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i just can't understand all the drama bet the Lakers and Miami team players, not just between ShaQ & Kobe
the last time they met, it was Payton and Odom, right. Well, i think i like Odom more than Payton.
i bet there will be more of it til playoffs hehe
well, here's the pic of the day
Both Shaq and Kobe have downplayed their very real personal animosity. It's all media hype. True rivalries can only exist between teams on the same level of excellence. Wins and losses are the only things that count. Blah, blah, and even humbug! The truth is that despite their making nicey-nicey before Monday's game, both of these guys would give their eye/teeth to humiliate the other.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant shared a hug and some kind words before the start of Monday's game. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
Too many times this season Kobe has reverted to his shoot-em-up and forget-about-dee mode. And, because all of Shaq's vital statistics are down, the buzz around the league is that the Big Load's ability to dominate ball games is diminishing.
In the final regular-season meeting of the Heat and the home-standing Lakers, nobody expected to see Kobe go out of his way to take a chance on a hard-driving Big Diesel or to witness Shaq's closing on one of Kobe's ventures into the paint and smacking both the ball and his former teammates' noggin into the stands. A more realistic expectation was that each would have his chops cranked to the max.
Let's investigate the Lakers' emotional 100-92 win to see whether Shaq or Kobe had the most influence on the outcome.
Name MIN FG 3-FG FT REB A ST BS TO PTS
O'Neal 31 8-14 0-0 2-8 10 1 0 1 1 38
Bryant 41 13-24 2-5 9-9 3 4 1 0 1 37
By actual count, Shaq dominated a total of ten plays during his 31 minutes on the court.
Three put-backs of his teammates' missed shots, plus another offense rebound that resulted in a foul and his making 1-of-2 free throws.
A quick spin and a flipper that split the net.
Three baskets scored after catching clever entry passes and shooting without having to put the ball on the floor.
One excellent defensive rotation that denied an easy shot and eventually forced the Heat to hoist up a desperate shot to beat the shot-clock.
A blocked shot that led to the blockee (Luke Walton) fouling Shaq. Shaq was also fouled in the act twice, but missed all four free throws sequences that Tex Winter regards as turnovers.
Over all, Shaq looked slower afoot than he ever has. Both Chris Mihm and young Andrew Bynum were able to leave him in the dust with quick spin moves. Several of the Lakers big men including Bynum bounced off the floor while Shaq was still gathering himself to jump and subsequently beat O'Neal to rebounds.
Instead of moving his feet, Shaq repeatedly reached for the ball on defense. That's why he was tagged with five fouls, one of which was particularly interesting: Shaq definitely delivered a slight bump as Lamar Odom was shooting a layup. But the refs waited until the shot missed before tooting their tooters. Had Odom's shot been successful, no foul would have been called. It's this kind of late, situational whistle that makes players and coaches blow their tops. Hey, guys, it's either a foul or it's not!
Shaq only missed six shots, but some of them were doozies: A 3-foot bank shot from straightaway that slammed off the glass and never touched the rim; a 4-foot angle-flipper that never touched the rim; an unimpeded layup that clanged off the ring; a 4-foot jump hook that weighed a ton and missed by a mile. For sure, Shaq's lifetime field goal percentage is close to 58 percent but given the easy shots he takes, anybody else in the league would be shooting 80 percent. In truth, Shaq has the worst shooting touch since Chris Dudley.
Was the big guy hurt? Old? Too heavy? Tired? Bored? Whatever was plaguing Shaq, in this particular game the Heat played better with him on the bench: The middle was open for drives by Dwyane Wade and even Udonis Haslem. Alonzo Mourning covered much more ground on defense. Without Shaq, Miami showed quicker defensive rotations.
Perhaps Shaq will reassert his dominance come the playoffs. But the savvy bettor is advised to risk only his chump change on this eventuality coming to pass.
Kobe was dominant on offense, and a patsy on defense.
As is his wont, Kobe absolutely took over the game in the latter half of the fourth quarter, hitting long-range jumpers, moving crisply with and without the ball and thereby forcing the Heat to foul him. Indeed, as Miami made their move to catch the Lakers, Kobe missed only one clutch shot.
Equally as impressive was the fact that Kobe did most of his scoring within the context of the triangle. If he only made four non-assist passes that helped facilitate the offense, he only forced a total of four shots (making one).
Forget about A.I., T-Mac, Gilbert Arenas and the rest. Kobe is the most talented (and the most clutch) scorer in the league.
At the same time, his defense is getting worse and worse. He reacted passively to every screen set in his vicinity making no effort to get through, get over, or even get under. Whenever possible, Kobe leaned into the passing lanes. If he did intercept one pass, he also lost a pair of gambles that directly led to one basket scored by the bad guys as well as a foul being called on Kwame Brown.
Throughout the game, Wade obliterated Bryant's faux defense on fourteen separate occasions. (Kobe only played forceful defense against Wade on a single possession.) His lapses didn't all result in scores by Wade (11-24, 7 assists, 34 points). Some led to assist-passes, some to passes to wide-open teammates who proceeded to miss open shots or were fouled. Bryant also turned his head on numerous occasions thereby allowing Wade a backdoor cut that turned into a dunk. Another neck-twister permitted Gary Payton to run out, corral a lead pass, and score a layup.
It seemed as though Kobe played off-the-ball defense with a certain amount of ιlan, but only for a few seconds at a time. Whenever Wade had the ball, Kobe only played aggressive defense on Flash's initial dribble. Even so, the Lakers' team-defense was admirable, their rotations swift and accurate, and Miami was limited to 41 percent from the field.
What generalizations can be gleaned from the game?
The Lakers are slowly but surely coalescing and becoming a legitimate playoff team. Odom (5-12, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 19 points) is finally getting comfortable in the triangle. Brown (1-3, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 points) is making more and more good decisions especially on defense. Devean George (5-10, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 17 points) is L.A.'s X-factor. When he plays well, the Lakers can compete with almost every team in the league. And Phil Jackson doesn't require a roster full of super-stars to prove that he's one of the best coaches extant.
Also, Shaq's salad days are a distant memory. His downward spiral will accelerate unless, and until, he loses another thirty pounds.
And that, if his defense is pitiful, Kobe Bryant remains the game's most dominant, and most timely, point-maker.
Charley Rosen
