woods of basketball some day. But no, I was wrong. If Kobe doesn't show up big and some how resurrect this series, he will no longer be Black Mamba, he won't even be just "Kobe." He'll be Kobe Bryant, a great player, best in the league right now, but nothing more than that. You won't be able to recall Kobe's career without noting this game if the Lakers don't come back. Down 3-1 I'm curious to know if people will remember Game 4 if Kobe pulls through and steals the series by himself. I wonder if I'll remember this Game 4 because MJ would never have let it happen and Kobe did. You always bet on MJ and you can't say the same for Kobe, yet. And there it lies. As a Lakers fan I'm not conceding victory yet. I'm going Hillary Clinton with this one and waiting until all the cards have fallen. We still have a chance. One last card. The Black Mamba card. Hopefully it plays out better than Hillary's playing the Florida/Michigan delegate card. But know this Kobe, if you're the second coming, it's time to prove it. It's either Black Mamba time or you're just another great player on a long list.
Day 2 happened. You knew it would. The second half was that insurmountable feeling. You get two face cards. The dealer hit five cards to 21. You're at the craps table, betting the pass and the come lines, only to watch the shooter throw a 6 then an 8, then a 4, then a 9, and you know what's coming next. You've got 4 numbers covered, backed at full odds but you know what's coming. That number, and it comes. All your money, gone, and now you're scared. Now you're playing every hand, every roll, with a drink in one hand and your elbow resting on the table with your chin cupped in your other hand just watching the inevitable happen. You feel like you could walk over to the Roulette table, put ten bucks on the red and ten on the black, and be positive that a green zero would come up. This Boston fan asked me why I wasn't going nuts and cheering as the Lakers were up in the second quarter (I was wearing a Farmar jersey so he knew where my interests lied) and I responded, "I'm nervous." I've been to Vegas. I knew. Too many things went right for the Lakers in the beginning. Every open shot went in. Lamar was otherworldly. You saw it, I don't really need to explain. It was perfect, too perfect. Up $650 in half an hour too perfect. Plus, too many things went wrong for the Celtics early on. Missed shots, unforced turnovers, etc. Outside of Ariza, nobody really did much on D to stop the Celtics early on. They just missed every shot they took and looked like they were alligator-arming everything. You had to know it wouldn't last. They would come back. Not because they're a great team but because it's just what happens. But, everything I just wrote only applies to squandering the big lead. I didn't think the Lakers would actually LOSE the game. We have Kobe. Someone like me doesn't have the power to turn things around in Vegas. But this wasn't me. This was Kobe, in his domain. Kobe would see the Lakers sinking, right the ship, and the Lake Show would pull away at the end. Right?
Which brings me to why the Lakers lost. If the Lakers get a solid performance out of Lamar, an acceptable performance out of Pau the Marshmallow Man, and the rest of the team doesn't completely blow up, then the Lakers should be fine. I know that the Lakers blew the lead. They turned it over, they were soft inside, blah blah blah. But I already told you, I expected that lead to get whittled down to around 5. It's the NBA. Every game comes down to the 4th quarter no matter how big a first half lead someone has. I expected that, but I also expected the Lakers to pull through. For Celtics fans the second half was probably like watching Independence Day and seeing the "July 4" appear. Comeback time. Watch out aliens. Will Smith is about to get his. The virus has been uploaded and some random drunk pilot took it straight up our rectums causing us to self-destruct. This game that random pilot was James Posey but that's not the big picture. The comeback should never have been polished off. Kobe should have been there to save us. He didn't need to be Black Mamba to win that game but he needed to at least show up and be Kobe Bryant. He needed to start going to the rim much earlier, hit jumpers with four minutes left to get the crowd back into it, get the energy up and finish the game. He didn't do it. He played in a malaise. He played like he knew it was coming. Kobe can't be the one to do that. I expect role players to know bad times are on the horizon, to falter. I don't expect the team's savior to do that. The team can't survive it and they didn't. I haven't watched any of the post-game commentary yet, haven't read an article (though I heard SG kept a running diary so I'm kind of excited to read it), but I'm sure people are talking about the Lakers' bigs being soft, KG taking it to the Lakers, Ray Allen going off, Fisher being on the bench for too long, the help not sliding over until late on the Sasha getting taken by aging Jesus Shuttlesworth (my friend Adam went ballistic at this and he doesn't even like the Lakers), and a slew of other factors that all played minor roles. But none of those things would be mentioned today if Kobe had done his job.
