SB Nation User Blog: Josh Tucker

Lakers Stomp Nets, and It's Still About the Greatness of Kobe

Josh Tucker — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:42:15 -0000

Perhaps you read this paragraph, in a recent Y! Sports article by the ever-great Woj:

Yes, the Lakers have a supporting cast for Bryant. He doesn’t have to do as much, but he rarely fails them when called upon in moments of truth. Eventually, Andrew Bynum’s leg could give out again, and Ron Artest could go haywire and the Lakers’ championship chase could still be all about the greatness of Kobe Bryant.

And that's about how it went last night. Oh, minus the injuries and Ron Ron going all Crazy Pills on us.

In the end, this game came down to the start of the third quarter, where Kobe gave his teammates another chance to get it going, waited about two minutes, then got pissed off (not to mention tired of the Josh Powell show) and ripped off 6 quick points without even seeming to try. He dominated in the third quarter, in which the Lakers followed his lead to a 12-point swing, going into the 4th up 10 after being down 2 at half.

Gasol and Fisher were the first to pick up Kobe's energy, and the Lakers' defense took it up a notch in the 4th, as well. In the end, it was a good second half and ended in an oh-so-tasty blowout, just as it should have been all along.

Not thrilled with the minutes the starters had to play (though Andrew Bynum should be nice and rested after fouling out in a mere 11 minutes of court time) — but then, this is the road, and beggars can't be choosers. We've had plenty of rest to start the season and a good couple days before this, so as far as I'm concerned, a road win is a road win, and if the starters play a few more minutes than we'd prefer ... well, I'm not crying over any spilt milk.

A dominant all-around performance from Kobe: 12-23 for 29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, and a monster block. Only two turnovers, which hopefully is a sign of good ball-handling adjustment to his finger injury.

Gasol had a quiet but effective night, turning in 14/14/6, and Lamar Odom had one of his better games in a while — his 14/12/4 line serving as a reminder that the Lakers can be a-okay even when missing a big man, every now and then.

Here are your numbers for the night. Note the very excellent Points Per Possession Numbers — that 0.88 defensive PPP just might be enough to drop us below Boston for the Defensive Efficiency lead, making LA the undisputed best defense in the NBA (statistically) — last I checked, we already own the defensive FG%, eFG%, and TS%.

	Poss	TO%	FTA/FGA	FT%	EFG%	TS%	Off Reb%	Def Reb%	PPP
LA	92	13	0.16	79	53	56	25	80	1.13
NJ	94	9	0.33	70	40	45	20	75	0.88

The Credits: Thursday

Josh Tucker — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:01:50 -0000

Sorry guys — Wondahbap's computer is on the fritz, so no clever movie title to personify your Credits today. Hey, I never claimed to be the creative one in these parts. On to the links, which start with this new MVPuppets clip (which intro'd today's Daily Dime TV):

And now, some links:

Behind the Box Score, where Kobe is better than almost all of you - BDL
Pau Gasol controlling the boards - TrueHoop
Kobe wields dagger - Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
Kobe #1 in Legler's 10 Favorite Things
Poll: Who is the best clutch player in Lakers history? - LA Times

MORE LINKS after the jump...

Kobe's lesson to Tiger: Winning trumps all - Y! Sports
Kobe Bryant upset about question - LA Times
Lakers, Kobe Bryant beat Bucks at the buzzer - LA Times
Last-second shot wins it for Lakers - OC Register
Lakers vs. Bucks in-game report - LA Times
Pau Gasol proves to be quite the hot shot - LA Times

Sorry for the short list today, folks. There's a reason this isn't my job (it was, once, for a short time, and I fired myself and hired a better replacement)...

Feel free to use the comments below to add links I haven't included above.

"I told him, 'Why did you keep us waiting? You had the same situation in regulation. Really, you...

Josh Tucker — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:20:39 -0000

"I told him, 'Why did you keep us waiting? You had the same situation in regulation. Really, you are wasting a half-hour of our lives,''' Jackson joked. ''I just don't understand that boy sometimes."

