Kobe Bryant: As Old Age Sets In, So Does Realism
By Jacob Rude
Kobe Bryant continues to battle with Father Time, but as he’s losing more battles, reality has begun to set in and Bryant has shown a willingness to face his fate.
Every time Kobe Bryant seems like he’s ready to fall off this season, he provides you with another memorable moment, with Thursday’s game against the Cavaliers the most recent example of such.
More from Lakers News
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
After sitting out four games in a five-game stretch, Bryant looked rusty and out of sorts against the Miami Heat in a loss. With the Cleveland Cavs coming into town, the expectations were that the Lakers would be out-matched even against a team as talented as the one Cleveland has. A Bryant vs. LeBron James match-up was going to be a time for nostalgia more than another chance to see two greats battle.
Then Bryant proved us wrong once again.
Providing likely his best performance of the year and one of his best in recent memory, Bryant was the catalyst for the Lakers offense as he dished out a career-high 17 assists, added 19 points, and hit big shots down the stretch to keep the Lakers within fighting distance of pulling off the upset. Even more, on the defensive end, Bryant accepted the challenge of guarding James, and save for a possession near the end of the game, did a good job against the younger, more athletic star.
In the history of match-ups between James and Bryant, it may find itself at the tip-top of the list, no doubt near the summit at the very least. The two stars duked it out down the stretch with James getting the better of Bryant, who trusted his teammates to make plays and was unfortunately let down.
Following the game, Bryant was uncharacteristically nostalgic and realistic. This performance was not one you can expect from the Mamba night in and night out this season. Possibly fueled by the fact that he wouldn’t have to play in Friday’s game in Utah, the second game of a back-to-back, Bryant exerted himself a little more.
With talks of him possibly being shut down later in the season if the Lakers were out of contention, the always competitive Bryant appeared surprisingly content with the idea, even if not thrilled by it.
Kobe on possible shutdown. “That’s a tough one for me. I want to play…I will do what they ask me but it’s very hard for me to miss one game”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) January 16, 2015
It’s a situation Bryant hasn’t faced before. With the Lakers already sitting at 12-28 and the fourth worst record in the league, their playoff hopes have long vanished. As we near the homestretch, talk will not be of a battle for the eighth seed, but a battle to retain their top five pick.
Bryant the competitor would find it hard to see positives in losing. But, as more losses pile up for LA, the Lakers put themselves in a better position going forward. And for Bryant, who will be entering what may be his final year of his career next season, risking injury in those final games, ones the Lakers will want to lose, is an unnecessary risk.
But Thursday’s game showed that Bryant has something left in the tank. Even with a dismal record and little to play for other than pride, Bryant went out swinging against the Cavs and nearly landed a knock-out blow. Old age be damned, Bryant showed some flashes of the spry young gun who used to be able to drag these type of Lakers teams to the playoffs.
However, we saw equal flashes of the version of Bryant who is coming off two major injuries, has racked up over 46,000 regular season minutes, and is 36 years old. On one play in particular, Bryant came down, showed his fancy footwork and dribbling, got by his defender, rose to the rim and was rejected authoritatively. Five years ago, Bryant finished the play off with a dunk and we’d have a new highlight reel moment. But the harsh reality is setting in for Bryant, who admitted that once he can no longer play at an elite level, he’d walk away from the game.
Kobe Bryant: "If I can't (compete at an elite level) I'll call it quits. I'm not going to have you guys see me out there looking like shit."
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) January 16, 2015
Bryant is still capable of those elite performances though, for now. It was only a few weeks ago that he messed around and got a triple-double against the Nuggets, his second of the year. Earlier in the season, in his first triple-double performance, he became the oldest player to record a triple-double and also scoring 30 points, finishing with 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a win over the Raptors.
However, we’ve also had just as many, if not more, performances of equally bad quality this year. Six times this year, Bryant has shot less than 30% from the field. Five times he’s had six or more turnovers. He’s nearing on the edge of elite and washed-up, an odd place for Bryant to be.
But just when you think he’s washed-up, done, and needs to retire, he’ll pull another trick out of his magic hat and give you a performance like Thursday’s. Enjoy them, Lakers fans. There won’t be many left.