Two superstars are stronger than one
01/21/2003
Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
One of my regular readers e-mailed me today.
I know, I say "one of my regular readers" like I've got a legion of devoted fans who refresh the site every 20 minutes just to see if I've blessed them with another breathtaking sports column.
Anyway, we've gotten into several e-mail discussions in the past regarding baseball's labor issues, my declining interest in the NBA, and even the baby my wife and I are expecting in March and the accompanying life changes we're about to endure. Today, though, this reader wanted to turn my attention back to the NBA hardwood, asking me, "What is on your mind, with relation to the greatest sport ever played by 10 guys?"
I'm pretty sure there's a joke somewhere in that "greatest sport ever played by 10 guys" phrase, but I should probably just leave it alone.
To be honest, with the NFL playoffs winding down and the imminent visit from the stork in about six weeks, I haven't been paying much attention to hoops this year.
Maybe it's because the Cavs couldn't beat a team of blind, one-armed midgets in a game of horse.
Of course, that doesn't mean I've been completely ignoring the Association this year -- I know that the Mavs and Kings are playing phenomenal ball, I know that Antoine Walker has never met a shot he doesn't like, I know that Ron Artest harbors a strong dislike for television equipment, and I know that Yao Ming is pretty darn tall.
See, I'm not completely out of the loop. Hell, I've even got a 10-point lead in my fantasy basketball league thanks to Kevin Garnett, Baron Davis and Ben "Bad Ass Boarder" Wallace.
Oh, and I know one more thing: Anybody who thinks the Lakers aren't going to make the playoffs is dumber than Jerry Krause.
Yeah, they started the season 0-2, and then 3-9, 6-12 and finally, the low point, 11-19, a run that prompted all those conspiracy theorists to claim that NBA commish David Stern was handing high-school stud LeBron James to the Lakers.
But 10 games after that 19th loss, given to the champs as a Christmas Day gift by the Kings in LA, the Lakers are now 19-21, 12.5 games behind the Mavericks but only six behind Utah for the fourth seed and just 3.5 behind Minnesota for the eighth and final playoff slot. They've won eight of their last 10, including victories over Phoenix (25-17) and New Orleans (22-20), and they've outscored those eight opponents by an average of 15 points per game.
Now, I know that six of those wins came against Denver, Toronto, Seattle, Cleveland, Miami and the Clippers, but who cares? Shaq is averaging 26 and 10 this month after going for better than 27 and 11 in December, Kobe's hitting nearly 32 per game in January to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists, plus he leads the NBA with five triple-doubles.
The Lakers are starting to roll. Memo to everybody else in the West: watch out.
But some fans haven't taken much notice. I watched a little of the Lakers/Clippers game Monday night and they showed the results of an online poll regarding how the Lakers' season was going to end. More than 20% of the voters said the Lakers wouldn't even make the playoffs.
Huh?
It's not like the Lakers are 12 games out of that eighth spot in March. It's not even February and they've quietly crept to within just 3.5 of KG and the 'Wolves. Forget about 11-19 -- this is a different team.
Shaq's healthy, Kobe's refocused and role players like Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and Samaki Walker have finally settled into their roles. They've got some work ahead, including an upcoming five-game stretch against the Nets, Suns, Kings, Jazz and Pacers, but this is a team that's won all the important games the past three years.
So why would you think that they can't do it again this season?
At the center of this turnaround is Kobe, the new father himself. (And trust me when I say that the similarities between Kobe and me pretty much end with that new father stuff.) He's been criticized for selfish play throughout his young career, he's been called a ball hog by fans, the media, and even his own teammates and coaches, and he's been asked to follow Shaq's lead for years.
Yet through each of the Lakers' last three championship runs, he's refused to be eclipsed by the big man's shadow, which isn't exactly an easy task. He may have watched the Diesel rack up a league MVP and three Finals MVP trophies along the way, but Bryant's always been that annoying little brother who won't go away, who won't shut up, who won't follow the rules no matter how many times he's sent to his room.
That doesn't mean he's not a team player, though. It simply means he's figured out when to lead and when to fall in line behind his much bigger brother.
And this year's been no different. Shaq missed the first dozen games of the season while recovering from toe surgery and the Lakers suffered through a 3-9 start. Kobe was magnificent, though, averaging nearly 30 points, nine boards, six assists and better than two steals per game. He recorded two-straight triple-doubles against the Clippers (33, 15 and 12) and Blazers (33, 14 and 12) on November 1 and 3, both LA wins, and then nearly got a third one the next game against the Cavs, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. He dropped 41 points on November 7 against Boston, 45 on the Warriors November 15, and 46 the next game against the Rockets.
| --------------------------- I think it's safe to say that big brother needs little brother as much as little brother needs big brother. And little brother knows it. --------------------------- |
But the Lakers were 1-2 in those three 40-point outbursts and suddenly we started to hear the same complaints: he's shooting too much, he doesn't get his teammates involved, this just goes to show that Shaq's more important than Kobe.
Shooting too much? Would you rather have Fox or Robert Horry hoisting 20-plus shots a night?
Not getting teammates involved? What about those two triple-doubles and the six dimes he averaged in those opening 12 games? Bryant had never averaged more than 5.5 assists during an entire season.
Shaq more important than Kobe? I think it's safe to say that big brother needs little brother as much as little brother needs big brother.
And little brother knows it. His numbers without Shaq: 29.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. His numbers with Shaq: 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. Kobe shot just 42% from the floor in those first 12 games and 46% in the last 28.
Most important, though, the Lakers were 3-9 with Kobe leading the charge alone; they're 16-12 with Kobe and Shaq on the floor.
The Lakers have defied the team theory for three years by winning championships with two superstars and a bunch of complementary parts. After the first title they were told it couldn't be done again.
They did it again.
After that second one, the critics said they needed more help.
They did it again.
Now the Lakers are up for a four-peat and people are counting them out in January.
Now, I'm not necessarily saying that they'll do it again, but with both Kobe and Shaq out there, I certainly wouldn't suggest that they can't.
In the Bullz-Eye
Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders. I was going to write something this week about the San Diego reunion between Gruden and his former team, but then I realized that everybody else was writing the same damn thing. Still, this is a grudge match that simply can't be ignored. Who's better off, Gruden with his new team or the Raiders with their new coach? Aside from the Super Bowl championship, there's dignity and bragging rights on the line -- Gruden wants to prove that leaving for Tampa Bay was the right choice and the Raiders want to show that they're a better team without Chucky on the sidelines. The NFL couldn't have written a juicier script.
Questions/comments? Send
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