Tuesday night, the TNT studio crew (minus Ernie Johnson) went apoplectic because of comments Dirk Nowitzki made regarding the successful fashion in which Denver's forwards and centers defended him in Game 1. In short, Dirk said that the Nugget big men were good, long and daunting. To Chris Webber, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, this was the equivalent of concession.Even as Dirk destroyed Denver on offense in the first half, the crew kept it up. No elite scorer admits he can be stopped or stunted, argued a nearly in tears Webber. Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer accurately refuted this line of thinking Wednesday, and his commentary is pitch perfect. Webber, Barkley and Smith (in that order) were ridiculously off-base.
But don't think this has limited scope, that the comments about Dirk were just stupid in a vacuum of bad. That exact philosophy of man is the sort of thing that allows Kobe Bryant to taunt Shane Battier for 48 minutes ... and be heroicized for it.
In Game 1 Monday, Battier effectively shut down Kobe's offense. Kobe still scored -- 32 big ones, in fact -- but he was completely inefficient, helping to sink the usually impeccable Lakers offense. A good deal of post-game analysis focused on how great a job Battier did to keep Kobe, one of the best slashers of this or any generation, taking pull-up jumpers with a hand in his face. In Game 1, Battier guarded Kobe as well as anyone has in the past decade, and Kobe knows that.
Wednesday, Kobe continued the string of pull-up jumpers from 18, 19, 20 feet. And he sunk them. He hits the long two as well as almost anyone -- he can hit these with regularity. But he knows, you know, I know, Shane Battier knows that's not the best shot Kobe or the Lakers can get. L.A.'s offense is way too good, way too stacked to rely on the game's least efficient plays ... even in the hands of one of the game's best players.
But Kobe took the shots repeatedly, and he hit them. Repeatedly. After a few, the jaw started. "You can't guard me!" Kobe exclaimed. Repeatedly. Every single time. He shook his head after every make, he yapped at Battier leading into time-outs, he called out his cocksure refrain endlessly. "You can't guard me!"
Beyond the complete inaccuracy of the line -- c'mon, he destroyed you 48 freaking hours ago! and he's holding you to tough pull-up 20-footers now -- Kobe's taunts reaffirmed the culture of athletics that had Webber and Barkley so furious with Dirk on Tuesday: being macho is more important than being honest. Dirk was honest about the difficulties in facing a really tough team. He got killed by the leading television analysts. Kobe put up a macho front in some sort of spiritual self-defense against the galling truth that He, Kobe Bean Bryant, could possibly be stunted by one of the game's great defenders. He got lauded for his confidence.
Bullshtick reigns, I suppose. I, for one, prefer to honor sobriety and honesty rather than the tired old regime of delusional chest-pounding. If Kobe needs to keep his jaw moving to convince himself of his own invincibility, fine. But let's not pretend it's heroic.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Do you think:
1) Those guys were being at all racist? Were they calling out Dirk because he's white? If three white studio analysts said the same thing about a black player, would they be considered racist?
2) Or rather, is it just that he's perceived as being "soft"? Would Tracy McGrady be equally vilified were he to say something similar?
I don't believe (at all) or agree with #1, but as much as I abhor injecting race into discussion, it ought to be part of it.
I do actually believe #2. People perceive Dirk to be soft, so a concession on his part only reaffirms our feelings about him.
The reverse is true about Kobe. "He's a warrior!" "Look at how tough he is!"
I think #2 is right on here. They repeatedly noted how great Dirk is, but he'll never shake the soft label. Unless he kills a guy with a broken table leg during a game, or something.
Sorry, last comment (work has been slow today).
I think this also goes back to something that I've heard on PTI a number of times. The media often criticizes players for failing to be honest. Then, when they are honest, the media destroys them.
You can't have it both ways. It just doesn't work that way.
I don't see anything wrong with trash talking if you can back it up. If you don't want to hear it then shut the guy down. Dirk should have given more credit to the game plan on defending him the the players them selves. He is a great scorer and can never really be shut down. He can have an off game but not shut down.Like Kobe, he was hitting the same shots he had missed in game #1. It just goes to show you can have an off night no matter who you are. Also a lot of these guys play hurt or sick and that is also a factor.
