Slim Jim Blogz: March 2009

Kobe Bryant cannot remember a day in his life that wasn’t punctuated by the sound of a bouncing basketball. A hoops junkie who prophesied his own stardom in toddlerhood, Kobe is the reason fans stopped raising an eyebrow when high-school stars skipped college and went directly to the pros. The first teenage guard to successfully translate his skills to the NBA, he pocketed three championship rings by his 24th birthday and continued to evolve into one of the best all-around players in the history of the game. This is his story

Kobe, meanwhile, enjoyed his best season as a pro. After missing the first 15 games with a broken bone in his right hand, he blended in perfectly with his teammates and blossomed into a complete player. His shot selection was better, his rebounding and scoring increased, and he began hitting more regularly from the outside. Most notable, however, was his sterling defense. In a February victory over the 76ers, Kobe shut down Allen Iverson, holding him to 0-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter. It was this kind of effort that earned him a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team.
In the playoffs, the Lakers got all they could handle from the Sacramento Kings in the first round, but squeaked by in five games. Next they manhandled the smaller and less physical Phoenix Suns. In the Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles split the first six games with Portland. Then, down 13 points in the fourth quarter of Game 7, the Lakers stormed back for a miraculous win over the Blazers. They would face Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
Though Indiana battled hard, Los Angeles won the series in six games, earning its first title since 1988. Kobe went down in a heap early in Game 2 after rolling an ankle. He sat out the next contest, which the Lakers lost.
Kobe returned in Game 4, limping through the entire first half. With the Lakers trailing in the third quarter, he got a burst of adrenaline and exploded for 10 points. He then finished off the Pacers after Shaq fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Jackson told his troops to abandon the triangle and get the ball to Kobe. He responded with a virtuoso performance to give the Lakers an insurmountable 3-1 series lead.
Tired and battered after the longest season of his young life, Kobe took it easy during the summer of 2000. After declining a last-minute offer to join Team USA at the Olympics in Sydney, he regained his health and felt refreshed by the start of the following campaign.
Coach Jackson’s roster was infused with new energy, too. To better handle the Western Conference’s high-scoring forwards, Los Angeles acquired Horace Grant and Greg Foster in a three-way trade with the New York Knicks and Seattle Supersonics.
Unlike the previous year, however, the Lakers stumbled from the starting gate. By the All-Star break, they had already lost more games than they had in the entire 1999-00 campaign. Injuries had a lot to do with the club’s inconsistent play, as Kobe, Shaq, and Fisher all missed time. But when Los Angeles returned to full health, the team rediscovered its rhythm. Sparked by an eight-game winning streak down the stretch, the Lakers edged the Kings for first in the Pacific Division.
Kobe was key to the club’s resurgence. Playing 40 minutes a night, he averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 68 games. Among the single-game career-highs he established during the season were points (52), steals (six), and blocked shots (five). Kobe also posted the first two triple-doubles of his career.
Phil Jackson, 1999 Sports Ilustrated