Phil Jackson on Kobe's game-winning shot

ALL-STAR VOTES: So Far, Kobe (& T-Mac?) Leads — Gasol & Bynum, Not So Much

Josh Tucker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:33:51 -0000

The first round of All-Star Voting Results is in, and Kobe Bryant is leading all vote-getters in both conferences. Dwyane Wade is next, followed by LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Not all that surprising, of course — but click the jump for the more interesting bits...

For those of you looking for 2-3 Lakers in the All-Star game — well, you may get your wish, but if early returns are any indication, it may be up to the coaches (who pick the reserves) to make it happen. So far, Andrew Bynum trails Amare Stoudemire at the center position by nearly 150,000 votes. Meanwhile, Pau Gasol is about 86,000 votes behind Dirk Nowitzki for the second starting forward slot in the West (remember, the fans pick the starters, which means two guards, two forwards, and a center).

Pau's absence from the first 11 games of the season may have something to do with why he's 308,000 behind Carmelo Anthony and 86,000 behind Nowitzki — then again, Tracy McGrady is currently the second starting guard for the West, despite not playing a single game, edging out several other deserving West guards who have, you know, actually played this year ... like Steve Nash (by 9,000 votes), Chris Paul (by 33,000), Jason Kidd (by 74,000), and Chauncey Billups (by 150,000).

Thank you, China!

Hat tip: Gils

A Thought: Last night was Utah's own fault — they should have known better than to wear green in S...

Josh Tucker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:36:17 -0000

A Thought: Last night was Utah's own fault — they should have known better than to wear green in Staples Center.

We've already got the highlight of the night — here's your assist of the night and dunk of the n...

Josh Tucker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:14:06 -0000

We've already got the highlight of the night — here's your assist of the night and dunk of the night. Kobe to (Let)Shannon(Dunk).

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Lakers Bring Back Showtime

Josh Tucker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:55:09 -0000

In a defensive showcase, the Lakers clamped down in the fourth quarter and held the Utah Jazz to 6 points in the period. This included a 19-0 stretch, and from the start of the quarter to the 4:35 mark, a 23-2 run. We'll have LOTS more to say about that soon enough, but for now, here's your highlight of the night.

It's Showtime again in Los Angeles. Enjoy.

Some Thoughts on Kobe & Shaq

Josh Tucker — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:09:44 -0000

A few days ago, as you all remember quite well, Kobe Bryant hit this ridiculous game-winning bank shot over Dwyane Wade to beat Miami and keep the Lakers' winning streak (now at 9 games) alive. It was incredible, and yet, because it was Kobe, completely unsurprising. I was out of my mind, and yet, because it was Kobe, I should almost have expected it. It was an amazing shot, and yet, because it was Kobe, not a shocking one.

For me, as for many Lakers fans, the experience went beyond that single shot. In the day or so that followed, I found myself mentally reliving many of Kobe's previous buzzer beaters. Two of my favorites, of course, are the double-whammies versus Portland and Phoenix — in both of which, Kobe first ties the game at the buzzer to send it to overtime, and then, at the end of overtime, hits another shot at the buzzer to win it. (Side note: I wonder how many other players have hit two buzzer beaters in the same game, on more than one occasion? Anyone know?)

Suddenly, something occurred to me. My wife, who often watches Lakers games with me (lucky man that I am), had probably never seen either of those shots (or rather, pairs of shots). We got married in late 2006, and it was only after that that she started watching with me. So, of course, I called up YouTube and played them for her.

That's when I noticed something — something different about Shaq and Kobe...

Back in May of this almost-over calendar year, the NBA was busy applying fancy editing to some of the more dramatic moments in NBA playoff history, and the results were awesome. You had Dr. J's reverse layup, Larry Legend's inbounds steal, Magic Johnson's baby skyhook, and of course, Kobe's clutch alley-oop pass to Shaq.

When the Kobe-to-Shaq commercial ran, Jason Kottke noticed something about the play:

Bryant creates 95% of the offense here by crossing Pippen over and throwing a perfect lob to O'Neal. O'Neal throws it down and the camera follows him as he heads down the court yelling in celebration, totally blowing right past Kobe, who has his hand out to high-five Shaq. Kobe half-heartedly grabs at O'Neal's forearm as he passes; Shaq doesn't even notice.

