Inside Sports
With Earl Austin Jr.
Kobe Bryant is the king of the National Basketball Association.
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors over the weekend was one of the most remarkable events I have ever seen. And I’ve seen many.
What made Kobe’s night so incredible was the relative ease and calm he displayed as he dropped home jumper after jumper against the helpless Raptor defenders. He made it look so easy. His free-flowing style was clearly evident in his shooting percentages on this night. He made 28 of his 46 field goal attempts (60 percent), seven of 13 from 3-point range (53 percent) and 18 of 20 from the free-throw line (90 percent). You just do not perform like that unless you are in a huge comfort zone. Scoring big with heavy volume shooting is one thing, but when shooting a great percentage is entirely another kettle of fish.
Kobe made the sports world forget that the National Football League had staged its two league championship games on the same day. The two games that decided who would be in the Super Bowl were mere afterthoughts.
Imagine Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson saying, “I’ve never seen anything like that before” after the game. Well, he did. This is coming from the man who was on the Chicago Bulls bench during the entire Michael Jordan era.
The Staples Center is once again an electric place to go and watch the Lakers. The Clippers had carried the banner of LA for much of the first half of the season, but Kobe has turned Tinseltown into Lakertown once again. A NBA title may be out of reach, but sheer excitement and drama is back in the house.
In the month of January, Bryant is averaging more than 45 points a game. For the past three weeks, Kobe has upstaged Jay Leno and David Letterman as the king of late night. Fans all over the world have turned to TNI or ESPN in the midnight hour to see what in the world he might do next. He scored 39 points in his head-to-head duel with young star LeBron James and hit the game-winner in a one-point Laker victory. He added 37 more in the Lakers’ victory over the Miami Heat in his latest battle with friend turned rival Shaquille O’Neal, who extended the olive branch to Bryant before the game.
The television sets will be popping whenever the Lakers are on the tube. People cannot help but wonder if one of these nights, Kobe just might go after Wilt Chamberlain’s seemingly unattainable 100-point night. After all, he only played 42 of a possible 48 minutes against Toronto last Sunday.
Kobe seems to be making all of the right moves as he continues to rebuild his image after the self-destructive events that took place during the 2003-04 season. He was front and center in Houston with the rest of the NBA stars during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort and benefit All-Star Game.
In a Dec. 20 game against Dallas, Kobe went for 62 points in just three quarters. Instead of pouring it on in a Laker blowout victory, he selflessly chose to sit out the rest of the game instead of piling on meaningless stats. When the chance came around again, he took advantage as he tallied 55-second points to rally the Lakers from an 18-point deficit.
Last but not least, Kobe decided to join the USA’s crusade to reclaim world supremacy in basketball by joining the USA Team at the upcoming World Championships and Olympic Games.
The last finishing touch would be to see Shaq join Kobe on the USA and unite one more time to bring the gold medal back to the USA. That would really put some meaning behind Shaq’s gesture to bury the hatchet with Kobe earlier this month. San Antonio’s Tim Duncan has already announced that he will not play, so there is an open spot for a dominant inside player (Hello, Shaq).
For two decades, music fans around the world wondered if the Beatles would ever reunite after they broke up. With John and George gone, it is impossible. However, a Shaq-Kobe reunion is still possible, and with the letters USA on the front on their uniforms.
What could be better?
