Kobe BryantEssay Preview: Kobe BryantReport this essayKobe Bryant: A player.You have to be very careful what you ask for in life-you just might get it. Just ask Kobe Bryant.May 12th, 97. The Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT. Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Utah Jazz. Game Five.Theres 11.3 seconds left in regulation and the score is tied, 87-87. In the words of De La Soul, stakes is high. Not only because the Jazz are leading the Lakers 3-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals, but because things have gotten personal. Its the little things: a sneaky elbow here, a trip there, the hard stares, the merciless picks.
But for now, all that is secondary. The Lakers are in big trouble. A minute earlier, the big guy, Shaquille ONeal, fouled out with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Harsh words were exchanged between him and Karl Malone after a flagrant foul committed by ONeal early in the third quarter led to Malone receiving a technical. Robert Horry, meanwhile, gave Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek a rough forearm, earning himself an ejection. But this is nothing compared to the tension between Laker coach Del Harris and his point guard, Nick Van Exel. In Game Four, Van Exel had been pulled by Harris for waving off the coachs instructions, screaming vulgarities as Harris waved an admonishing finger in his face. Tonight, however, Van Exel is having a hell of a game, hitting key jumpers from all over the floor. His hot hand has saved them in clutch situations before, but now the ball is about to go to someone else for the game-winning shot.
1. 3 in the Finals. The Lakers beat the Jazz in Game One, with the three-point shooting being a key part of that win. Van Exel played with a similar hand. If the Lakers can score as many 3s as their starters can shoot, there will be no reason to make all of our 4-point shots on the night. However, they will be very tired after playing just 20 minutes to start this series, and given that the Lakers are in first place (23-24 in this series) and their next game will involve home court, the loss of the game will have an enormous impact. However, with an opportunity of two more minutes on Thursday night, Van Exel could be one of the Lakers best big men in a series, notching up 15 points and 11 rebounds in 3.0 over his last five games. 2. 4-point shooting. This has been a series where the Lakers are often forced to cut down on their shot attempts despite a low percentage of attempts that they get. They have been able to take the opportunity to score a few threes on the low left side in this series as well, and, now that the homecourt advantage extends, you have a chance at stopping the Lakers’ shot attempts on the low right side. 3. 3-point assists. The Lakers haven’t allowed any 4-point shots in this series, although they have made four-plus 3s through the first three rounds. 3. All-around shooting. Even though it is difficult for opponents to block shots to the three point line, the homeboard has allowed the Lakers to get to where they are. I really doubt that a 10-20 shooting league is close to this. All of this is good to see, as well as a lot of other reasons why the Lakers should have made those shots. But I also don’t think those shots are even a fair criticism. Let’s move on to some key stats. #7: D’Angelo Russell D’Angelo Russell is being asked to play in tonight’s Lakers’ first preseason game. Russell is shooting 43 percent (6 for 19) from the field and 37 percent (10 for 23). He’s also averaged 13.2 points per game. Russell was actually playing against his favorite team in the playoffs, the Pacers. It didn’t take long for the 6’1″ point guard to get things started in the Lakers’ first preseason game against the Heat, where I don’t think he will be on the court for much of that game (at least not this week!). As an 8’2″ point guard, Russell’s best scoring outing in his last two preseason games was the one against the Hornets back in 2012, where he finished with 11 points (two double-doubles). He also shot a blistering 38 percent (8 for 12) from the field in the contest, and that gave him the ball-winning shot. In games like this, you would think Russell would get a big game like this. Yet this is not the case. Russell’s game is, in many ways, his worst. The Lakers had an impressive effort to finish the game, but that effort comes from nothing. This isn’t the third shooting match-up of his career—he’s averaged 15.0 points in 10 of his last 11 games (four double-doubles). His shooting isn’t even comparable to his career highs in the postseason. Last season, Russell averaged 20.9 points per game while in the playoffs. There are plenty to like here—
Harrison: “They’re getting so loud. I just had an idea for a little while. When the score was 15 … I just wanted to make sure I kept the play going. And I kept trying to keep it going and eventually I got it.” But to the Jazz, we all know what happened, right? From there, they had to take some steps to prevent another kind of violence or intimidation. Instead of just “don’t pull.”
Lakers: “I don’t feel guilty for a lot of things. Don’t pull, get out of my face and say, ‘Go ahead.”
