Nick Young was absolutely on fire against the Spurs. His first five shots from the field were all three-point shots. Several of them were heavily contest them? Did that stop him? No.
He hit them all.
Well, last night, no one could guard Nick Young one-on-one. Some of the shots hit were contested three-point shots and several heat check shots. They just dropped.
Everyone thought that Kobe would go for a 30 point game. After all, if he wanted, he could accomplish the beating Michael Jordan’s career scoring record. Instead, Kobe Bryant opted to be his playmaking self, taking contested mid-range jumpshots to get himself going offensively, but passing up numerous shots at the offensive end.
When he knew he couldn’t get himself going, Nick Young had already caught fire. He started the game 5-of-5 from behind the arc, and earned a Kobe Bryant stinkface after splitting the Spurs’ perimeter D, and pulling up from midrange.
Nick Young did his best Kobe imitation, but did it his way, on fire from the field. He didn’t waste too much time dribbling. He caught fire.
It wasn’t just about hitting shots. The Lakers were tied at the end of the first quarter, had a four point lead at halftime, and extended the lead to 11 points by the end of the third quarter. Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin joined the party, scoring 14 points each off the bench. The trio scored 57 points off the bench as a unit.
Nick Young finished 9 of 14 from the field, 6 of 9 behind the arc, including the game-winning contested three-pointer.
Carlos Boozer finished 7 of 12 from the field, with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Jeremy Lin finished 6 of 14 from the field, with 8 assists on 3 turnovers.
The core scoring from the bench unit came between 29-32 minutes of play in an overtime game.
But, last night was Nick Young’s chance to shine. He showed why he is Robin and Kobe’s Batman, and he loves it.