22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers. That was it. No awe-inspiring dunks, no crowd-quieting fadeaways, no last-second jumpers, and no patented one-man scoring runs. Just referee complaints, utter disbelief, and visible disappointment. On a Boston night when his team could most use the killer instinct from the self-proclaimed “Black Mamba”, it was left out in L.A, probably somewhere near the Lakers’ pride, heart, and defense they forgot to pack. There was a title on the line last night and the Celtics knew it, but somehow the Lakers never got the memo. After every “expert” picked Kobe to propel his team to their first post-Shaq championship, here we are, 2 weeks later, and into another offseason 24 goes, missing that same Shaq whose flight out of L.A.X his black card probably paid for.
Remember all the pre-Finals talk about which iconic shooting guard was better – Kobe or Jordan? Well that’s died down a bit over the last 12 hours, but, don’t worry, soon enough some journalist, trying to get attention, will claim that 24 is indeed better than 23. Do me a favor- when that article comes out, don’t even read it. Last night, Kobe’s Lakers lost by 39 points in a decisive NBA Finals game. 39 points! That was, as it turns out, the 2nd worse loss in Finals history (of course, the largest was given by Jordan to the '98 Jazz), making even more history for the team whose Game 4 efforts already gave them ownership of the record for biggest blown-lead in Finals history.
Can you imagine Michael Jordan sitting on the sidelines, towel over his head, watching a Gatorade shower for the opposing coach? Can you imagine his Airness scoring only 3 points on 3 technical free throws in 20 minutes because James Posey’s defense was too good? Neither can I.
Don’t get me wrong. Kobe’s the best player on Earth and it’s not even close. He’s an all-time great and, far and away, the best player SINCE Jordan. But can we stop the Kobe/MJ talk now? Forever?
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