Word: bryants
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...There's just one problem. Kobe Bryant might hijack the show. He's just too damn good right now, averaging almost 32 points per game in the playoffs, hitting every ridiculous shot you can imagine, looking every bit as good as Michael Jordan in his heyday. He scored 17 fourth-quarter points in L.A.'s decisive Western Conference finals win over the Spurs, lifting his growing legend...
...want to be more disciplined than usual," says Anthony. "Pick your spots to be aggressive." When playing an explosive team like the Lakers, you're going to have to make sacrifices. What does Boston need more, a few loose balls for Rajon Rondo, or the brakes on Kobe Bryant? If they want to hoist the championship trophy, it's the latter...
...Kobe gets in rhythm - and he is bound to at some point - Boston can't let him hit outside shots all day. So when the time comes to body up and force him to the basket, they need to send him to the baseline. In the triangle offense, Bryant often receives the ball on the wing. There, he has two choices - drive to the middle of the floor, or towards the corner, where he can turn and dribble to the basket along the baseline...
...gets to the middle? "You're screwed," says Hubie Brown, the Hall of Fame coach and analyst. Why? "He has so many options," says 6-ft 9-in Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng, who has matched up against Bryant in the past. "He can go back to his left, go right, pull up, take the fade-away." He has lots of room to float - and no one floats further away from his defender, and still makes the shot, better than Kobe. Plus, when he's in the middle, Kobe's superior peripheral vision allows him to see the entire floor...
...first quarter, and Jason Kidd on him in the fourth. It's probably not a coincidence that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team has held Kobe to a lower scoring average during his career (21.9 points per game). Deng's Chicago Bulls match up different players on Bryant as well, and they held him to just 18 points per game this season...