Kobe raised his performance even higher in the playoffs. With the Lakers sweeping by Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio in succession, he was scintillating. Kobe tallied 48 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Game 4 against the Kings to close out the series. In the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, he shot a sizzling .514 (54-105) from the field.
Facing the 76ers in the NBA Finals, the defending champs opened at home with a surprising 107-101 overtime loss. It was all Lakers after that, however, as Los Angles roared to victories in the next four. Kobe was high scorer for LA in Games 2 and 3. At just 22 years old, he had his second NBA championship.
With whispers of a dynasty growing louder, Kobe approached the off-season with his typical vigor. He continued working on his perimeter game, taking as many as 1,000 jumpers a day. The Lakers, meanwhile, fine-tuned their roster in preparation for another title run. Grant left via free agency and was replaced by Samaki Walker, Harper retired. and Foster was dealt to Milwaukee for guard Lindsey Hunter.
Despite an injury to Fisher, the Lakers opened 2001-02 with victories in 16 of their first 17 games. Kobe was the catalyst. When O’Neal landed on the injured list for a couple of weeks with a bad foot, he carried the team. Kobe was good for 25 a night, made key defensive stops, and by season’s end was the team’s best playmaker. He also made his fourth All-Star appearance and was voted the game’s MVP after tallying 31 points, five rebounds and five assists. The game was held in Philadelphia and Kobe heard a lot of boos from his hometown fans. He was taken aback until he realized he was hearing it for beating the Sixers the previous spring.
The Lakers cruised in the second half and finished at 58-24. Their road to a third title would take them through Sacramento, where their Western Conference Finals opponents had put together a dynamite team. Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Vlade Divac tortured the Lakers, while Shaq and Kobe counterpunched and forward Robert Horry killed the Kings with buzzer-beating dramatics. The series went the full seven, with the Lakers prevailing in overtime in the clincher, 112-106.
As expected, LA trampled the Nets in the championship series. New Jersey just didn’t have an answer for O’Neal. The four-game sweep landed Shaq his third straight playoff MVP award and Jackson his ninth career championship. The Nets were in Kobe’s kitchen throughout the series, but he still logged over 40 minutes a game and hit one crippling shot after another to stall New Jersey’s frequent comeback attempts.
A three-peat was something special, but a four-peat was not in the stars. With Shaq sidelined to start the 2002-03 season, the load was put on Kobe’s shoulders to keep the Lakers close to the Kings until the big guy returned. Initially, he thrived under the increased pressure. While his shot selection raised some eyebrows, he was scoring, rebounding, and passing at career-high levels. Still, the Lakers were losing games they had won in previous seasons, and Kobe began hearing it from his critics.
Even when O'Neal came back in November, Los Angeles struggled to regain its championship form. Reports hinted at unrest in the locker room. The supporting cast, supposedly upset at suggestions that they weren't carrying their weight, challenged Kobe and Shaq to act more like leaders. The club played lethargically through December, including an embarrassing 27-point loss at New Jersey in a rematch of the 2002 NBA Finals. The next game, Kobe scored 44 points against the Sixers. Though the Lakers fell in OT, they showed signs of awakening from their doldrums.
Indeed, Los Angeles soon began a steady ascent through the Pacific standings. Kobe was the main man. In January he launched a scoring streak of at least 40 points in nine straight games, including 52 in an overtime victory against the Rockets. The Lakers won eight times during Kobe's sensational stretch.
By March, Los Angeles had established a firm hold on a playoff spot. Ending the year at 50-32, the Lakers loomed as a serious threat in the West—though there were major questions about the club's depth. Shaq looked healthy and motivated, as did Kobe, but they had expended a lot of energy during their upsurge through the standings. Kobe, who finished second to Tracy McGrady in the scoring race at 30 ppg, had logged more than 40 minutes in a night, often taking a pounding when he was on the floor.
The Lakers faced Minnesota in the first round and dropped two of the first three in the series. After back-to-back poor shooting performances, Kobe asserted himself over the next three games. Averaging 31 points and six assists, he led Los Angeles past the Timberwolves to set up a tough match-up against San Antonio.
The strain of the Minnesota series on the Lakers was evident early against the Spurs. When San Antonio took the first two games on their home floor, the pundits were ready to write the defending champs' obituary. But Kobe and his teammates came back to life at the Staples Center. He hit for 39 and 35, and the Lakers knotted the series.
In San Antonio for Game 5, Los Angeles fell behind by 20 points, then launched a furious rally in the fourth quarter. But when a late three-pointer by Horry didn't go down, the Lakers lost a 96-94 heartbreaker—not to mention their legs. The tank finally ran dry in the second half of Game 6, as the Spurs cruised in a 28-point blowout. Like the rest of the team, Kobe watched the carnage in a daze.
Kobe Bryant, 2001 SI for Kids

