As the playoffs are now just days away we begin to consider and break down potential opponents. From a team vs. team to a player vs. player perspective, the winner of a seven game series is in large part determined by match-ups. The Lakers’ speed, age and length will all be important factors against whichever opponents await. Although, regardless of how the Lakers will match up to their opponents, they will always have the advantage at the shooting guard position. No exception.
For the most part, the opposite shooting guard is called on to slow down Kobe Bryant. With no real way of stopping him, the most they can do is play a pesky style of man-defense and hope for the best. During the Lakers’ current championship campaign, dating back to the 2008 playoffs, players on the opposing bench have tried every which way to get at Bryant. From series to series, players from J.R. Smith, to Shane Battier, to Ron Artest, to Mickael Pietrus have all tried to etch their name as the perennial “Kobe stopper”.
But there is one infamous opponent that stands above the rest.
I currently reside near Phoenix, Arizona. Even though he has not worn a Suns uniform for a few seasons, Raja Bell is still considered a hometown hero in the valley. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Suns fans are calling to retire his jersey when he calls it quits. All this love and admiration stems from one single play in 2006 when Raja Bell went vintage NBA on Two-Four, then Eight, and clothe-lined Bryant to the floor. Suns fans went crazy and Mike D’Antoni began barking at somebody over something.
Since that night happened, I am constantly reminded and asked about that play. With Suns fans as co-workers in every job I’ve had, it’s hard to escape the memory of Bryant on the floor, Bell smiling and the cheers of “Kobe sucks!” A friend of mine even created it into his screensaver.
Because of this, Bell is often referred in Phoenix as the ultimate “Kobe stopper.” But was he?
In 2006, Bryant’s regular season scoring average was 35.4 points per game. Bryant’s regular season average against the Suns when Bell played went up to 42.3 points per game. Advantage Bryant. In the Lakers’ first and only round of the playoffs against the Suns, Bryant’s average dropped to 27.9 points per game. Advantage Bell? Nope. That is still higher than his current career playoff average of 25.5 points per game.
Since then, the aforementioned players and many others have had their crack at Bryant. Shane Battier all but perfected sticking his hand in Bryant’s face instead of contesting the ball. It never worked. Bryant would respond to that tactic with his famous “You can’t guard me” taunts.
Ron Artest, then a member of the Rockets, tried the combative approach to defense and just got up in Bryant’s face. A few technicals and an ejection early on in that series and Artest would have to play more reserved, sharing the load with Battier.
As if experience would be an advantage, Grant Hill saw a fair share of Bryant in the 2010 Western Conference Finals. The last images we have of Hill guarding Bryant was Bryant’s double pump fade-away before tapping coach Alvin Gentry on the behind.
As if youth and ignorance might encourage a young Ronnie Brewer to make a name for himself in 2009, Kobe showed the young guard first hand his complete set of circus shots and impossible makes. At one point, ESPN’s Doris Burke, who was calling the game, yelled out “Oh come on! This just isn’t fair!”
When their players are deemed helpless, sometimes the fans will help in the effort. In 2010 against the Celtics in the Finals, Chris Rock got in Bryant’s ear during a timeout on the floor. As the camera paned out to show them sitting a seat apart, Bryant is shown pensive and focused on the game, completely ignoring the comedian.
Who might Bryant face this upcoming post season?
If the playoffs started today, the Lakers would see New Orleans in the first round. The Lakers have not met New Orleans in the playoffs in a very long time, so it’s hard to tell who might get the graveyard shift. Although, one has to believe that Trevor Ariza might see significant time against Bryant, which may prove to be entertaining as the two actually like each other.
Either Denver or Oklahoma City would await in the second round. The Lakers have seen both teams in recent history, so the defensive match-ups are a bit more predictable. J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin have attempted to tag team against Bryant in the past, but neither has the right combination of speed and length to really slow him down.
For the fans and the league, a second round series against the Thunder would be ideal. That means Bryant vs. Durant. Perhaps Durant does have a better mix of speed and length to make things interesting for Bryant, but there has not been an opponent in over 10 years that has had any amount of sustained luck against him.
Should the Lakers make it to the Finals, the only team that has any chance of containing Bryant is Miami. Dealing with LeBron and Dwayne, one after the other, might give Bryant the biggest challenge he’s had in years. If the Lakers face Orlando, we can expect Jason Richardson to see the most minutes against Two-Four on defense, but his time with the Suns only proved that Richardson has a hard time keeping his composure against a determined Bryant.
Bulls vs. Lakers in the Finals would be a media fantasy. We all know what happened to Brewer last time he guarded Bryant, so Keith Bogans and maybe even Luol Deng would get defensive minutes on Bryant. For one, it is hard to imagine that Bogans or Deng would be able to validate a myth that has existed for years – that Bryant can be stopped in the post season. Two, it would be even harder to imagine Bryant losing the opportunity to put his sixth cookie in the jar against the Bulls.
That is because it wouldn’t just be the Bulls. It would be “Jordan’s Bulls.” Even though the legend has no public affiliation with the franchise, it would beg the question:
What if we saw Jordan guarding Bryant?