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We'll never know if they could have won without him...but WE do know that he came up big time when it counted yesterday.
You're just a bitter European loser.
We'll never know if they could have won without him...but WE do know that he came up big time when it counted yesterday.
Wouldn't have last night!
you mean the same Kobe committing stupid fouls and chucking up ill-advised shots last night? Yes he made some clutch baskets, but someone of his skill level is bound to make some of his chucks.
Wade was the real hero last night. He took over in the first half and made sure the US was in control at halftime.
kobe loves to be the hero. when it works out, he's the best player in the world. when it doesn't, people make excuses for him. you can tell how badly he wanted to be the hero at the end of the game when he selfishly tried to go for that steal on rudy fernandez. and then again desperately chucking a contested three with still six seconds on the shot clock.
has anyone else noticed that kobe has been taking the most shots throughout the olympics? i remember announcers praising kobe for taking an "unselfish" role and then citing an average of 12.8 points as an example. but that just means kobe has been missing most of his shots. kobe will always shoot the most on any team whether they are good or bad shots. when kobe makes his shots, he's the best player in the world, when he doesn't he's playing an "unselfish" role.
The haters will always hate.
WHEN THE GAME WAS ON THE LINE, there was only one player on Team USA that was ready and willing to take those big shots. There was only one man on Team USA that Wade and Lebron WANTED taking those shots, and that was Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant.
And boy oh boy, did he deliver. Vintage Kobe. Another classic to be added to his collection. Simply the best.
they could have lost if kobe didnt make that 4 point play in the 4th quarter.
really you can read wade and lebron's minds? you sound like his PR agent. all i saw was wade sealing the game with a three after kobe missed his forced one. and he didn't look around to see where kobe was when he got the ball. he shot it. and i believe it was also lebron who kicked it out to wade, not kobe. i'm not going to argue if kobe is a great player or not because he is. he will always make big shots just like he will always make poor decisions.
Like I said haters will always hate, and you sir are a H-A-T-E-R. Say it with me, H-A-T-E-R.
You don't have to read minds to see both Lebron and Wade passing back to Kobe in the final minutes so he could take over.
oh oops. i didn't know madhatter was a troll. i apologize for paying attention to him. i'll stop talking to him now.Like I said haters will always hate, and you sir are a H-A-T-E-R. Say it with me, H-A-T-E-R.
You don't have to read minds to see both Lebron and Wade passing back to Kobe in the final minutes so he could take over.
The team could have won it withouth Wade, Kobe or Lebron....The americans have a lot of talent and one player regardless of stature shouldn't matter. I know wade played well in the first half, but with all of that scoring where was the D...It's not about Kobe's scoring or shooting percentage, his D is what mattered the most. Also his poise was huge. I do agree, Wade was the most consistent player they had.
Man Kobe fans get defensive.
So are you saying that Lebron, Melo and Wade didn't take bad shots or go for bad steals in this game?
Team USA's best linup was one that didn't include any of the starters...
Kobe wouldn't have had to get hot had those bench guys stayed in. I appreciate that Coach K was able to get these guys to play a little team ball (even though they were most likely willing at that point and didn't need much prodding). but he is on my OSCL list at this point. The guy doesn't have a clue how to rotate professional players. It isn't like college with 2 superstar recruits, a bunch of random guys with good GPAs all willing to eat out of a coaches hands for no pay... You play the best lineup and keep playing them until something goes wrong, and not after a lead has been completely blown. P-Jax/Carlisle never would have allowed it to get to a 4 point game... it would have been closely monitored the whole way...
Your mom takes bad shots!
no Kobe no gold for the US
It seemed this way because when the NBA 2nd unit was on the floor, the other team's 2nd unit was also out on the floor. Starters mostly played against starters and bench played against bench.
Wade was a strong performer off the bench but the rest were less than spectacular. Melo for all his whining actually played well.
Chris Bosh did have his moments. CP3 wasn't able to dominate like in the NBA. DWill didn't couldn't take it to the hole either. The bench did have the most fastbreaks I think.
With all due respect, I have heard this before. It would be a valid point, but it can't be tested, as coaches like Coach K don't seem to want to keep those players in until they do poorly. He doesn't even give them a chance to test the '2nd best bs 2nd best' hypotesis, because they are taken out once they build a lead.
