May 22nd, 2010 by Chase

One word best describes Kobe Bryant the Basketball Player. Clutch. And this season 2009-2010 when people were questioning his play through health and age, Kobe had perhaps the most “clutch” season of his entire career. A total of 6 Game Winning shots in one season. Incredible. In this post we remember these amazing game winning shots from Kobe. All 6 for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

vs. Heat

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vs. Celtics

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vs. Raptors

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vs. Bucks

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vs. Kings

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vs. Grizzlies

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After viewing these game winning shots, my question is to you which is your favorite? Which do you think is the most clutch? And do any 1 of these shots rank in the top clutch regular season shots of all time?

April 17th, 2010 by Chase

Throughout an entire NBA season there are many ups and downs. The same is especially true for defending NBA champions. Wins, injuries, buzzer beaters, offensive struggles. These are just some of the words that describe the up and down season of Kobe and the Lakers during this season 2009-10. Perhaps photos do speak louder than words. In Part I of this three part series here are the 10 best photos from this season.

Ring Time

Practice Makes Perfection

As Intense As Ever

Trickery

Trash Talking

Treatment of Many, Many Injuries

Another Buzzer Beater

Failure from Time to Time

Being a Husband

Visiting East Harlem

April 16th, 2010 by Chase

It’s playoff time NBA fans! And one of the featured 1st round match-ups is the 1st seed defending NBA champ Lakers vs. the up and coming 8th seed Oklahoma City Thunder. Because of the Lakers recent woes towards the end of the regular season, there are actually some people out there who are picking Kevin Durant and the Thunder to upset the 1st seed Lakers. But those of us who have been watching Kobe and Co. these past few years know better. The Lakers are preparing for another Title run, and the Thunder are just another victim.

Featured Matchup: Kobe Bryant vs. Kevin Durant

The young vs the old. The seasoned veteran vs the new kid on the block. Durant had a monstrous season. He led the NBA in scoring with 30.1 points per game, helping lift the Oklahoma City Thunder rise to their first ever playoff birth since their pilgrimage from Seattle. Durant’s season was so good that it began to stir up comparisons between he and Kobe and lifting him to be one of the most exciting players in the game today.

These are the two best players in this 1st round playoff match-up. So let’s take a second and look at what we are dealing with here. Here are a couple thoughts…

1. Durant is inexperienced in the Playoffs, this being his first playoff run.
2. YAPR = yet another playoff run for Kobe Bryant, this being his 13th playoff run
3. Kobe is clearly not healthy. A bad ankle, torn up knee, and some mangled fingers not to mention wear and tear from 6 NBA Finals appearances.
4. Durant is playing with a ton of confidence right now. He’s playing at an MVP type level.

Here’s my prediction..

Kevin Durant is going to put up bigger numbers than Kobe in this series simply because of the fact that Kobe is hurt and also because he has to put up insane numbers for the Thunder to even compete in this series. However Kobe Bryant’s experience, will, and skill level will control and eventually dominate this series. Lakers will win in 5 games, losing game 3 on the road in Oklahoma before closing out the next two games. So let me repeat…

Kobe Will Get The Better of Durant. Lakers in 5!

Why? Because at least 2 of these games will come down to the final seconds, and Durant simply cannot close out a game the way Kobe Bryant can. The modern day version of Mr. Clutch will show Durant how to truly close a game. And that is why you can have Durant, and I’ll take Kobe!

February 19th, 2010 by Chase

1. Receiving Ball In The Post

In today’s game you will often see players getting fronted when trying to post up on the block. Many times this actually works and the player who is posting up is unable to receive the ball and the play is broken. This is one of the most underappreciated skills Kobe Bryant possesses. He has the trained skill of being able to shield off a defender every time on the offensive end and prevent him from fronting. When was the last time you saw Kobe get fronted and not get the basketball? Never!

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2. The Pick n’ Roll with Pau Gasol

The Pick n’ Roll, the play once mastered by Karl Malone and John Stockton and now widely used throughout the NBA game is once again masterfully run with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The difference is that their version of the Pick n’ Roll is even more complex. Which is has to be because of the advances defenses in the NBA have made in stopping it. The video below gives you an idea of how Pau and Kobe run the pick n’ roll in clutch situations.

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3. Mid-Range Jumper from All Angles

NBA players these days are great at two things, points around the rim or in the paint and 3 pointers. But the mid-range game has been lost for the most part in the NBA. One of the things that makes Kobe Bryant so great is that he has developed a dominate mid-range game making it impossible for defenses to double team him at certain times of the game.

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4. Ball Protection in Traffic

As Kobe has gotten older and slowed down in his overall athleticism, it’s been amazing to see how crafty he is going to the rim and how he can protect the ball so well before finishing. Somehow he always finds a way to not get stripped, even with 2 or 3 guys swiping at the ball as he is going to the rim.

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5. Free Throw Shooting

Practice, form, and repetition. Kobe Bryant is one of the best high volume free throw shooters in the history of the game. What do I mean by this? For players who actually get to the free throw line 5-8 times or more per night, he is one of the highest percentage at the line in the history of the game. People always talk about how clutch Kobe Bryant is. One of the reasons behind this is due to the fact that you can’t foul him at the end of games because you know he’s going to hit his free throws.

