Kobe Bryant prepares to make his move on O.J. Mayo during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum in February. (Photos by Warren Roseborough)
Corey Green is the Tri-State Defender's new sports columnist.
by Corey Green Special to the Tri-State Defender
We are witnessing a sure difference in Kobe Bryant.
He’s no longer that euphoric kid with an afro who made his first NBA Finals appearance in 2000, or the Kobe that clashed with his coach and teammates in 2004.
No, not anymore.
Now he’s showing a level of intensity, desire and focus that we haven’t seen from Kobe in his 12-year career.
In any sport winning a title or even returning back to the big game isn’t something that comes commonly, and Kobe is well aware that there’s no guarantee he’ll arrive at such an opportune place again.
He’s finds himself in the Finals with home-court advantage over the Orlando Magic. He’s leading a team that was two victories short of the championship last year.
He’s 30, old enough to know what he’s doing; young enough to still be able to do it at a high level. Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza are both free agents and could decide to test the market after this year. Kobe could choose to opt out of his contract this summer as well. And one of those up-and-coming teams could elevate and arrive. Kobe could finish his Hall of Fame career with his three championship rings.
That’s the triumphant trademark of a career for most NBA players – more rings than Jerry West, Wilt, Doc, or Moses or 32 other members of the NBA’s 50 greatest players list from 1996.
But in Kobe’s eye, three would seem short.
He’d need to get to six to stand on the same plateau as Michael Jordan, but four would say plenty, giving him one to call his own, getting out of the shadow of his former teammate-turned rival Shaquille O’Neal.
Those are the stakes.
This is his moment…
“I just want it so bad, that’s all,” Bryant said after the 100-75 victory in game 1 at the Staple Center. “I just want it really bad.”
And he has done nothing but stand by those words…
In game 1 Kobe scored 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assist becoming just the fourth player in NBA Finals history to achieve those numbers in a single game. Only Michael Jordan, Jerry West, and Shaq have done better.
During his quest, Kobe has progressed, learning that so much of his fate is out of his hands. Just ask LeBron James, who did everything short of ushering people to their seats in the Eastern Conference championship against the Magic. Averaging 38, 8,and 8, “the king” made a game winning three with a second left and sank two free throws to force overtime with 0.5 left, but even doing all that it wasn’t enough to get pass the team play of Orlando.
The Lakers didn’t show themselves to be worthy of the golden trophy until Jordan Farmar, Odom, Ariza, Shannon Brow and Luke Walton proved they could play at home and on the road. And it took Bryant’s recalibration to stop trying it all on his own.
Now he realizes the truth in the sports adage “you’re only as good as the weakest person on the team.”
All great players know there’s more to basketball than just scoring lots of points. That was Kobe’s M.O. a couple of years ago. As he has grown in the NBA, he has found out that less is more – less emotion, less talking.