It's completely comparing apples and oranges to compare one guy's postgame analysis to another's in-game jawing. That in and of itself is nothing remarkable for sports journalism, but at least have the good sense not to end such a column with how much you value honesty and sobriety.
And Battier did a great job on Kobe in game 1. But holding him to 32 points, even on 31 shots, is not "destroying" him. I don't think you were even sober long enough to earn a chip.
Battier is making Kobe work to get his points. But he is still getting them. Who cares if he makes a 20 foot jumper or dunks on him, Battier can't stop him!
Battier and Artest are two great defenders, and Kobe dropped 40 on them. Kobe put the ball in the basket, he can talk noise.
Jordan, Kobe or any other great scorer believe than can light it up every night. If they have a bad night, they will put the blame on themselves before they say the defender had anything to do with it.
Plain and simple you don't ever say "the other team shut me down!" Give them credit for playing good defense, but you have to believe next game you will get yours! Its not being cocky, its being confident in your own ability!
Being confident does not mean you have to taunt your opponent... that's cockiness. Confidence is a belief in oneself, not a display of that belief... to say that he scored 40 on a person and that gives him the right to taunt is precisely the type of statement that's wrong w/ sports in America.
Tom Ziller,
Shane Battier did not shut Kobe Down. Never has, Never Will. If you remove the seven shots Kobe was forced to shoot in the closing 2 minutes of Game one, Shane Jokier still eat buckets. Kobe once dropped 56 in three quarters on him when he was in Memphis before Phil Jackson called Uncle on the slaughter. Sometimes your blatant bias much like a Republican discussing Obama would not let you be rational. Kobe routinely shoots 50% against Holy man's defense, his teams routine beat Battier's teams and For every one "oh he shut him down” game Battier is glamorized for as the thinking man's basketball player there are at least three where he was destroyed by the shooting man's basketball player.
So hold the holier than thou nonsense, even the midgets in my gym that cannot play yell “he can't guide me” when they are making buckets. If you can't be straight with your opinions then you should stick to writing Sactown Blues or whatever that fart of a basketball blog you throw up is called. Biased divisive myopic basketball commentary is the one thing this blog or any website for that matter is not lacking, peace.
Sure he was trash talking. But no more so than Kevin Garnett. And Kobe doesn't get right up in guys mugs and belittle them. He just was stating the obvious. "You can't stop me." And Battier couldn't. Besides, the playoffs is all about drama. Every time #24 hit one of those crazy shots, the Staples Center went absolutely crazy. He was just using home court the way it should be used. Unfortunately, rich Los Angeles who can actually afford to go to a Lakers playoff game care about drama...they are actors afterall. And Kobe supplied that for them in bunches.
Kobe cannot be stopped. All the Rockets can hope is that Artest irritates him enough to get him tossed..Hard to score 40 from the locker room.
The guys are right, and you are wrong.
High level competition is a contest of wills. If you admit that your opponent can beat you, you've given away an edge. Being the most confident, having the dominant spirit, is almost as important as being the most talented.
You can't show me a quote of Jordan admitting that a defense is shutting him down, but I can show you plenty where he's telling someone the equivalent of "you can't guard me." The top is no place for gentlemen.
And people wonder why the NBA is losing more ground to the NFL...?
The difference in mentality is the exact reason why Kobe is the best closer in the game right now. Because he genuinely believes no one can guard him. The only person who stops Kobe from scoring is Kobe. The person in front of him has nothing to do with his performance. He expects to hit every shot whether the defender is good, long, and/or daunting.
Its the exact same swagger Jordan has, Tiger Woods has, Muhammad Ali has etc. etc.
And you wonder why these guys are winners?
IT COULD BE THAT DIRK'S TOUGHNESS AS ALWAYS BEEN QUESTIONED. AVERY JOHNSON PRACTICALLY GOT ON HIS KNEES AND BEGGED DIRK TO SHOW SOME BALLS, ALAS , IT WAS TO NO AVAIL. HENCE, THAT'S WHY DIRK DIDN'T AND NEVER WILL WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.
Probably not necessary to say this, but this is once again a breath of fresh air in the suffocating and inaccurate culture of mainstream NBA perceptions.
Battier has held Kobe to .431 shooting in their career matchups.