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Now it’s your turn! What other specific skills of the game do you admire of Kobe’s?

January 27th, 2010 by Chase

I always find it interesting how every season, NBA experts always find a way to jump on some other bandwagon than the one’s that are actually the best in the league. Experts and fans are always so quick to count out teams early in a 82 game season, and even quicker to anoint some new team as the “team to beat”. Over the past 2 seasons that team has been the Cleveland Cavaliers. As soon as they start playing well, you get to hear idiots like Tim Legler on ESPN rout off bogus statistics and evaluations that somehow prove that they are the new hot team in the NBA!

I have one very important thing to tell everyone! Don’t sleep on the Lakers or on the Celtics! Are they playing their best basketball right now? Of course not. But assuming KG and KB24 stay healthy, you better believe it’s going to be these two teams in the Finals in June. I’ll bet my Wife’s little Pug/House Dog whose name is Benny on it! Okay I really won’t because my Wife would kill me, but I really do want to get rid of him so if you have any ideas please do let me know.

The Boston Celtics Are The Best in the East

I don’t want to hear statistical arguments as to who the best team is in the East. Let’s be honest with each other. With a healthy Kevin Garnett, there’s nobody in the East who can get past Boston in the Playoffs. Even without KG the Orlando Magic were barely able to squeak by the Celtics in the playoffs last season. And as good as LeBron James looks some nights, his dominance disappears against that KG led Boston Celtic defense.

It’s pretty obvious the Celtics are giving KG the rest he needs during the season and not pushing him to hard. They are saving him for Playoff time and a return to the NBA Finals. Not matter how good of a regular season LeBron James and the Cavs have, they don’t have what it takes to beat the C’s in a 7 game series.

The L.A Lakers Are The Best in the West

We thought the Denver Nuggets would have dominant season and continue what they ended last year. We thought the Spurs by adding Richard Jefferson would recreate the dominance they had earlier this decade. Neither of these two scenarios have played out. The fact is that when push comes to shove, the real competitors for dethroning the Lakers are in the Eastern Conference. The West just does not have anyone competitive and good enough to challenge the Lakers.

Expect the Lakers to lose some weird games now and again. They are the defending champs. They are going to go through their share of injuries, as well as their ups and down’s while still trying to integrate Bynum and Artest into the Offense. But just like the Celtics, when Playoff time rolls around this team will be fully prepared for a repeat championship.

Does Either Boston or L.A Need To Make A Trade Before The Deadline?

In my opinion yes they do. Both teams have fantastic starting 5’s by are lacking some depth on the bench. Both teams have bench players who in previous seasons provided solid play (Glen Davis, Sasha Vuyacic etc.) but have games that have mysteriously vanished from the face of the earth. The Lakers appear to need more help off the bench at the Guard positions while Boston appears to need more help in the Frontcourt off the bench. Look for both of these teams to make 1 deal that will strengthen their benches before the February trade deadline.

January 22nd, 2010 by Chase

The Lakers loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night finished off a season sweep of the Cavs over the Lakers. In the big part 2 of this seasons much anticipated showdown between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, it was LeBron who individually got the better of Kobe this time around scoring a game high 37 points and adding in 9 assists. Kobe’s numbers were no chump numbers by any means, adding in 31 points. But it was clear that when the 4th Quarter came around LeBron was “out for blood” and took over the entire last 8 minutes of the game.

Quick Thought: Phil Jackson sat Kobe Bryant out during the 4th Quarter and all the way until 5 minutes left in the game. Not sure what his thinking was with this. Between the 8 and 5 minute marks is when LeBron James got going offensively. In my opinion PJ made a big mistake not putting Kobe back in the game at the exact same time Cleveland put LeBron back in.

Some Thoughts on the Kobe/Lebron Thing

It’s been obvious the past two seasons that Kobe’s athleticism has slowed down tremendously. Add that with the incredible never before seen athleticism of LeBron James and you can see how LeBron can dominate Kobe in a game physically. The best example came from TNT’s Kenny Smith at the end of the game where he described LeBron as someone who “goes through you” to score the ball while Kobe “goes around and over you”.

It’s obvious to me that Kobe Bryant is still transitioning to the softer, older mans game and is not fully comfortable dominating a game with it just yet. There will be a time, just like with MJ where Kobe will feel more comfortable dominating the game with turn around jumpers. But we witnessed tonight how Kobe wants to match LeBron with athleticism but just unable to do it. The ability is just not there for the athletic style game. LeBron wins that battle any day of the week.

Warning Kobe Fans…There Will Be Haters

I’m putting out a warning to all Kobe Bryant fans (myself including) that there will be Kobe Haters approaching you today boasting how LeBron is the better player after his performance last night against the Kobe and the Lakers. But remember that it’s just 1 game. And like Chris Webber and Kenny Smith were quick to remind people at the end of the game on TNT’s Inside the NBA, until Kobe can be dethroned as a champion he’s still the best player on the planet!