To take it a step further, Kobe is one of those guys who cares about his legacy and he's not in la-la land when it comes down to that legacy. George W. Bush cares about his legacy but thinks that in 50 years everyone will call Iraq a victory and that he will be absolved. He's in la-la land. Kobe gets it. It's why he wanted to be the go-to guy. He couldn't co-exist with Shaq because he needed to start securing his own place in NBA history. Kobe doesn't want to be the next MJ, he wants to be remembered as better than MJ. He would never say that but he oozes it. He knows that championships and Finals performances define careers when you're the star of the team. It's why Karl Malone never sniffs a comparison with Duncan (don't you love that I figured out a way to take a random cheap shot at Malone, who by the way abandoned two of his children only to start talking to one when she got to the WNBA and he was forced to acknowledge her). Kobe knows that he doesn't just need a championship of his own, but a dynasty of his own. And not just any dynasty, but one on par with the Roman Empire. All the pieces are in place. Win this year, get Bynum back next year, get lucky with avoiding big injuries and he's got it. At least that's what I thought. All of those people who refused to acknowledge Kobe as the legitimate heir apparent must have seen something that I missed. They saw this performance coming. I didn't. Because MJ would never have faltered in this Game 4. Again, the lead would have whittled down but then His Airness would have driven the stake into the Celtics' hearts. 10-point victory, series all knotted at 2.
I know you were expecting some more X's and O's out of me but I whole-heartedly believed that Kobe was the sole reason the Lakers would win this series. I always believe in best players making big time plays no matter how things have transpired previously. Those kinds of players are just wired differently. No conscience in them. It's just that simple to me. I coached basketball as a high school assistant a few years back. With about 3 minutes left in a pretty big game I knew things could come down to the wire. Our best player was off that game but I still drew up a play with said best player coming off of a stagger screen on the weak side for a potentially game-winning 3 with a backdoor cut option for the ball side screener. The shot didn't fall but I would not have wanted anyone else taking the shot on that squad. I always trust in my team's Kobe. You're not getting there without Kobe coming through. The Celtics may have some solid advantages on the floor, especially with Eddie House getting minutes now (Doc got lucky with Rondo getting injured and someone must have issued a death threat with the sole request being bench time for Cassell). But I thought the Lakers had the biggest advantage, the best player on the floor, maybe even the Tiger Woods of basketball some day. But no, I was wrong. If Kobe doesn't show up big and some how resurrect this series, he will no longer be Black Mamba, he won't even be just "Kobe." He'll be Kobe Bryant, a great player, best in the league right now, but nothing more than that. You won't be able to recall Kobe's career without noting this game if the Lakers don't come back. Down 3-1 I'm curious to know if people will remember Game 4 if Kobe pulls through and steals the series by himself. I wonder if I'll remember this Game 4 because MJ would never have let it happen and Kobe did. You always bet on MJ and you can't say the same for Kobe, yet. And there it lies. As a Lakers fan I'm not conceding victory yet. I'm going Hillary Clinton with this one and waiting until all the cards have fallen. We still have a chance. One last card. The Black Mamba card. Hopefully it plays out better than Hillary's playing the Florida/Michigan delegate card. But know this Kobe, if you're the second coming, it's time to prove it. It's either Black Mamba time or you're just another great player on a long list.
Well put. Even though I'm ambivalent toward the Lakers and down on Kobe in general, I wanted to see them win this series. If the Lakes would have at least been competitive in this series, Kobe's image hit would be a push at worst, maybe even slightly improved. But to be crushed like this, with the team he wants after Mitch got the Grizzlies to "donate" Pau for Kwame, can only mean that we'll stop looking at Kobes with that sense of inevitability, that Jordan inevitability. On to Deron Williams ...
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