It’s been an uneven season for the Lakers team as a whole. They’ve struggled against elite competition, suffered several dubious home losses against lesser opponents and most recently have been beset with trade rumors of the Carmelo Anthony for Andrew Bynum variety.
But through it all Kobe is actually having one of the most efficient seasons of his career. At first glance, the Mamba’s production is down a bit from previous years but that fact is mostly due to a decrease in minutes (33.8 minutes per game, third lowest of his career) and less to do with an overall regression in his capabilities. In fact if you look at Kobe’s true shooting percentage, player efficiency rating and points per 40 minutes average he is ahead of last year’s pace.
Moreover as we all saw in the Lakers’ breezy victory against the Knicks last week at the world’s most famous arena, Kobe is still entirely capable of making his opponents on the court resemble mere mortals, while he carves them up with a variety of superhuman drives, fade aways, spin moves and jab fakes. Expect that Kobe to be the one that suits up on Sunday.
Next: All Eyes on L.A.
Call it the big stage effect. Call it showmanship or maybe just a good sense of timing, but when the light’s shine brightest seems to be when Kobe does his best work. With the spotlight squarely on the city of Los Angeles for this year’s All-Star game I expect nothing less than a star worthy turn.
If Kobe is to take home the MVP trophy, it will probably come down to one word. Shots. Shots can be hard to come by in a game where every player on the floor is used to being “the man” on the team they play for. If Kobe gets his shots and fills up the box, history tells us he wins this award. Looking back at previous games, every time Kobe has taken 20 or more field goal attempts in an All-Star game he’s won the MVP award. Pretty straight forward arithmetic, and in all likelihood he’ll hit that milestone, especially when we consider the factors working in his favor.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q_BcawK8Xc
For one thing, All-Star affairs are always dominated by guards and forwards. These are the players that advance the ball up the floor and always have the option to create for themselves, while big guys rely on their perimeter counter parts to feed them the rock, and in being so dependant, can often go long stretches without getting a touch. In this regard, if Kobe wants shots, he should have no problem getting them.
Secondly, there is certain a sentimentality that plays a role these games. This will probably be the last time Kobe plays in an All-Star game in his home city and we all know how the NBA likes to use narratives like this to advance the drama. Rest assured they’ll push the home town angle during the broadcast and if the other players pick up on that vibe, and my bet is they will, they may actually be force feeding Kobe down the stretch to the delight of the home fans.
Really, if anything stands in the way of Kobe and his fourth All-Star MVP it’s the fact that the East roster is absolutely loaded. They have Dwight Howard, the league’s most dominant center, Lebron James, the league’s best forward and Derrick Rose who might be the frontrunner for league MVP.
Yet somehow, I have this feeling that the West is going to find a way to pull it out with Kobe leading the way. And the biggest reason I’m sure that number 24 will put on a monumental performance in this Sunday’s game is he, probably more than any player in the league, is conscious of his place in NBA history.
Next: Don’t Say It Doesn’t Matter
Kobe may not admit it, but he knows that his career will not go on forever. He feels like he’s still at the top of his game and would like nothing more than to display his brilliance to a national audience, and at the same time, advance his case in comparison to one of greatest to ever play.
You see there’s this other 6’6 shooting guard who used to play for the Bulls who just so happens to also have three All-Star Game MVP trophies. Kobe has been compared to Michael Jordan from the moment he stepped in the league, and because of their similarities and their success, they will be inextricably linked long after Kobe’s career has ended. Surely the debate will rage on in bars and living rooms for ages. Was it Michael? Or was it Kobe.
But I say it’s too early to have the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) argument since Kobe’s body of work is still incomplete, and who knows how long he’ll play for, how many more rings he might win or records he might set. For now I’d almost have to give it to MJ based on that alone.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOo9EcbraW0
Still, starting with Sunday’s All-Star Game Kobe has a chance to add another notch to his belt, to put his name above Jordan’s, at least in this particular category. And if you don’t think he’s fully aware of that fact, then you really don’t know the Black Mamba.