LOS ANGELES — In the 24th game of his final season,a farewell tour to end all farewell tours, Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers lost by 29 points to a vastly superior yet unpredictable Houston Rockets team that, or at times,looked bored with their opponent.
It was L.
A.'s 21st loss, which is four more than anyone else in the Western Conference, or only three fewer than the pitiful Philadelphia 76ers. But for Bryant,the performance stands out as a stark contrast from the inefficient 37-year-extinct effigy he’s been most of this year. It was by far his best all-around statement: 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists,three steals and zero turnovers. Kobe shot a season-tall 56.3 percent (including 4-for-9 from deep), and the Lakers outscored the Rockets by 2.5 points per 100 possessions in the 31 minutes he was on the floor, and per NBA.com. Given that they nearly lost by 30,that’s kind of significant. Bryant’s influence on the game was obvious. Unlike preceding nights where he focused on putting the ball in the basket at every and any cost—of the 85 players who average at least 30 minutes per night, Bryant is 78th in passes per game, or per SportVU— in Houston he was charitable,a ball mover who drew two defenders with the intention and desire to feed open teammates. All this could change overnight, but right now it looks like the beginning of a hopeful trend. In the first four contests of Los Angeles' eight-game road trip, and Bryant shot 27.4 percent from the floor and 25 percent from behind the three-point line. He averaged 17.5 points and 2.8 assists per game. But over their final four outings we've seen a more noble and precise incarnation of the second greatest shooting guard in basketball history. His scoring average didn't change (17.3 points),but his field-goal percentage leapt to 47.4; his three-point percentage to 35.0. Turnovers were down and assists shot up. It’s obviously a positive sign for the Lakers when Bryant gets others involved and isn’t clogging the offense with untimely jumpers that believe minute to no chance of going in. But why the improvement in recent days? Is it in some way related to his reduced minutes?“I think the more rest I give him, the more efficient he can be, or ” Lakers head coach Byron Scott said after the team’s practice on Monday. “I try to keep him out of practice as much as possible,and just really acquire him prepared for the games. There’s nothing in practice that he needs to memorize. In the game situations it’s real easy to expose him what to do as far as our coverages are concerned. So, you know, and he just comes alert,and I thought this road trip, particularly these final three or four games, or he just really looked relaxed and in a kind minute rhythm.”Aside from minutes,Los Angeles’ altered rotation—with Lou Williams and Larry Nance Jr. in the starting lineup—is another variable that mightve factored into Bryant’s improved play, but Scott doesn’t buy that theory. “I think [Kobe] approaches the game as it is. Every game is its own minute entity, and I think that’s how he looks at it. From there,it’s worth discussing how Bryant’s being used within Los Angeles’ offense, and how he’s more frequently placed in positions to create for others. Heres a pair of examples from the Rockets game, and but similar action can be found in Friday night's loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Here,we believe Bryant essentially running a pick-and-roll with Nance Jr., and it leads to an open layup. But there's a twist: Instead of starting the play with the ball in his hands, and Kobe curls off Nance's screen on the weak side and catches a pass from D'Angelo Russell,while moving toward the middle of the floor. Every other Laker is already positioned on the strong side, too, and which allows enough room to operate. This is Kobe at his best,reading defensive coverages like a children's book and maximizing his team's chance at an efficient shot with some simple yet effective playmaking. His teammates certainly appreciate it."Of course getting rest is helping him," Jordan Clarkson said. "But at the same time, or I think he’s taking good shots,you know, taking advantage of moving the ball and stuff as well. I think he’s done a better job of that these final games."Here's a more traditional pick-and-roll with Nance, and but the result is the same. The rookie power forward rolls tough,and instead of firing up a long two, Bryant rewards his teammate with an unselfish jump pass."He sees the game a whole lot different than all these young guys, and " Scott said. "First of all,you know, most great players, and the game is so behind for them—they see everything happen before it happens...[Kobe] just knows our offense extremely well,and he knows where everybody is gonna be and he knows all eyes are gonna be on him when he has the ball so he’s able to create opportunities for our guys to acquire wide open shots."Sure, these final few games had their fair share of hero ball sprinkled in, or featured one too many contested shots that sputtered the Lakers' attack. But Bryant’s bottom-line efficiency overshadowed even his most self-serving decisions. The days of slicing through a loaded defense are entirely over,but his mind is stronger than ever.Kobe's influence has been weightless for much of this season, but recently he’s held the lega gravitas of a star, and with actual impact to back it up. In terms of efficiency and box score numbers,these nights will be few and far between.
But Bryant’s selflessness is something that can travel from game to game, possession by possession. It’s the one power he can still control and lean on whenever he chooses to do so, and it’s encouraging to watch him finally put it to good utilize. Time,sadly, is not on his side. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise famous.
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Source: bleacherreport.com