In the summer of 2003, after six years of meticulously cultivating a spotless image and building a seemingly indestructible empire of endorsements and outside business interests, Kobe was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old girl in Colorado. The alleged attack occurred while Kobe was at a resort near Vail, where he was waiting to have surgery performed on his right knee. Kobe acknowledged that the two engaged in sex, but contended it was consentual. It was a humiliating and very public downfall. And though the case crumbled before going to trial (and was settled out of court), Kobe and his marketing appeal took a death blow. The episode stretched his marriage to the breaking point.
Despite the ongoing distraction of Kobe’s case, there was basketball to be played. The Lakers went into 2003-04 loaded for bear. Along with Kobe and Shaq, the team also featured future Hall of Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone. LA started fast, winning 20 of their first 25 games. The Mailman missed some time with a knee injury, but the team soldiered on, finishing strong with 14 victories in their final 17 games. They edged the Kings for the Pacific Division title, with their single-game margin coming courtesy of Kobe. He tied the clinching game against the Blazers at the buzzer, and then won it with another buzzer-beater in double overtime. He averaged 24.0 points per game on the season.
The Lakers beat the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs in five games, and next defeated the Spurs and Timberwolves to take the Western crown. Malone showed he still had gas in the tank with a great defensive job on Kevin Garnett. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers were favored against the scrappy Detroit Pistons. Payton and Malone were cast as the sentimental favorites to capture their long-awaited championship rings.
Detroit coach Larry Brown had other ideas. He devised a defensive scheme that stalled the Lakers and also coaxed clutch scoring performances from Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. After the Lakers dropped Game 1 at home, Kobe rallied the team to an overtime victory in Game 2, hitting a three-pointer to tie the game in regulation. The Pistons responded by stepping up their D, regularly sandwiching O’Neal between Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace. They took the next three games for the championship.
With two frustrating misses after three straight championships, Kobe felt stifled as third banana to Jackson and O’Neal. He did not have to wait long, however, to make the Lakers “his” team. Jackson resigned as coach after the seson and O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant. With Chucky Atkins at the point and Chris Mihm stepping into the pivot, Kobe was suddenly the only holdover from the starting five that had made it to the 2004 NBA Finals.
It showed throughout the 2004-05 campaign. The Lakers still won the close games, but they weren't much better than a .500 club. Kobe spent a month on the sidelines with a sprained ankle, and later Odom went down for the season with a shoulder injury. The Lakers went into a tailspin down the stretch and Kobe was helpless to stop the losing. He finished second in the NBA with a 27.6 average, but it mattered little once LA was eliminated from the playoffs.
Kobe Bryant, 2003 Sports Ilustrated

The highlight of '04-05 was probably the first meeting between the Lakers and Heat, on Christmas Day. Kobe hit for 42 and helped LA build a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter. But Miami stormed back to tie the game and then won in overtime. It was one of 48 losses the Lakers suffered on the way to a mind-blowing last-place finish in the Pacific Division.
The Lakers had nowhere to go but up in 2005-06. Their chances were improved by the return of Jackson, who envisioned Kobe and Odom as his new Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen combo.
Alas, the LA rotation was not particularly deep. After Kobe and Odom, it included Mihm, Smush Parker, Brian Cook and Kwame Brown. Not exactly the team's All-Star lineup of old.
Learning when to carry the Lakers—and more to the point, when not to—Kobe finished the year as the NBA’s scoring champ, averaging 35.4 points per game. His biggest night came against the Toronto Raptors when he netted 81 points, a performance that ranked among the most impressive in history. Because the game was close, every point Kobe put on the board was crucial, and he worked overtime on the defensive end as well. Only Wilt Chamberlain—whose teammates fed him repeatedly in a 1962 blowout against the Knicks—had ever scored more in an NBA game.
Jackson, meanwhile, did a masterful job spotting his players throughout '05-06. Getting the best out of Odom, Brown and Parker, he guided the Lakers to a 45-37 record. In the playoffs, the team built a 3-1 lead over the Suns, but let it slip away. While Kobe scored 50 in one game, Phoenix was able to neutralize him with its quickness and eventually took the series in seven.
LA assembled an interesting supporting cast for Kobe in 2006-07, but injuries kept the team from flourishing. Still, with Kobe leading the club in points and assists, and Odom chipping in around 10 boards a night, the Lakers were winning consistently enough to stay near the top of the Pacific Division. The team was within striking range of the first-place Suns until it hit a February losing skid. A rumored deadline deal for Jason Kidd fell through when the Lakers refused to part with teenage center Andrew Bynum.
Kobe put his stamp on the season during the All-Star Game in February. Going head-to-head with LeBron James on several first-half possessions, he looked intense from the opening tip-off and finished with 31 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds. The West won 153-132 and Kobe was named MVP.
The rest of the year did not go as well, at least for the Lakers. The team finished 42–40, the worst record of Jackson’s coaching career. They did make the playoffs, but were eliminated again by the Suns in the first round.
Kobe, however, led the NBA in scoring again with 31.6 points per game. He did this on the strength of a monstrous March surge. With the Lakers mired in a long losing streak, Kobe exploded for 65 points against Portland. The T-Wolves came to town, and he dropped 50 on them. The Lakers next took the court in Memphis, where Kobe totaled 60 points on the Grizzlies’ defense. Incredibly, he netted 50 against the Hornets the next day.
Kobe had nothing left to prove except that he could take a team to the NBA Finals without Shaq. After off-season rumblings from Kobe that he wanted to be traded, the Lakers vowed to build a decent team around him in 2007–08. Los Angeles made good on itss prommise when it dealt for Pau Gasol to join Bynum and Odom in the frontcourt. The feel around the locker room was different going all the way back to training camp. This was a different Lakers teams. Slowly, quietly, Los Angeles knit into a winning unit.
Kobe Bryant, 2006 Total

