Kobe Bryant delivers a victory in FedEx Forum
Can we please put to rest the ridiculous notion that the Los Angeles Lakers are better off without Kobe Bryant?
Can we also get some momentum for KB24 hoisting his second MVP trophy?
Everyone is ready to hand the award to LeBron James but I can’t remember a player being as consistently clutch as Kobe has been this season…EVER!
18 days off didn’t slow Kobe’s roll. Mamba’s 1,000th career game was a brilliant performance on both ends of the court. Hooping with an ankle that he claimed was only 85%, Bryant filled the box score with a stat line you usually only see in videogames (32 points, 13-19 from the field, 3-4 from beyond the arc, 3-3 from the charity stripe, 7 boards, 6 dimes, 3 steals, and 2 blocks).
While the Lakers did their best to give this one away in an error filled third quarter, it would be the defensive energy and Kobe’s clutch play in the fourth that ultimately delivered a win for the Purple and Gold.
Oh…O.J. Mayo going Nick Anderson in the clutch also helped make this W possible.
Mayo is nice. He’s got a silky jumper and a nice handle, but Kobe is clearly in his head. Despite leading the way for Memphis with 25 buckets, O.J. didn’t have the juice when his team needed it most.
In the first quarter Kobe put Mayo in the popcorn machine on a fast break and threw one down causing Lionel Hollins to get a TO and Mayo to get a T. Then, with 2:30 left in the game and the Lake Show down by 5, Bryant did work.
First Kobe hit a long deuce in Mayo’s grill. With under a minute to play, Kobe drained a triple again with Mayo checking him. The three pulled the Lakers even with Memphis. Later, Mayo went to the foul line with the Grizzlies up by two, needing one to force a three for the tie and two to all but assure the Lakers another loss in Memphis.
Mayo bricked both foul shots.
Naturally, those two big misses left the door wide open for Kobe to complete his comeback with what else?
The game winner…