I do agree that Melo played well (he seems particularly suited to international play, as is Bosh). But to leave a linup in that slowly slowly is blowing a lead after the bench worked so hard to build it is infurating at least, and dangerous at worse (see Flip Saunders, 2004 WCF).
Yep. The depth of the bench was the USA's best trait. That's why Bosh and Wade had monster contributions vs. other teams' 2nd unit. Some of other teams were only 6-7 men deep for the most part.
Bill Plaschke:
The word on Kobe Bryant from his Olympic teammates: respect
Kobe Bryant and his U.S. teammates have scored 84 more points off turnovers than their opponents, and 91 more points off fast breaks.
Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt have garnered the fame. For Kobe Bryant, the reward is much more valuable.
Bill Plaschke
August 23, 2008
BEIJING -- He never wore a swimsuit, but nobody made a bigger splash.
He never ran a lap, yet nobody traveled farther.
The Beijing Olympics may initially be known for Michael Phelps' strength and Usain Bolt's speed, but, among American sports fans, no memory will prove as indelible as Kobe Bryant's redemption.
It's here. It's done. It will be officially completed on Sunday when the U.S. reclaims a gold medal against overmatched Spain, but, in terms of the one thing Bryant had lost, it's already happened.
The Olympics will give Phelps and Bolt only fame.
The Olympics have given Bryant the more enduring gift of respect.
Seven games down, one remaining, and longtime Bryant watchers are hearing the most unusual things.
Players speaking glowingly of him. Players speaking kindly of him.
Players who once universally distrusted him, well, they like him. They really like him.
The sort of All-Star team that once froze him out now follows him, gaining energy from his defense, making it their mantra.
Every game, Bryant has been the first player in a defensive stance, the first guy guarding the opponent in the backcourt, squatting and straining alone in front of four guys who have no choice but to imitate.
If this team could have only one passport, Bryant playing defense would be the photo.
"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."
The sort of smart players who once shunned him now actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.
Every game, he's the player pointing to other players, directing them on both sides of the court, counseling them, cheering them.
"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film, talks basketball all the time, knows everything."
Finally, the sort of nice-guy players who once ignored him now treat him as an equal.
"We're good friends, so none of what he does surprises me," said center Carlos Boozer.
Notice something interesting about that sentence?
In my memory, it's the first time that anyone has ever been quoted saying that he and Bryant were "good friends."
The loner has become an embraced leader, and you could see it again Friday in a 101-81 rout of defending Olympic champion Argentina at Wukesong Arena.
Before the game, the handful of players who had competed on the embarrassing 2004 Olympics team in Athens pleaded with them for revenge.
Bryant listened, and came out crazy.
He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.
He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong scrum.
And then, he ran the first player off the court, chasing Ginobili to the bench with what appeared to be a sprained ankle less than seven minutes into the game.
Neither Ginobili, nor the Argentine chances, returned.
"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."
It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.
It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring, and that volunteering for anything can only bring embarrassment.
"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."
Notice something interesting about that sentence?
How many times does a teammate compliment Bryant on something that doesn't involve numbers? Even when his Lakers teammates talk about how Bryant won't let them lose, they are talking about his scoring.
As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.
He is only the third-leading scorer on the team, at 14.3 points a game. He ranks fourth in steals. He ranks sixth in assists. Eighth in rebounding.
It's not about the numbers. It's about the perception.
His teammates can't believe this is the Kobe Bryant who has, at various times in this career, cast himself as heartless and selfish.
His teammates see him only as the leader of a defense that has scored 84 more points off turnovers than their opponents and 91 more points off fastbreaks.
Notice something interesting about this column?
As recently as a year ago, you couldn't write a story about Kobe Bryant's impact on a team without talking to Kobe Bryant. His teammates never had much to say, and when they did, they seemed to say it with fear.
This time, though, there are no Bryant quotes. There is not enough room. His teammates said plenty.
Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke
@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke
good article. growing up makes a big difference.
Yes.
We'll never know if they could have won without Wade either.
Plashcke trying his hardest to complement Kobe, haha.
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