On the Court With... Kobe Bryant (15 page)

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Authors: Matt Christopher

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And he wasn’t done yet. Another assist led to another three points by Derek Fisher. Then he hit a three-pointer of his own,
followed in quick succession by back-to-back running jump shots. When teammates Vujacic and Radmanovic added five points with
a three-pointer and a dunk, the Lakers were suddenly within four points.

Then, with less than a minute to go, Kobe was
fouled. He lined up for his free throws. He made them both! Those two points brought the Lakers’ twelve minute total to 41.
Unfortunately, those two points were the last the team made that game. Boston made four free throws, bringing their score
up to 108, or six points more than Los Angeles. If they had had just a little more time, the Lakers might have pulled off
one of the greatest comebacks in postseason history.

The series moved to Los Angeles for Game Three. Now the Lakers had a solid mental advantage over the Celtics, for Boston had
struggled throughout the post season to win away games. In fact, of the twenty matches they’d played, they’d won only two
on other teams’ courts!

They didn’t add a third this night. Led by a fired-up Kobe Bryant, who put in a game-turning three- pointer late in the fourth
quarter, the Lakers eked out an 87-81 victory.

Game Four was in LA again. Those who watched the game saw what many sports followers believe was the most dramatic comeback
of NBA postseason history.

Boston had not been shooting well and was down by 24 midway through the secondquarter. Then something changed. In the next
few minutes, they rattled off 12
unanswered points to shrink LA’s lead. But LA sweetened their lead with five points of their own to make it 50-33. At halftime,
the score stood at Lakers 58, Celtics 40. An LA win—and yet another away-game Celtics loss—seemed certain.

But as a famous sportsman once said, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” And with two quarters left to play, it was far from
over. Boston went on a shooting spree,adding 31 points to their side in 12 minutes. Los Angeles, on the other hand, put in
less than half that number. Suddenly, it was a two-point game and the certain win looked a whole lot less certain.

The two teams were neck-and-neck throughout beginning minutes the final quarter. Then, astonishingly, after trailing for the
entire game, the Celtics took over. They inched ahead by two, then by four. With sixteen seconds remaining, Ray Allen made
the play of the game, a beautiful reverse layup that was shown repeatedly on sports highlights the following day and proved
to be the nail that the sealed the Lakers’ coffin. Final score: Boston 97, Los Angeles 91.

Kobe Bryant had been the consummate team player that game, dishing 10 assists, nabbing 4 rebounds, and sneaking 4 steals.
Unfortunately, the Celtics had shut him down on offense. He ended the night with
just 19 points, all of which he made in the second half.

“They were determined not to let me beat them tonight,” Kobe commented later. “I saw three, four bodies every time I touched
the ball.”

The series score now stood at Boston 3, Los Angeles 1. No team in basketball history had ever recovered from such a deficit.
Kobe Bryant was determined to help his team rewrite that history if he could.

At first, it seemed as if the Lakers would indeed add a new chapter to the NBA record books. Like an army, they won Game Five
by beating back the Celtics, charge after charge. Kobe punctuated his drive to win by stealing the ball from Paul Pierce and
racing it down the floor to deliver a massive dunk 34 seconds before the end of the game. Those two points put the Lakers
ahead by four, a lead they bettered by the game’s end.

The series returned to Boston for Game Six. The Celtics were up, 3-2. They wanted nothing more than to make that 4-2 in front
of their adoring hometown crowd.

And unfortunately for Lakers’ fans, that’s just what they did. The first quarter was close, 24 to 20, but after that the Celtics
seemed to score at will while simultaneously slamming the door on the Lakers’
offense. Boston’s lead stretched… and stretched… and stretched, until in the end, they had chalked up an amazing 131 points.
LA, meanwhile, only scored 92.

Bryant was bitterly disappointed with the final outcome. During a post-game press conference, he answered reporters’ questions
in a subdued voice. When asked how to help his team improve next year, he said he thought they could work on being as strong
on defense as they were on offense.

“We’re pretty good at it,” he said, “But I think we could be much better.”

He added that he thought experiencing ups and downs would make the team mentally tougher.

Then came the toughest question yet: “Can you talk about how you see the Laker prospects from here?”

Kobe looked away, clearly uncomfortable to be asked about the future of the team—and the second question that it seemed to
imply, whether or not he would be a part of that future. In the end, he gave a simple, three-word answer.

“I don’t know.”

Did that reply mean that Kobe Bryant was ready to open the door and walk away from the Lakers, as he
had seemed to be before the season began? Or was it just the distress of coming so close to his goal, only to see it slip
from his fingers, that was talking?

“I’m upset more than anything,” he admitted later. “Frustrated… Understand that second place just means you’re the first loser.”

And yet, underneath that disappointment was another, equally strong feeling about his team. “I’m proud. I’m proud of my guys.
I’m proud of the effort that we gave.”

No doubt, Laker fans hope that in the end, Kobe’s pride will outweigh his frustration, and he will choose to remain with the
team he’s been such an enormous part of for the past eleven years. If he does decide it’s time to move on, he will leave behind
a legacy guaranteed to inspire those who follow.

And wherever he goes, he will bring with him the talent and drive that have vaulted him to the top ranks of professional basketball.
At age 29, he has shattered records, hit milestone after milestone, and racked up amazing statistics in every offensive category
imaginable.

In short, Kobe Bryant is a superstar.

Kobe Bryant’s Career Highlights

1996:

USA Today’s High School Player of the Year

1997:

Youngest player to start an NBA game (1/28/97 against Dallas) NBA Slam Dunk Champion and Rookie All-Star game MVP

1998:

Youngest player to start an All-Star game

2000:

Member of the NBA championship-winning team