Lavic: “When I was on the court with the guys and I was making sure you was moving the ball and not shooting it, I felt like I was overdoing it, which is a lot of things. That was a little rough for me. It got to a point where I thought, well, we’re here, and I’m about to make a play because it’s about to happen, not so I’m going to stop. But we can continue doing the things that were meant to make us win,” Van Exel said.
Harrison: “I don’t know what happened in the past. It just snowballed. I’ll understand why now. And people like you are getting so loud out there.”
Lavic: “I wanted the ball in my hand. If [Harrison’s] holding me like that, and then I start grabbing a guy’s hand and throwing stuff at him, he’ll turn around and try to shove me. And then I let that go.”
And then you can see the whole play. It was all about the fact that Laker guard Jeff Hornacek was pushing a teammate. The way he got grabbed in the head. In other words, it’s all about the fact that Laker can’t get out his body without a push.
Harrison: “He gets a push and I take it. So he’s getting the momentum. So [Hornacek’s] trying to keep it going, but it’s not getting any easier, and you don’t want to stop when that thing is going to happen anyway. It’s almost like. I want to leave this area in life where I want to get stronger and feel like I know my body and feel like I can’t go anywhere else.”
And then you can see how there’s a lot more pressure going on for Hornacek and his hands than Hornacek was thinking. Hornacek takes the hand, he holds it to his face and he sticks it in his head, you know — it could be about a point guard. But when a play has to happen, you stay open when your hand is at your face. I don’t think the Jazz gave him the same credit for that — and it’s getting all kinds of attention as well.
But just to be clear: I’m not saying that when Laker guards talk about it being about the power play or the pick-and-roll, it doesn’t happen. At any given point, it’s usually two-thirds of an effort to win two free throws or a free throw from anyone else. It usually gets done. If you play with four or five guys all together, you should have only two free throws. And you haven’t gotten a free throw at all. And that’s a part of the problem.
And what was that about getting two free throws
Harrison: “They’re getting so loud. I just had an idea for a little while. When the score was 15 … I just wanted to make sure I kept the play going. And I kept trying to keep it going and eventually I got it.” But to the Jazz, we all know what happened, right? From there, they had to take some steps to prevent another kind of violence or intimidation. Instead of just “don’t pull.”
Lakers: “I don’t feel guilty for a lot of things. Don’t pull, get out of my face and say, ‘Go ahead.”
Lavic: “When I was on the court with the guys and I was making sure you was moving the ball and not shooting it, I felt like I was overdoing it, which is a lot of things. That was a little rough for me. It got to a point where I thought, well, we’re here, and I’m about to make a play because it’s about to happen, not so I’m going to stop. But we can continue doing the things that were meant to make us win,” Van Exel said.
Harrison: “I don’t know what happened in the past. It just snowballed. I’ll understand why now. And people like you are getting so loud out there.”
Lavic: “I wanted the ball in my hand. If [Harrison’s] holding me like that, and then I start grabbing a guy’s hand and throwing stuff at him, he’ll turn around and try to shove me. And then I let that go.”
And then you can see the whole play. It was all about the fact that Laker guard Jeff Hornacek was pushing a teammate. The way he got grabbed in the head. In other words, it’s all about the fact that Laker can’t get out his body without a push.
Harrison: “He gets a push and I take it. So he’s getting the momentum. So [Hornacek’s] trying to keep it going, but it’s not getting any easier, and you don’t want to stop when that thing is going to happen anyway. It’s almost like. I want to leave this area in life where I want to get stronger and feel like I know my body and feel like I can’t go anywhere else.”
And then you can see how there’s a lot more pressure going on for Hornacek and his hands than Hornacek was thinking. Hornacek takes the hand, he holds it to his face and he sticks it in his head, you know — it could be about a point guard. But when a play has to happen, you stay open when your hand is at your face. I don’t think the Jazz gave him the same credit for that — and it’s getting all kinds of attention as well.
But just to be clear: I’m not saying that when Laker guards talk about it being about the power play or the pick-and-roll, it doesn’t happen. At any given point, it’s usually two-thirds of an effort to win two free throws or a free throw from anyone else. It usually gets done. If you play with four or five guys all together, you should have only two free throws. And you haven’t gotten a free throw at all. And that’s a part of the problem.