Henry Abbott picked up on Jason's observation and ran it on TrueHoop, referring to it as "Where Amazingly Sad Happens."

Watch the video at the top of this post, and you'll see what they were referring to. Here's the unedited version, which further reinforces Kottke's point, making it even more clear that Kobe, not Shaq, is responsible for this play; Shaq was open for the lob because Kobe drew four defenders (Derek Fisher was keeping the fifth one honest).

Kobe created that play for Shaq. Kobe deserves most of the credit; all Shaq did was cash in on an incredible move and a gorgeous pass by Bryant. In fact, it's worth pointing out that in this situation, Kobe did what Magic didn't — pass the ball to his open big man. In light of Kobe's reputation as a supposed ball-hog (7 assists in the triangle offense, anyone?), even that is worth something — especially since Kobe had enough space to take the shot himself, and a free-throw jumper is almost automatic for him. But he made that pass, found his open big man, and created the biggest play of the game.

But what's Shaq's response, when the momentous play is completed? It's certainly not to show any appreciation to his very deserving teammate. Instead, he turns and points to the home crowd as he runs down the court.

It's as if to say, "I've done it! I've all but won us the game — give me the glory!" He's too busy exalting in his greatness and soaking in the adoration of the fans to even notice Kobe, let alone thank him. The star of the game, as Kottke also points out, was Kobe, who had 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks in the amazing comeback, as compared to Shaq's 18/9/5/1. The credit for the pivotal play belonged to Kobe. But there's Shaq, taking all the credit.

Watch the unedited video again. As Kottke points out (the dude was full of insights), it shows Shaq finally finding Kobe for a high-five, long after the play is over and he's sought out and received his props from the fans and his teammates. Kottke points out that "it's a brief moment; they slap hands and go their separate ways, foreshadowing Shaq's departure four years later." To me, it looks like more of the same from Shaq — his body language says, "High five me for that awesome play I just made." (To his credit, Kobe does just that.) Not that there's anything wrong with that, when it's deserved; players do that all the time, when they've just done something awesome. It's just that, in this case, it should have been a high five, or even a hug, that said, "I'm high fiving you for that play you just made."

Kinda like this:

Having been blown away by Kobe's game-winner over Miami, and having gone back to relive this previous clutch Kobe moments with my wife, I noticed something that reminded me of Jason Kottke's and Henry Abbott's observations regarding the Kobe-Shaq alley-oop.

Kobe deserved more credit for his game-tying floater than Shaq did for his alley-oop dunk. Unlike Shaq, Kobe created his own shot, and it was much more difficult. The presence of mind to know how much time was on the clock, and to know what kind of shot he could get in that time, was incredible. That left fake before he goes to the right around Raja Bell is simply brilliant. The twisting floater over Diaw to avoid the block was as perfect as it gets, and a very tough shot found nothing but net. As one commentator puts it (sounds like Hubie Brown, maybe?), "This is a miraculous shot."

But incredible as that shot was, it never would have happened without Smush freaking Parker's (!!) strip and deflection. And Kobe knows it. From stripping the ball without fouling, to dancing along the sideline while chasing a loose ball, to the presence of mind required to calmly make the controlled tap to an already-breaking teammate (Devean George), Smush Parker was, quite simply, playing way over his head. It was a brilliant, savvy, smart play that set up Kobe's shot. Get this right, folks: Kobe may have tied the game, but it was Smush Parker who saved it.

And Kobe knows this. He's just sent the game to overtime, and the crowd is going nuts for him, and he could care less about any of that. Instead of celebrating his own incredible shot or soaking in the crowd's mind-numbing adoration, he makes a bee-line for Smush. There's no simple high five here, no quick butt-smack. He freaking smothers the kid, and doesn't let go of him until Smush knows that he was the man on that play. Even after his teammates catch up and mob Kobe for making the shot, he still doesn't let go of his boy.

