Before ultimately losing 79-77, Los Angeles kept the game pretty close throughout despite missing twenty free throws. Twenty misses from a spot on the floor called the "charity stripe". Most responsible for the aforementioned abomination is Dwight Howard who boasted a 3-12 night from the line. All credit in the effort to keep the Lakers alive goes to Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, he could very well also be the reason they lost. The Black Mamba put on an offensive clinic, posting a bizarre line of 40 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 10 costly turnovers.
The Upside: Kobe Bryant showed that he can play like he's 22 years old.
The Downside: Kobe Bryant needs to STOP playing like he's 22 years old.
Kobe doesn't need to be the headstrong scoring machine that he was earlier in his career. No matter how hot he is, Kobe's supporting cast is too good for him to need to attempt the 28 shots he took last night. Unfortunately, that is the D'Antoni system. Running the floor with no post game will waste the immense asset down low in Dwight Howard, who only got 10 shots off last night. Gasol, in turn, got 10 points on 9 shot attempts. The unacceptable glaring blotch on the stat sheet is obviously the 21 in the turnover column, 10 of which were contributed by Kobe. Thirty-four years on earth and 16 on the NBA hardwood should make a player too savvy to throw the ball away ten times.
The real test will come when Nash returns in a week or two. The canadian two-time MVP is the Lakers' last hope for cohesion and a semblance of consistency. Until then, Kobe will continue to pad his stats as quickly as he pads the loss column on their record.
0 comments:
Post a Comment