And what was that about getting two free throws
Harrison: “They’re getting so loud. I just had an idea for a little while. When the score was 15 … I just wanted to make sure I kept the play going. And I kept trying to keep it going and eventually I got it.” But to the Jazz, we all know what happened, right? From there, they had to take some steps to prevent another kind of violence or intimidation. Instead of just “don’t pull.”
Lakers: “I don’t feel guilty for a lot of things. Don’t pull, get out of my face and say, ‘Go ahead.”
Lavic: “When I was on the court with the guys and I was making sure you was moving the ball and not shooting it, I felt like I was overdoing it, which is a lot of things. That was a little rough for me. It got to a point where I thought, well, we’re here, and I’m about to make a play because it’s about to happen, not so I’m going to stop. But we can continue doing the things that were meant to make us win,” Van Exel said.
Harrison: “I don’t know what happened in the past. It just snowballed. I’ll understand why now. And people like you are getting so loud out there.”
Lavic: “I wanted the ball in my hand. If [Harrison’s] holding me like that, and then I start grabbing a guy’s hand and throwing stuff at him, he’ll turn around and try to shove me. And then I let that go.”
And then you can see the whole play. It was all about the fact that Laker guard Jeff Hornacek was pushing a teammate. The way he got grabbed in the head. In other words, it’s all about the fact that Laker can’t get out his body without a push.
Harrison: “He gets a push and I take it. So he’s getting the momentum. So [Hornacek’s] trying to keep it going, but it’s not getting any easier, and you don’t want to stop when that thing is going to happen anyway. It’s almost like. I want to leave this area in life where I want to get stronger and feel like I know my body and feel like I can’t go anywhere else.”
And then you can see how there’s a lot more pressure going on for Hornacek and his hands than Hornacek was thinking. Hornacek takes the hand, he holds it to his face and he sticks it in his head, you know — it could be about a point guard. But when a play has to happen, you stay open when your hand is at your face. I don’t think the Jazz gave him the same credit for that — and it’s getting all kinds of attention as well.
But just to be clear: I’m not saying that when Laker guards talk about it being about the power play or the pick-and-roll, it doesn’t happen. At any given point, it’s usually two-thirds of an effort to win two free throws or a free throw from anyone else. It usually gets done. If you play with four or five guys all together, you should have only two free throws. And you haven’t gotten a free throw at all. And that’s a part of the problem.
And what was that about getting two free throws
Harrison: “They’re getting so loud. I just had an idea for a little while. When the score was 15 … I just wanted to make sure I kept the play going. And I kept trying to keep it going and eventually I got it.” But to the Jazz, we all know what happened, right? From there, they had to take some steps to prevent another kind of violence or intimidation. Instead of just “don’t pull.”
Lakers: “I don’t feel guilty for a lot of things. Don’t pull, get out of my face and say, ‘Go ahead.”
Lavic: “When I was on the court with the guys and I was making sure you was moving the ball and not shooting it, I felt like I was overdoing it, which is a lot of things. That was a little rough for me. It got to a point where I thought, well, we’re here, and I’m about to make a play because it’s about to happen, not so I’m going to stop. But we can continue doing the things that were meant to make us win,” Van Exel said.
Harrison: “I don’t know what happened in the past. It just snowballed. I’ll understand why now. And people like you are getting so loud out there.”
Lavic: “I wanted the ball in my hand. If [Harrison’s] holding me like that, and then I start grabbing a guy’s hand and throwing stuff at him, he’ll turn around and try to shove me. And then I let that go.”
And then you can see the whole play. It was all about the fact that Laker guard Jeff Hornacek was pushing a teammate. The way he got grabbed in the head. In other words, it’s all about the fact that Laker can’t get out his body without a push.
Harrison: “He gets a push and I take it. So he’s getting the momentum. So [Hornacek’s] trying to keep it going, but it’s not getting any easier, and you don’t want to stop when that thing is going to happen anyway. It’s almost like. I want to leave this area in life where I want to get stronger and feel like I know my body and feel like I can’t go anywhere else.”
And then you can see how there’s a lot more pressure going on for Hornacek and his hands than Hornacek was thinking. Hornacek takes the hand, he holds it to his face and he sticks it in his head, you know — it could be about a point guard. But when a play has to happen, you stay open when your hand is at your face. I don’t think the Jazz gave him the same credit for that — and it’s getting all kinds of attention as well.
