The Reemergence of an Unwanted Guest
As a die hard Laker fan, watching Thursday night's Game 4 of the NBA Finals was like a nightmare timestamped 2005-2006. Translation: It was Kobe Bryant trying to score as many points as possible, going 1 on 5, taking ill-advised shots, and displaying a deep mistrust for anyone else wearing a Laker jersey.
This is such a disconcerting scenario because back when Kobe was playing lone ranger, the Lakers stunk. It is no small wonder to me that in the finest season of Kobe's illustrious career and one of the best individual seasons of all-time, his team finished with a pedestrian 45-37 record and a first round playoff exit. In fact, two of Bryant's 3 highest single-season scoring averages coincide with the worst Laker win-loss records of his Laker tenure. It is clear that in the times Kobe tempers his own shot volume and involves his teammates, the Lakers experience significantly more success. The old adage proves true with the Black Mamba: less is more.
The 07-08 and 08-09 seasons are among the most successful in the history of the NBA's most storied franchise. Granted, Kobe has had a little more to work with in the Laker talent pool; he hasn't felt the need to take on an entire opponent by himself to gain victory. The 2007-2008 season saw the emergence of the league's deepest and most potent bench with the significant improvements of Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, and Luke Walton. This was due in no small part to Kobe's decision to do more facilitating and to get his teammates more involved in the action. Not surprisingly, the Lakers, easily the most talented team in the West, marched into the NBA Finals for the first time in 4 seasons.
2008-2009 saw Bryant's scoring average drop almost a full point per game from the season before. Predictably, the Lakers increased their win total by 8, winning a remarkable 65 for the year. Once again, the Lakers were expected to roll through the West on their way to a repeat appearance in the NBA Finals.
At some point during the playoffs, though, something changed with this team. The development of Farmar and Vujacic stunted. Player confidence dried up. Four Lakers started standing around on the perimeter spectating, a la 2006. The Kobe of 2007-2009: team-centered, friendly, mature, and encouraging reverted to 2005-2006 form: superior, aloof, condescending, visibly arrogant, and mistrusting. The Lakers proceeded to struggle past a depleted Houston Rockets team in 7 games, then overcome a brutally competitive and taxing series against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Finals. Through it all, Bryant's self-reliance began rearing its ugly head again.
The Finals against the Orlando Magic have stirred in me the a desire to rip my hair out and throw things at my TV. This is true for a few reasons: foremostly, the officiating continues to be..... Just ..... (there is not a word to accurately capture how bad the refs have been in Games 2-4). Secondarily, Bryant's shot selection and reversion to old form. He has shot a remarkably poor percentage from the field in this series, taking 34 of the team's 89 shots in Game 1, 22 of 78 in Game 2, 25 of 78 in Game 3, and 31 of 91 in Game 4 for a series FG% of 43.6. This isn't usually a low number, but given the volume of shots Bryant has taken, it significantly brings down the rest of the team's FG%.
Kobe's display of uber-competitive desire to win a fourth title has caused him to abandon his teammates yet again. The Lakers have not suffered because of it in this series, however, as they possess a commanding 3-1 lead. Were it not for just a handful of fortunate breaks, the Lakers could easily be on the business end of 3-1, due in no small part to Kobe Bryant's play.
The Lakers are going to win the series and be crowned NBA Champions. There's little doubt that Orlando can overcome their deficit to win 3 in a row. However, the Lakers will have no chance to repeat and defend their title in 2010 with Kobe 2006. As a Laker fan I express great disappointment and discouragement that Kobe Bryant, as legendary a player as he may be, never changed his ways and that his mistrust of everyone else will always come through when the going gets tough for the Los Angeles Lakers.
