Thoughts on Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant, and the different paths to immortality
Dec 082012
Dec 072012
You might recall a Miami Heat win over the Los Angeles Lakers from back in March of 2011 , one that saw Kobe Bryant decide to take an impromptu postgame shooting session in full view of reporters after a poor performance in that game’s fourth quarter. Kobe enjoyed plenty of plaudits following that post-performance performance, while some of us shook our head at the showiness of it all. Because the Miami arena has a practice court that Kobe knew all about, and he didn’t have to turn his basketball penance into a “look at me!” event.
On Thursday night, Miami Heat All-Star LeBron James pulled the same junk after an embarrassing Heat loss to the New York Knicks. Except that … he didn’t.
James used that practice court, declining to share his reps for the snapping cell phones of the waiting media. And after that, much like Kobe in 2011, James came clean about Miami’s lost week to reporters. From ESPN’s Brian Windhorst , who was in the scrum for all of our benefit:
LeBron went thru an extended workout after the game on the practice court. Said Knicks “kicked our ass” & he “had to get better”
Dec 072012
Bryant leads the league in scoring at 28 points per game, and in his 17th season he is shooting a career-high 49 percent from the field. Durant has continued to improve in his sixth season, also shooting a career-high 51 percent.
Dec 072012
You might recall a Miami Heat win over the Los Angeles Lakers from back in March of 2011 , one that saw Kobe Bryant decide to take to an impromptu postgame shooting session in full view of reporters after a poor performance in that game’s fourth quarter. Kobe enjoyed plenty of plaudits following that post-performance performance, while some of us shook our head at the showiness of it all. Because the Miami arena has a practice court that Kobe knew all about, and he didn’t have to turn his basketball penance into a “look at me!” event.
On Thursday night, Miami Heat All-Star LeBron James pulled the same junk after an embarrassing Heat loss to the New York Knicks. Except that … he didn’t.
James used that practice court, declining to share his reps for the snapping cell phones of the waiting media. And after that, much like Kobe in 2011, James came clean about Miami’s lost week to reporters. From ESPN’s Brian Windhorst , who was in the scrum for all of our benefit:
LeBron went thru an extended workout after the game on the practice court. Said Knicks “kicked our ass” & he “had to get better”
Dec 062012
Jerry West says that “in terms of talent” Kobe Bryant is the greatest Laker ever. So what are the non-talent qualities essential to hoops greatness?
Potentially related, here’s former Laker assistant coach and current CSKA head coach Ettore Messina, blogging on Sports.ru talking about teamwork on his current team: “Nothing increases the level of trust like seeing a teammate pass up a shooting opportunity when you’re in a better position, or create an angle that allows you to safely pass the ball from under the double team instead of turning it over, or set a staggering screen for you to get open and receive the ball.
Dec 062012
At 34 years old, Kobe Bryant has become the youngest player in NBA history to eclipse 30,000 career points and only the fifth overall to hit that mark.
Dec 062012
Here’s a unique look at Kobe Bryant’s intriguing scoring numbers on the way to 30,000 points over his 17 year career.
Dec 062012
(Reuters) – Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant become the youngest player to score 30,000 NBA career points during his team’s 103-87 road win against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday. Needing 13 more points to hit that mark before the start of the game, Bryant scored his 13th and 14th points on a short floating jumper with just over a minute remaining before half-time. …
Dec 062012
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard talks about his health, his recent free throw struggles, Kobe Bryant’s 30,000 points and more.
Dec 052012
Dec 5 (Reuters) – Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant become the youngest player to score 30,000 NBA career points during the first half of Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets. Needing 13 more points to hit that mark before the start of the game, Bryant scored his 13th and 14th points on a short jumper with just over a minute remaining before half-time. …