2008 NBA Playoffs
                                                        Kobe's Killer Instinct

                                  By: Patrick Crawley

 

June 10, 2008 - Will Kobe's Killer Instinct Lead to a Lakers Championship?

It was inevitable; Kobe Bryant was bound to go off sometime. After all, the reigning MVP is not only the most talented player in the league, he's also the most scrutinized. If he didn't come out with a great showing in Game 3, it would signal to all of the writers and analysts and speculators out there (the ones who criticize him on a frequent basis) that, no, he cannot carry a team to an NBA championship and, yes, he needed Shaq more than Shaq needed him during those three previous championship runs in Los Angeles.

If we know anything about Kobe Bryant, it is that he hates to admit defeat and he hates to admit that he needs anyone other than himself (more than his skill, Kobe's reputation is one preceded by pridefulness and intensity) so a terrific Game 3 performance from #24 was a something of a given, even before the game began. Looking back, it was more of a before-the-matter fact than it was a matter of wishful thinking.

Never one to disappoint, Kobe lived up to expectations on Tuesday night. After shooting a combined 41% from the field in Games 1 and 2 in Boston, Kobe exploded for 36 points, on 12-20 shooting, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. In a game that went down to the wire with Boston, Kobe's dizzying array of offensive moves inspired the home crowd at Staples Center and pushed the Lakers to a 87-81 victory.

Though other Lakers' players contributed to the win, most notably Sasha Vujacic, there was no doubt that this was the Kobe Show. With the Lakers coming home to Los Angeles facing a 2-0 deficit there was more pressure on Kobe than any other player in Game 3. Throw in the fact that Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol have been struggling and it was clear that the onus of the scoring would rest on Kobe's shoulders. In response to those challenges, Kobe made it clear to anyone who watched that he would stop at nothing to emerge victorious, even if it meant overriding Phil Jackson's offensive gameplan.

As Kobe began to revert back to "the old Kobe" during the first half of the game, taking defenders one-on-one with little regard for ball movement or team involvement, it seemed an all too familiar experience. As fans, we have seen this behavior from Mr. Bryant before and the outcome has not always been positive. Which leads to the question of team success as it pertains to Kobe's re-adopted "me first" style of play. Can the Lakers win with Kobe as their sole offensive option?

And from that question stems another, more pertinent one. Can the Lakers win if Kobe is successful at the expense of his teammates?

During stoppage times in Game 3, Kobe's omnipresent scowl spoke more about his temperment than any sideline interview could ever convey. The glares he made across the court at his mistake-prone teammates were more deadly than anything he directed at his opponents, not to mention the officials. His fury, at having lost the first two games of the series, brewed behind a fiery stare. His frustration, which mounted after every awkward pass and every missed shot, showed itself in persed lips and flaired nostrils. And his anxiety, stemming from a number of missed first half free throws, came across in every wrinkle of his brow.

These emotions were all on display, in classic Kobe fashion, on Tuesday night. And though his teammates may have missed it, in the fear of being turned to stone if they looked into his eyes, the one prevailing theme of his sideline scowls was not a hatred for those who let him down, but rather a ferocious determination dedicated to the pursuit of victory. That's another Kobe staple: determination. Weathering runs from Boston, perceived blown calls from the officials and brief disagreements with Phil Jackson, Kobe continued to attack the basket, earn trips to the free throw line and raise the intensity level on the court. There was no doubt about it, Kobe was focused on victory; almost perversely so.

In that way, Kobe's game-defining performance in Game 3 was far from a feel-good experience. In fact, it was quite the opposite. When Kobe disappeared, just minutes into the first quarter, and Black Mamba emerged with a rage-fueled ode to winning at all costs, it was similar to the moment in Season 4 of the The Wire when Michael made the decision to kill Bodie and take over Bodie's corner. With both young men, there was a quality of desperation in the acts committed, an air of needing something so badly that the rules of society need not apply in its pursuit.

Observing Kobe's stare on the bench, it's difficult to imagine that he'd pass up an opportunity to take out an opponent by any means necessary if it meant that victory was on the line. Lakers fans may see this as a benefit, another reason to revolve the Earth, the moon and the stars around the almighty Kobe Bryant. But such blatant displays of anger and hostility do not resonate as clearly with non-Lakers fans.

Moments like these are inherently enthralling, thanks to the sheer human drama created within those moments, but at the same time, there is something decidedly wicked and unnerving about them. As a viewer, you get the feeling that no person should ever care as much about any one thing as Kobe cares for winning, or Michael cares for success on the streets.

But Kobe does care that much about winning. No matter what act he may put on for the media, he can't fool us when his naked ambition for winning is lying there, right before our eyes, in his wicked on-court glare. For Kobe, winning is like a terminal illness in his brain that he cannot, and would not want to, find a cure for. And whether it's under his control or not, Kobe's intense desire to win automatically relegates everything but winning to the position of distant second.

Halftime specials, like the one that ABC ran during Game 3 in an effort to take a look at Kobe's "softer" side, are nice. They present a contrived, pre-packaged slice of life from Mr. Bryant, an idealic snapshot of his home life or his interaction with teammates.

But if you want to know the truth about Kobe Bryant and what he values, just take a look at his sidelines scowl before, during and after the game on Thursday. This is not a man who is out to inspire his teammates, or have a positive influence on his community, or even raise a successful family. Winning is singular and total for him. Teammates be damned. Officials be damned. Coach be damned. When Kobe wins, he pleases Kobe, not his teammates or his coaches or the league. So who cares if he burns a few bridges along the way?

As the Finals progress, it will be interesting to see if those burned bridges will come back to haunt him.

 

 

 

 

 

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