Saturday, January 28, 2006
My Take on Kobe
OK, so this post is a few days late. I've had a long week; so sue me.
On Sunday Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game against the Raptors. It' been the talk of the NBA all week. People have been analyzing his moves and wondering if he has a shot of ever breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record of 100 points. (Answer: no.) They're even making special commemorative T-shirts as though someone just won a championship.
I'm surprised that hardly anyone I've read has made the simple observation that was my first thought when hearing the news:
Man, I knew Kobe was self-centered, but he just took ball hogging to a new level!
Basketball, unless I didn't get the memo, is a TEAM sport. Kobe's game has already been branded the greatest individual performance in the history of basketball. One of his opponents that night called him "the best all-around player and competitor in the game." The man only had 3 steals, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in his 42 minutes. And, even more telling for a guard: 2 (TWO!) assists!
Ball hog ball hog ball hog. I'll grant that Kobe turned it on in a game where they were down by a lot, and his effort helped the team win. But a great player makes the players around him better (look at what Scottie Pippen did after Jordan retired). He doesn't make the players around him into spectators.
On Sunday Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game against the Raptors. It' been the talk of the NBA all week. People have been analyzing his moves and wondering if he has a shot of ever breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record of 100 points. (Answer: no.) They're even making special commemorative T-shirts as though someone just won a championship.
I'm surprised that hardly anyone I've read has made the simple observation that was my first thought when hearing the news:
Man, I knew Kobe was self-centered, but he just took ball hogging to a new level!
Basketball, unless I didn't get the memo, is a TEAM sport. Kobe's game has already been branded the greatest individual performance in the history of basketball. One of his opponents that night called him "the best all-around player and competitor in the game." The man only had 3 steals, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in his 42 minutes. And, even more telling for a guard: 2 (TWO!) assists!
Ball hog ball hog ball hog. I'll grant that Kobe turned it on in a game where they were down by a lot, and his effort helped the team win. But a great player makes the players around him better (look at what Scottie Pippen did after Jordan retired). He doesn't make the players around him into spectators.
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