Tag: Kobe Bryant (Page 13 of 30)

      How good is Kobe in the clutch?

      March 11, 2010 /

      TrueHoop has a piece that outlines Kobe’s performance in crunch time, which for the purposes of this post is a shot that has a chance to tie or win the game in the last 10 seconds of regulation or overtime.

      – This season, Bryant has made seven of the 12 shots, with a chance to win or tie the game, in the last ten seconds of regulation or overtime.

      – Bryant’s the only player in the last decade who has made seven such shots in a season.

      – Bryant has made 26 of the 89 potential game tying or game-winning field goals he has shot over the last decade. That’s 29.2%, which is slightly above League average.

      Henry Abbott breaks down why Kobe is good in the clutch:

      At that time of the game, there’s value in being able to create scoring opportunities. Bryant may shoot those difficult fallaways that often miss, but he’d be a far worse player if he couldn’t get a shot off at all. And that’s the situation some lesser players would find themselves in.

      In 2008-09, 82games reports that Kobe was the best in the clutch, which, by their definition, is the last five minutes of regulation or overtime, and neither team ahead by more than five points. (I’m not sure why 82games doesn’t provide league-wide clutch stats for the current season since they do have those numbers on the individual player pages.) Last year, Bryant scored at a rate of 56.7 points (per 48 minutes) and this season he is posting 48.1 points. He shot 45.7% last season compared to 43.2% this year.

      Kobe hits a lot of game-winners for a few reasons: 1) he’s really good at getting off a decent shot even though the defense knows he’s getting the ball, 2) he takes a lot of game-winners, and 3) he has supreme confidence in his ability to score when the game is on the line. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that he doesn’t take the ball to the hole when the game is on the line, probably because refs have a tendency to swallow the whistle and let “the players decide the outcome.” He’s not an “and one” guy on the same level as LeBron, so he’d rather shoot a fadeaway and take his chances.


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      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Pau Gasol wants the ball

      March 8, 2010 /

      Okay, that’s not quite what he said…

      The Lakers’ loss to Orlando on Sunday marks the first time since Pau Gasol’s arrival that the team has lost three straight games. After the game, Gasol discussed the lack of flow on offense, which could be construed as a knock on Kobe.

      “We haven’t been playing with a good flow out there offensively and it takes a lot of people out of their rhythm,” Gasol said. “We need to figure out how to move the ball a lot more so there’s a flow out there, there’s a rhythm.”

      When Gasol was pointedly asked if the offense was being bogged down by how many shots Bryant has been attempting, he answered, “I don’t know” at first, but then made the point he was trying to make regardless of whether he would be treading a little harshly on the guy who just hit back-to-back 22-footers with 26.4 seconds left and 12.9 seconds left in the fourth.

      “Kobe’s a great player,” Gasol said. “We have to find balance as a team, as a unit out there. Kobe’s a great player and he’s probably the best offensive player out there. We understand that. … But at the same time, we need to find that balance and we need to find balance with our interior game developing … using it a little more and moving the ball and changing sides more, because that’s the triangle, that’s what it does. … We need to get focused on that a little more. To find that balance, to find that flow.”

      Kobe’s M.O. is pretty much the same game to game. He starts out by looking to set up teammates and picking his spots to take shots. If the offense is rolling, he’ll continue to pass first until the situation warrants that he take over. If the offense is sputtering, he’ll generally look to start taking a lot of shots when the Lakers get down by 8-10 points, depending on how much time is left in the game.

      Gasol went 8-13 in the game for 20 points, but he was physically overmatched by Dwight Howard on the block. He looked visibly frustrated throughout the second half, which could partly be due to his lack of post up opportunities on the offensive end.

      The Lakers should be all right, but the lack of flow could be attributed to Ron Artest. He went 2-10 on the night and the ball tends to stop when it finds his hands. He’s only shooting 41.5% on the year, so when he’s in with the starters, he should probably be the fourth option. He is behind Kobe, Gasol and Andrew Bynum in shot attempts, but he’s far too close (9.8 to 10.6) to Bynum for my liking, especially considering Bynum has the highest points per shot (1.40) on the team.


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      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Magic hold off Lakers in Finals rematch, 96-94

      March 7, 2010 /

      I hesitate to call this a rematch, because it’s just a regular season game and there isn’t much on the line, but this one had a postseason feel to it and was quite chippy, especially in the second half.

      The Magic led by 10 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Lakers went on an 8-0 run to start the period and cut the lead to just two. The game was nip and tuck the rest of the way, but the Lakers never took the lead or even tied the game. After hitting a long two on the previous possession to cut the lead to one (and staring defiantly into the crowd), Kobe Bryant missed a game-tying jumper as time expired.

      After getting into several scraps with Bryant throughout the second half, Matt Barnes hit a huge three with 1:10 to play to push the lead to six. He and Kobe were pushing and shoving throughout the game, and at one point they were called for a double technical.

      I’ve always liked Barnes’ hard-nosed style, though he needs to do a better job of showing poise in certain situations. He’s sort of like Bruce Bowen, but a little crazy. After his first technical, there were a couple of points where the officials would have been totally justified in ejecting him from the game. He repeatedly walked right through Kobe in an effort to show that he’s not going to back down. Kobe went for 34-7-7, but he missed 18 of his 30 shots.

      Is this Magic team capable of making another postseason run? I think so, but I’m not a big fan of Vince Carter in crunch time. The Magic will be aided by the fact that Jameer Nelson has stayed healthy thus far — if you remember, he missed most of the playoffs last season and was a little rusty when he came back in the Finals. The Lakers don’t really have an answer for Nelson’s quickness.


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      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Kobe Bryant becomes Lakers’ franchise leader in scoring

      February 2, 2010 /

      With his season-high 44 points in L.A.’s 95-93 loss to the Grizzlies on Monday night, Kobe Bryant passed Jerry West as the all-time leading scorer in Lakers’ history.

      From ESPN.com:

      “It’s a great honor to say the least [because] of the great players that have played here and the tradition we have,” Bryant said of becoming the Lakers’ career leading scorer. “[West] taught me so much when I was 17 years old. He showed me a lot about the game, the jump shot and spin moves and all the others.

      “Even though it’s me passing him in the record books, it’s still us, and it’s still Magic and all the other great players.”

      Considering how rich of a tradition the Lakers have, for Bryant to be their all-time leading scorer is an unbelievable honor. It’s nice to see that Kobe recognized West and all that he did for his career.


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      NBA

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