Kobe Bryant wanted to win another NBA title so bad it nearly cost him. Despite shooting a pathetic 6-for-26 in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Bryant was awarded the Finals MVP trophy as he celebrated his fifth NBA championship. Is Bryant the greatest Laker of all time? That’s the … [Read more…]
Too old, too slow, too limited athletically and too short. Derek Fisher has heard all the criticism, but the two aspects of his game that never gets questioned are his heart and his toughness, physically and mentally. Fisher, who is listed at 6 feet but is probably closer to 5-10, has such a strong belief … [Read more…]
Ron Artest was at the TD Garden when the Boston Celtics crushed the L.A. Lakers in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. He went to the Lakers locker room to seek out Kobe Bryant, following the Lakers’ star all the way to the showers. Artest told Bryant, and anyone else who would listen, that … [Read more…]
When Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times asked Phil Jackson if the memory of the 2008 NBA Finals still lingers, the Lakers coach responded with a sarcastic quip. “I forgot. I have amnesia,” Jackson claimed. “What year was that now? 2-8? Ok.” Jackson was obviously kidding about not remembering anything from the ’08 Finals. … [Read more…]
Kobe or LeBron? It’s a debate that has sounds ridiculous at this point because one of them is sitting at home planning field trips to Chicago, New York and Miami, while the other is making reservations for the NBA Finals. The more we watch Kobe Bryant, the more we begin to realize that the title … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant made sure there wasn’t going to be a Game 7 as he made three clutch shots down the stretch to lead the L.A. Lakers to a 111-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns and clinch the 2010 Western Conference championship. L.A. will face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, a matchup of two … [Read more…]
Despite all the things he has achieved in his soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame basketball career, Kobe Bryant still finds little things to motivate him. It’s what makes him the best player in the Association. It’s the reason why he has four NBA championship rings. It’s the kind of closer mentality that separates him from his peers. Actually, … [Read more…]
All championship teams have great role players – guys who play their position, make all the hustle plays and knock down shots when called upon. Magic Johnson’s Laker teams had Michael Cooper. Larry Bird’s Celtic teams had Danny Ainge. Robert Horry, who was instrumental in helping Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets, Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers and Tim … [Read more…]
Heading into the 2010 NBA playoffs, Kobe Bryant’s health and the thousands of mileage his body has racked up over the years was a hot-button topic with the media. Some questioned whether the 31-year-old Bryant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, could keep up with 21-year-old scoring champ Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City in their head-to-head … [Read more…]
Prior to Game 5 of the first-round series between the defending NBA champion and top-seeded L.A. Lakers and the eighth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, Kobe Bryant was asked by one of the reporters if the Lakers felt that their backs were against the wall. In classic Bryant response, he replied: “Backs against the wall? What’s going … [Read more…]