The Friday night match up between the Lakers and the Rockets was probably the best NBA game since the Suns and Mavericks double overtime classic from earlier this month. The story of the game was the defensive acumen of the Rockets against the offensive prowess of Kobe Bryant. Kobe started off the game hot, slowed down greatly in the second half, and then caught fire again in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Some of the shots he hit late in the fourth quarter were just unreal. Especially his game tying Sean Elliot like baseline fall away three-pointer.
But in the end, Kobe was also the guy that made crucial mistakes that caused the Lakers to lose their lead in overtime (see: his foul on McGrady and his untimely traveling violation).
Come playoff time, the Rockets are going to be a very formidable team because they play very good defense and know how to get to the free throw line. McGrady and Yao combined to get to the free throw line 37 times. It's tough to beat a team when two guys that shoot free throws as well as McGrady and Yao have an opportunity to shoot that many free throws.
On another note, people always say that Kobe is only capable of scoring 50+ against bad teams. Well, how about 53 against the best defensive team in the league? Kobe is doing everything to carry a mediocre, injury riddled squad to a playoff birth. At this point, if you can't appreciate his genius, you're nothing more than a hater.
Too bad the Rockets and the Lakers probably won't have a chance to match up in the playoffs, because I think that would be an extremely entertaining series.
Kobe Bryant Drops 53, But the Rockets Still Prevail
- 14Comments
- Say Something »
3/31/2007 2:06 AM ET By Nate Jones
-
- Nate Jones
- Nate Jones is an NBA Blogger for FanHouse
Read More: Lakers Rockets Western NBA Last Night Houston Los Angeles
- 14Comments
- Say Something »
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nate, Nate, Nate! Your admiration of Kobe is probably admirable but you loose some focus here. You even describe the game as "Kobe vs the Rockets", pff! Like Kobe himself, you discount the rest of his team and thats why you overestimate the Lakers in the playoffs. Kobe is an unreal talent but in the long run, he isn't going to win a series on his own against a good TEAM. He punked some sub .500 teams on his own but the Kobe.... er, the Lakers (oh yea, somebody had to pass him the ball occasionally), are really unlikely to do mauch damage against the Western conference elite. Fortunately for them, they won't see Dallas in the first round but they will be hard pressed to get by wither Phoenix or San Antonio.
This isn't "hating on Kobe"; this is just looking at reality. Again, he's got game but he isn't going to do it on his own-END OF STORY!
Took him 44 shots.
No one else on the Lakers had double figure shot attempts.
Regular season pregnancy-playoff birth?
michel what were you thinking when the lakers were up 3-1 vs suns? dont tell me u thought the suns were going to advance, that bullshit if u say u did. kobe will demand a double team come playoff time and if the teamates that "discount" themselves can make a shot when he passes out. then the lakers will be a team to be reckoned with. so us fans dont expect him to do it alone (thats a retarded comment by u) just most of it. lakers have beaten both suns n spurs in reg season. so it is very possible even with the scrubs he is surrounded by. What is Your team? you probably jumped on the dallas bandwagon.
JAH, too bad you see anything less than worship of Kobe as hating. I acknowledged he has game! I just said he's not going to make the western conference finals on his own. If you thinks thats retarded, thats your problem. Even Dallas got beat once or twice by a surprisingly mediocre team this year but that doesn't mean anyone in the bottom 4 in the west is a serious threat to them. Personally, I'm pulling for Phoenix, which you Kobe worshippers totally discount as pretenders. If you want to believe Kobe is god and will win the westen conference thats your right but I'd be careful who I was calling retarded when its all said and done and your precious Kobe is watching the finals at home.
LOL... I can recall being a child, watching Jordan throw in 63 on the Celtics... and lose. This looks just like that, except Jordan wasn't thinking that he was the next Jordan while he was hoisting 45 shots or so in a losing effort.
Kobe-haters are so extreme.
Stay focused on the issue Micheal. No one is saying that Kobbe can do it on his own. I watched the game, and what I saw was Kobe passing the ball to players once they finally decided to move without the ball. I saw those players missing ridiculosy easy layups, etc. If you actually saw the game rather than just regurgitating the standard "Kobe wants only wants to score points" line, you would have seen how many missed "assist attempts" Kobe had.
Focus. Kobe is not Micheal Jordan, but to claim that he wants to be is like claiming a high school center out there dreams of being Shaq-like. OF COURSE THEY DO! Why would Kobe not want to be the best?
And of course, the Phoenix fans are the ones who are driving the Kobe-hate-bus. They want so badly for their precious Steve Nash to get the MVP award. And if they both retired tomorrow, Nash would have more MVP's than Kobe, but Kobe would have how many rings to Nash's ZERO???
Focus, now. Steve Nash is considered so great because he leads his team to all these wins. Are you suggesting that Odom and Walton can carry Stoudamire, and Matrix's jockstrap? Who do you seriously think has a REAL supporting cast? So if the Lakers advance to the second round of the playoffs, will we be able to cease all of the talk about Kobe not being able to lead his team in the Playoffs? What if Nash misses the finals AGAIN? How many MVP's does a person get with no rings or even Finals Appearances? Focus on the Double Standard.
And most of all, STOP HATING!!!
sop basically u say the team is not called the la kobe but who else do u see stepping up to give kobe a hand out there? Odom, please. brown, aint doing nothing its all kobe and its not his fault they pass him the ball EXPECTING him to score. Now he knows that they are not going to shoot. so when he get the ball he doesnt dissapoint. I think if kobe keeps playing his game and if the other 14 players step up their game and help him outm a bit they have just as good as a chance as any other team to get a far in the playoffs. i even believe he can lead them to the lakers 15th championship
I would have no problem if Kobe took 100 shots in a game...as long as he's using screens and pick and rolls.....it's lame when he runs up the court with 3 ppl with hands in his face putting up airballs and falling down.
Kobe should be taking 50 shots/game......but he's gotta have better shot selection sometimes.
Last night, when he kept creating a mismatch and went at Yao.....he murdered them.....so sick....
But Yao is the man.....
Kobe stepped out of bounds on that last shot. Go lakers
For those of you that say it was Kobe vs. everyone else: Didn't Lamar have 16 and 16? And didn't kwame get a few big time steals and blocks on Yao in the game? Lamar can't score from the outside right now because of his shoulder, so that is the reason he's not shooting as much as he should. But he did do a good job of pounding it inside and getting to the basket. For the first time in a very long time, the Lakers played great defense, and hustled. Despite being injured Lamar dove on the floor for loose balls so many times in that game. I know Lamar is not going to give you 20ppg, but I'll take a guy on my team that is going to get double digit points and rebounds, lead my team in assists, play great defense, and hustle his ass of any night. The Lakers need a REAL second scorer. Lamar will probably never be that guy. I've been saying it all year, but give me this same Laker team HEALTHY (you know without 5 of their top 6 guys missing 20+ games) and replace Smush at the point with a defensive minded three point shooting triangle PG in the mold of DFish and this team will be good. Even with Smush, they were very good until injuries caught up with them. There aren't too many teams in the league that could have that many players miss that many games and still be in the playoff picture.
@ nate
"There aren't too many teams in the league that could have that many players miss that many games and still be in the playoff picture."
I think you have repeated that same line a hundred times already.
Now people can shut up, Kobe is not a cheap trick pony, It wasn't a fluke he dropped 50 again, against the Rockets, and with guys like T-Mac and Battier guarding him still not impress, well then you just can't admit
pinches loosers!!!