But just to be clear: I’m not saying that when Laker guards talk about it being about the power play or the pick-and-roll, it doesn’t happen. At any given point, it’s usually two-thirds of an effort to win two free throws or a free throw from anyone else. It usually gets done. If you play with four or five guys all together, you should have only two free throws. And you haven’t gotten a free throw at all. And that’s a part of the problem.
And what was that about getting two free throws
The 18-year-old rookie, Kobe Bryant. The Golden Child.A lanky, charismatic, 6-6, 200-pound prodigy, Kobe had led little-known Lower Merion High School to the Pennsylvania state title the year before. This year, he was being asked to carry an NBA team to the Finals. No problem.
“Give me the ball, coach,” Bryant says. “Ill drain it.”The clock ticks, and Bryant takes the ball down the court, two players to his left, two on the right. With a scant few seconds left, he stops-14 feet out-and takes what will henceforth be referred to as The Other Shot.
The ball sails through the air with a high arc andnever makes the rim. Airball.Utah fans go crazy. Overtime. In OT, Bryant throws up three more long bombs-all airballs. The Lakers lose, 98-93. As the Lakers leave the court, Shaq, who has taken a liking to the rookie, talks to the kid who hates to lose-especially with the eyes of the world on him.
“I dont want to see you hanging your head-you had a great season,” he says. “Go home, work hard, and well come back next year.”But as Bryant walks off the court, the thoughts race through his mind, especially as he takes one more look at that elusive rim. “Am I really ready for all of this?”
Q: Whats the most important lesson you learned last year?Kobe Bryant: Patience.What a difference half a year makes. Kobe Bryant is growing up before our eyes. Its more than the full head of hair, the extra inch, the added musculature and the goatee-hes becoming a man in this game.
Hes lithe and tall, with long, sculpted arms like Michelange-los David. His face is aerodynamic, like that of a bird of prey. His crossover dribble is low to the ground and agile-he moves and twists, a challenge to guard. He can score from the perimeter but is becoming strong enough to power himself through the paint.
Hes not forcing shots as much as he used to. Hes learned to draw the double team-and dish the ball off to an open teammate. He wont automatically drive the lane, falling into traps that contain his game in ways that werent possible when he was a high-school player. You still see that look of giddiness, the gee-whiz flair that has many people comparing him to Magic Johnson, but theres also cold determination, an undying competitive streak thats very reminiscent of Michael Jordan. Sure, Kobe Bryant still makes mistakes, but his overwhelming prowess makes them forgivable.
“Its amazing how smart this kid is-hes got a great personality and is very intelligent,” says Horry. “Hes got the whole world in his hands with this game, he can do everything-and hes still learning-which is bad news for his opponents. Hes gonna be one of the greats, probably the [NBAs] all-time leading scorer.”
Because of his age entering the League?“Sheeeet!,” Horry says with a laugh. “Because of how talented he is.”The talent was never a question. Kobe broke Wilt Chamber-lains 40-year-old, Southeastern PA high-school scoring record of 2,359 points (with 2,883), and earned a No. 13 spot in the NBA draft without ever stepping on a college campus. He was USA Todays High School Player of the Year in 96, and the NBA Slam Dunk Champion and Rookie All-Star MVP in 97. Orlando Magic general manager John Gabriel called him “borderline sensational,” and a scout suggested that he was “Grant Hill with a jump shot.”
Then again, a lot of people saw his limited playing time as a rookie and his seven points per game, and figured that it was way too early to call this kid the next Jordan or Magic. It seemed easy to dismiss him as shoe company hype-more a clever marketing scheme than an effective player. But you cant judge a player by numbers alone. Michael Jordan only averaged 13.5 points as a freshman at North Carolina. David Robinson averaged 7.6 his freshman year at Navy. And they didnt have to play against mature versions of themselves night after night, as Kobe does.
The more minutes he plays, the more Kobe improves. Hes a player who usually equals or surpasses the players who surround him. During the course of 15 games, from October 31st to December 7th of 97, Bryant doubled his scoring average to 16 points a game-making him the highest-scoring sixth man in the league at press time. More importantly, he changes the flow of games. The Lakers play faster, more fluid basketball when Bryants in the mix-he moves up the court with blinding quickness, getting himself open for a fadeaway jumper or a spectacular dunk.
“The hardest thing to adjust to coming to the pros was the size of the players,” Bryant says. “When I penetrated, I felt like I was going to the hole against a whole bunch of trees. In high school, I could see the whole court-like I was on top of a building, overlooking