Smush Parker didn't put up 25/11/7/5 on the game. In fact, he was pretty bad on the night, going 2-12 for 5 points, with 3 rebounds, only 1 assist, and 5 fouls (and no free throws of his own). As hindsight has made so very clear, it had to be frustrating for Kobe to be playing the mighty Suns alongside a player of Smush's caliber (not to mention Devean George/Brian Cook and Kwame Brown, who, together with Smush, composed 3/5 of the Lakers starting unit). But in this moment, none of that matters, because as far as Kobe is concerned, Smush is the hero of the moment, and he makes sure his point guard gets every ounce of the appreciation he deserves.

Now, don't take this as being some sort of end-all point to completely settle the argument — but doesn't it seem a bit off to you, in watching these two plays, that Kobe had the reputation of being such a bad teammate, and Shaq, such a great one? Certainly, Kobe has had his flaws. But, as this video session suggests, perhaps it's not nearly so cut and dry — perhaps Kobe was never as bad as he was made out to be, and perhaps Shaq was never as good.

Just some food for thought, for the next time the Shaq-Kobe "relationship" comes up.

Ron Artest Bored by On-Court Fighting

Josh Tucker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:04:12 -0000

Those of you who watched the Suns-Lakers game on NBA League Pass Sunday night will recognize this as something the Suns' commentators pointed out during the game. The truth is, I've been planning on posting this since the moment it happened on the court — it's just been a bit busy around here, what with Kobe throwing rocks at telephone poles, and all.

Aaaaaaanyways... watch this video, in which Lamar Odom gets his second technical and is ejected from Friday's game against the Heat, and tell me what you see.

What do you notice, here? After the jump, I'll tell you the first thing I saw...

Okay, so the title of this post probably gave it away, already. But without my very obvious title, I'm guessing most of you would have seen one of the following:

Jermaine O'Neal was a jackass on that play. He deliberately hung on Odom, and he also threw the first shove.
Odom has reason to be upset. Jermaine clearly started this.
Still, Odom needs to know better. He needs to keep his cool when he's already got one technical — especially in a close game.

But what I saw was Ron Artest, infamous for basketball-related fighting, bored out of his mind by the entire situation.

Check it out: When the shoving begins, pretty much every player on the court immediately gravitates toward the fracas. Heat players run in to break it up. Lakers players run in to break it up. Even Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, who are fairly far away from the action when it breaks out, eventually walk over to make sure everything is taken care of. Or maybe just to see what the deal is, hear what guys are saying, etc.

But not Ron Ron. He's looking the other way, standing there bored with his hands on his hips. Then, he finally notices what's going on — and still doesn't move an inch. He just stands there. It's like he can't be bothered. Maybe the thoughts going through his head, completely unrelated to the event, were just that much more interesting?

Also, I'd just like to point this out: so far, the fighter on the team appears to be Lamar Odom. While he seemed justified here, though still foolish for not controlling his anger (justified or not), it seems that of all the Lakers, he gets into "tense situations" with guys from the other team more than anyone else in purple and gold. And a whole lot more than Ron Artest.

Also, Ron Ron is tied four only third-most technicals on the Lakers, with only two thus far. Kobe has five, Bynum has three, and Ron and Lamar both have two.

Maybe that sports psychologist is really working? If this mentality remains constant for Artest throughout the entire season, I think the jock shrink should raise his fees.

Vote for Kobe as Athlete of the Year [Updated]

Josh Tucker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:02:27 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Browse more photos »

In case you've missed this memo, voting is currently going on for 2009 Athlete of the Year. Kobe is on that list.

Why vote for Kobe? Leading his team to a championship (Kobe's 4th) and winning Finals MVP come to mind. So does starting off this season with a much improved post game, and currently ranking 4th in points in the paint.

Oh, and of course, there's another NBA star listed on the ballot. You know what to do.

UPDATE: Kobe is also up for Player of the Decade and other highlights on ESPN (click here to vote) and TNT All-Decade (click here, and also here and here for past votes). Make sure to vote in all of the above!