The Kobe Conundrum
posted: Sunday, May 7, 2006

I'm beginning to wonder if Kobe Bryant has a major weakness. I'm not making a final judgment; I'm just starting to wonder.

What's with these amazing shifts in the way he plays? If this is versatility, that's fine, that's great. But if it's some spiteful game he plays every now and then to prove a point, then it's a character flaw that could put a cap on how far he can lead a team.

I really don't understand how he can take only three shots in the second half of Game 7. While watching him hit 3s from all over the building late in Game 6, I thought of Earl Campbell.

That's right -- Earl Campbell. As a kid, I was a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. For me, the next best thing to being the next Charles White (read my bio) was being the next Lynn Swann. I absolutely ached whenever my Steelers didn't finish the season with a ring.

I had Steelers jackets, hats, wrist bands, tube socks, T-shirts, and of course, electric football men (my brother Terry and I used to put baby powder on the field to make snow). I must've drawn hundreds of pictures of Bradshaw and Swann connecting on a bomb (I was quite the artist back in the day, though my skills plateaued in like the third or fourth grade).

Anyway, because of my intense love for the Steelers, I feared Earl Campbell. I loved watching him play against everyone else -- he played as well as anyone ever has for about five years -- but I could never rest easy when he was facing Pittsburgh.

No matter how good the Steelers were, no matter how far ahead they were, it was never over, the game was never in the bag with Earl Campbell in the Oilers' backfield. With those huge thighs and all that speed and power, I knew he was capable of breaking off a long TD (and in the process, breaking my heart) at any given moment.

That's what Kobe looked like in Game 6. It was like, "Dang, no lead is safe as long as this dude's in the arena!"

But two nights later, Kobe was a kitten in the second half.

Was he teaching a lesson to those who questioned him for taking 35 shots and scoring 50 in Game 6 against the Suns? Remember when he refused to shoot against Sacramento a few years ago amid criticism of his shot selection?

For the record, I had no problem with his performance in Game 6. If you watch the first three quarters or so, you'll see that Kobe was doing his thing in the flow of the offense. He wasn't hogging the ball and shooting at a 45-percent clip like he did in the regular season. He was efficient (20-for-35), and that kind of 50 can only help your team.

Plus, let's be real about this: If not for Tim Thomas' heroic shot at the end of regulation, Kobe's scoring binge would've led the Lakers to the second round. So I thought the critics were way off in thinking Kobe had reverted back to his regular-season ways.

But if Kobe was indeed trying to prove a point to his detractors, that's awfully small of him. You don't address your critics by going into a shell in a Game 7.

Again, I'm not sure that's what Kobe was doing. There is one other plausible explanation.

Kobe had scored 23 points in the first half, and all it got the Lakers was a 15-point deficit. The Lakers had clearly proven early in the series that they could beat Phoenix by feeding the ball inside and using a balanced attack, so maybe Kobe was trying to go back to that game plan in the second half.

That's how he and Phil Jackson explained it afterward, and I'm willing to consider that as a possibility.

But, ultimately, who knows what Kobe was doing? I think Steve Nash said it best after the Suns' Game 7 clincher was over:

"I don't know what to expect from him," he said of Kobe. "Sometimes it's a little strange."

If there's one thing you need from your superstar and best player, it's consistency. We knew how Michael was going to play every night. Ditto for LeBron. But every blue moon, Kobe throws us a curveball.

that's why kobe is no jordan.

and also why nash should be the mvp. he would never do something like that.

i wonder how many teammates of kobe's actually like playing with him.

Posted by newyorknewyork:

This is a theory, and im going to take it in as that. There is no proof he did that. So I can't judge him like its a fact. And its kind of hard to believe though that any player would tank a game 7 let alone any playoff game to prove to his detractors that he isn't selfish.

What do you think happened?

oohah

personality comes into account also but that's more of my opinion. mvp is a pick'em but that's why nash deserved it over kobe. (i'm not saying over dirk, brand, etc. but over kobe, yes).

btw, what exactly is the criteria? there is no criteria otherwise there'd be multiple mvp's every year. this year, 4 or 5 player deserved it.

Posted by rojasmas:

Killa didn't like Nash for MVP last year. What now Killa? There was no Stoudamire and still his team excelled. Your boy Steph should learn from the maestro, Steve Nash. MVP, 2x's. It is in the bag.

I started a thread about this actually.

whatever the case, he put himself above the team...in an elimination game. dude got issues.

Posted by djsunyc:

whatever the case, he put himself above the team...in an elimination game. dude got issues.

Kobury. It was funny because it reminded me of the Orlando game where Marbury wanted to prove a point to everyone. These guys are bums, you really want them to shoot more, ok.