Unfortunately, prospects for a championship run dimmed somewhat after Kobe blew out the little finger on his shooting hand in a February game. He decided to put off the delicate surgery and deal with the pain.
Kobe played in all 82 games nonetheless and scored 28 a night He . Although his numbers across the board were far from his best, he had fully matured into a veteran leader on the floor. The Lakers finished with 57 victories and the Pacific Division title. Kobe was an easy choice for MVP. Had an average player been in his situation, the team’s 57–25 record could easily have been reversed.
Kobe continued his MVP performance in the playoffs, as the Lakers swept the Nuggets. Kobe scored 49 points in Game 2. He closed out Denver with 14 points in the final five minutes of a 107–101 victory in Game 4.
Next up were the Jazz. The Lakers took the first two games in Los Angeles, and the Jazz evened the series in Utah. Gasol and Odom came up big in Game 5 to give the Lakers a series edge. The Lakers thenfinished off the Jazz in Game 6, winning by two but having led virtually the entire way. Kobe scored 34 in the victory.
Most experts figured the Spurs would give the Lakers problems, and they did—for about 24 minutes. San Antonio opened up a 20-poin t lead in the first half of Game 1, but Kobe scored 25 in the second half of a stirring 89–85 victory. The teams split the next two games before Los Angeles took control with a narrow win at home. Kobe missed an ill-advised shot that gave the Spurs a chance to win at the buzzer, but the Lakers survived. They won the series two days later, as Kobe netted 17 points in the final quarter of Game 5.
Kobe had proven he could lead a team to the NBA Finals by himself. The final hurdle was the Boston Celtics, a team built to derail a club like the Lakers. Veteran superstars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen simply proved too much for Los Angeles.
The Celtics won the first two games in Boston and split the next two in California. Kobe scored 36 in a Game 3 win, his best output for the series. He had a poor shooting night in Game 5, but made a nice defensive play to save a victory and narrow Boston’s series lead to 3–2. This just delayed the inevitable as the Celtics humiliated Kobe and his teammates in Game 6, 131–92.
That painful loss became a distant memory for Kobe during the 2008 Summer Games in China. Kobe headlined the newest version of the Dream Team, happily sharing time with LeBron and Dwyane Wade. The Americans rolled through the tournament, blowing out opponents on the strength of tough defense and an unstoppable fast break.
Kobe played well throughout the Olympics, but he put his stamp on Team USA with a scintillating performance down the stretch of the gold medal game against Spain. After the Spainards cut America's lead to 91-89, coach Mike Krzyzewski called a timeout to settle his squad. Kobe responded with a short jumper, assisted on a 3-pointer by Deron Williams, and then set up Wade for a monster jam. Kobe scored 13 in the fourth quarter, as the U.S. captured its first gold since 2002 with a 118-107 victory. Kobe—nicknamed "Flying Little Warrior" by adoring Chinese fans—lived up to the billing.
In Kobe, the Lakers have a championship-caliber player with an impressive résumé and proven track record. The team now knows he has the talent and leadership to bring another NBA title to Los Angeles without another superstar by his side. The only question left in his brilliant career is, Can he?
Kobe Bryant,2008 The Sporting News

KOBE THE PLAYER
When Kobe joined the Lakers as a rookie, he asked the coaching staff for tapes of all the league’s two-guards and went to school on their strengths and weaknesses. He studied all-time greats like Pete Maravich and personally sought out the top active players to solicit advice on how to hone his skills.
As he closes in on 30, his education is complete—there are no major weaknesses in his game. When he wants to score, he simply does. One-on-one, no one in the NBA can handle Kobe with any consistency. He explodes on his first step to the hoop, and his crossover dribble leaves most defenders flat-footed. He has extended his jump-shooting range past the three-point arc and is absolutely fearless in clutch situations. Kobe’s strength and body control are exceptional. What would count as awkward, off-balance heaves by other players are well within his repertoire.
Kobe’s skill as a playmaker has been revealed since Phil Jackson's return to the LA bench. In his Triangle Offense, Kobe passes as often as he shoots. On most nights he is not only the team's top scorer, but their number-one assist man, too.
On defense, Kobe is better than most of the NBA’s marquee players. When challenged, he can dig down and come up with key stops. At crunch time, opponents usually stay away from him.
As for Kobe’s leadership skills, they were put to the test after Shaquille O’Neal’s departure. The jury is out in terms of the results. Kobe has a sense of how to make his teammates better, but until the Lakers go deep into the playoffs again it is difficult to say to what extent he can elevate the game of those around him.

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