Heee's Baaack
For the first time in 15 games, Kwame Brown was back in the starting lineup as the Los Angeles Lakers center in their game Thursday night against the Utah Jazz. But I guess there was a slightly bigger story and a return of another sort in last night’s victory over the Jazz. And as often is the case in games taking place at Staples Center, Kobe Bryant was the focus of that story.
In his most dominant performance of the year, Kobe scored 52 points in three quarters and shot an unbelievable 73% from the field. Earlier in the day, I was talking to a friend and while he said he was happy that the Lakers have been playing well this season, he confessed that he missed the old Kobe and wondered if Kobe would ever be the same.
According to him, the new Kobe, wearing number 24 this season, just wasn’t as explosive. He could barely dunk. He couldn’t finish lay-ups. He was averaging 11 points less than last year. Sure he had knee surgery in the off-season, but he was also entering his eleventh season in the league so my friend wondered if we had to be content with a good Kobe and forget that only last season, some were calling Kobe the best player in the game.
I told him that Kobe would be fine and that he was starting to look better. I said the only reason he struggled in the last two games was because the referees didn’t call any fouls. And even in the last game against Milwaukee, I was impressed how he tried to will the Lakers back by making six three-pointers. But even I wasn’t expecting to see what I witnessed on Thursday night.
Early in the game I was actually concerned about Kobe’s play. I actually thought he was taking too many shots. While I enjoy watching Kobe’s incredible performances, in order for the team to have more success and maybe even win a championship, the other players have to be more involved. But he was making almost all the shots he took. I also figured he was upset, and rightfully so, after the Lakers’ loss to Michael Redd’s 45 points and the struggling Bucks in their previous game. So I cut him a little slack.
All those concerns were washed away at the end of the first half. Kobe’s regained explosiveness was showcased by a thundering slam dunk in which Bryant jumped from a step or two inside the free throw line and appeared to jam over the entire Jazz team. He seemed to carry the momentum into the third quarter in which he scored 30 points and just couldn’t miss and almost single-handedly turned a 12 point Laker lead, into a 22 point blowout. If there were any questions about Kobe regaining his old form, he unequivocally answered them with that amazing performance.
As for Kwame Brown, with Kobe getting 52 points, there weren’t a lot of shots to go around. He missed the two shots he did take in 22 minutes of play and collected only five rebounds. He did have a few nice assists but overall I was not impressed by his performance. Andrew Bynum wasn’t much better and they were both outplayed by Ronny Turiaf. I’m not sure if Phil will stick with Kwame in the starting rotation. I would probably go with Bynum just so he gets more experience sooner rather than later. But to be honest, with the real Kobe back, it might not really matter.
In his most dominant performance of the year, Kobe scored 52 points in three quarters and shot an unbelievable 73% from the field. Earlier in the day, I was talking to a friend and while he said he was happy that the Lakers have been playing well this season, he confessed that he missed the old Kobe and wondered if Kobe would ever be the same.
According to him, the new Kobe, wearing number 24 this season, just wasn’t as explosive. He could barely dunk. He couldn’t finish lay-ups. He was averaging 11 points less than last year. Sure he had knee surgery in the off-season, but he was also entering his eleventh season in the league so my friend wondered if we had to be content with a good Kobe and forget that only last season, some were calling Kobe the best player in the game.
I told him that Kobe would be fine and that he was starting to look better. I said the only reason he struggled in the last two games was because the referees didn’t call any fouls. And even in the last game against Milwaukee, I was impressed how he tried to will the Lakers back by making six three-pointers. But even I wasn’t expecting to see what I witnessed on Thursday night.
Early in the game I was actually concerned about Kobe’s play. I actually thought he was taking too many shots. While I enjoy watching Kobe’s incredible performances, in order for the team to have more success and maybe even win a championship, the other players have to be more involved. But he was making almost all the shots he took. I also figured he was upset, and rightfully so, after the Lakers’ loss to Michael Redd’s 45 points and the struggling Bucks in their previous game. So I cut him a little slack.
All those concerns were washed away at the end of the first half. Kobe’s regained explosiveness was showcased by a thundering slam dunk in which Bryant jumped from a step or two inside the free throw line and appeared to jam over the entire Jazz team. He seemed to carry the momentum into the third quarter in which he scored 30 points and just couldn’t miss and almost single-handedly turned a 12 point Laker lead, into a 22 point blowout. If there were any questions about Kobe regaining his old form, he unequivocally answered them with that amazing performance.
As for Kwame Brown, with Kobe getting 52 points, there weren’t a lot of shots to go around. He missed the two shots he did take in 22 minutes of play and collected only five rebounds. He did have a few nice assists but overall I was not impressed by his performance. Andrew Bynum wasn’t much better and they were both outplayed by Ronny Turiaf. I’m not sure if Phil will stick with Kwame in the starting rotation. I would probably go with Bynum just so he gets more experience sooner rather than later. But to be honest, with the real Kobe back, it might not really matter.
posted by The Pocho at 10:40 AM
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