When Kobe disappeared, so did the Lakers' chances for victory
BOSTON -- Kobe Bryant gets the credit when the Lakers win, and this is how it should be. The Lakers are not a great team without him. They're not even very good. When they win, especially against the better-constructed teams they have seen in the playoffs, Kobe can and should get the credit.
But when they lose? When they lose like this?
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| The court is a lonely place for Kobe Bryant during the blowout. (AP) |
Understand, if the Lakers had lost Game 6 by a modest margin -- if the Lakers had shown any fight whatsoever in their biggest game of the season, instead of falling behind by 23 in the first half and 43 in the fourth quarter and eventually losing 131-92 -- nobody today would be blaming Kobe. Nobody fair-minded, anyway.
But this wasn't modest. This was vulgar.
And so this is fair:
I blame Kobe.
And I can defend that position -- defend it a hell of a lot better than any of the Lakers, Kobe included, defended the Celtics in Game 6, I'll tell you that.
To blame Kobe for what happened in Game 6, you have to understand his job for the Lakers. So here's his job description, which has come straight from the mouths of Kobe and coach Phil Jackson several times during the playoffs:
Analyze the mood of his team and the flow of the game, and react accordingly. If his teammates are scoring, keep them involved. If his teammates need help on offense, help them. It's as simple as that.
And still Kobe screwed it up. It was almost as if he screwed it up by design, as if the burden of carrying his infuriating supporting cast for six months finally broke his spirit Tuesday night. Kobe started strong, as strong as he has started any game in these NBA Finals. He had 11 of the Lakers' first 13 points. More than halfway through the first quarter, the Lakers had four field goals. Kobe had all four. And it was working -- the Lakers led 13-12 after a Kobe 3-pointer.
And then Kobe went away. Disappeared. Decided on his own to involve his teammates, teammates who were incapable of being involved in anything more than pregame introductions. The Lakers looked awfully tough during those introductions. They scowled. They bobbed their heads. They were ferocious.
And then the game started and they shrank. Pau Gasol hoisted weenie shots and let Rajon Rondo sneak up behind him and snatch the ball from his hands. Vladimir Radmanovic and Sasha Vujacic were 30 letters of imported zilch. Jordan Farmar nonchalantly dribbled the ball out of bounds. Lamar Odom? Don't get me started on Lamar Odom. I can't decide if he's the NBA's most overrated player ... or its biggest waste of talent. Truth is, he's both.
