5 Things Kobe Bryant Needs to Do for the LA Lakers to Go to the NBA Finals
Kobe Bryant‘s excellence on and off the court is a major reason why he’s played in seven NBA Finals and won five of them.
Nothing is different this year.
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to rely on Kobe Bryant once again to take them to the Finals. However, with Kobe, it’s not always about what he needs to do to take his team to the championship, but it’s about what he shouldn’t do, too.
Sometimes, he tries too hard to take over games. Other times, his shot isn’t there and he needs to utilize his teammates more efficiently.
With that being said, Kobe is still the best player on this team, and here are five things he must do to take his team to the NBA Finals.
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No Kobe Bryant means NBA scoring title to Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant will win the NBA scoring title for the third year in a row.
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Bryant has strong advice for Griffin
Kobe Bryant has some advice for Blake Griffin and all the hard fouls he’s faced this season. “I’d smack the f*ck out of somebody,” Kobe said yesterday. “I’ve known him for awhile and he’s a really nice guy so I don’t know if he’d want to do that. But, I would. I’ve done it early [...]
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Kobe Bryant Has Perfect Solution for Blake Griffin Bullying
Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin takes a lot of abuse because of the way he plays basketball. The more pain inflicted on the body, the more likely it is his career ends sooner than it should. Fortunately, a fellow superstar is here to offer sage advice to curtail the abuse Griffin takes.
Kobe Bryant has built a reputation as one of the most intense and fierce competitors in the NBA. Griffin is one of the most exciting players to watch, but has a much more laid-back approach on the court.
So when Bryant offered advice on what the Los Angeles Clippers star should do to curtail the punishment he takes, it came off as both shocking and brilliant.
I’d smack the f— out of somebody. I’ve known him for a while and he’s a really nice guy so I don’t know if he’d want to do that. But I would. I would’ve done it early in the year.
–snip–
“Sometimes you have to say, ‘Look, you’re not going to do this to me. I’ll take two games but you’re not going to put my health at risk by injuring me potentially. It’s not going to happen.’
While Bryant’s words of wisdom might not sit well with David Stern, there is a lot of truth to what he is saying.
It might be a psychological thing with other players, but if they know that they can go after Griffin hard without fear of him retaliating in kind, they could be more likely to hit him harder than someone else.
But if Griffin fights back with a hard foul or two of his own, opposing players are going to think long and hard about doing anything to him again.
Bryant isn’t advocating injuring someone, but there are times when you have to send a message in a physical way.
Griffin should get more aggressive with the way he plays to keep opponents off his back, so we can avoid ugly incidents like the one that happened with Robin Lopez last week. It might cost him a game or two suspension, but if it keeps opponents from beating up on him and he can stay on the court, it is a small price to pay.
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Bryant, Gasol partner up on racehorse
Kobe Bryant outbid his Lakers teammate Pau Gasol for a racehorse called Siempre Mio, but the Spaniard was so enamored with the name — which translates to “Always Mine” — that the original owner allowed the pair to become partners.
Mark Verge, the CEO of Los Angeles-area thoroughbred race track Santa Anita Park, offered a 25 percent stake in the four-year-old gelding as part of a Lakers Foundation fundraiser at Riviera Country Club on Tuesday night.
“What ended up happening was that Kobe and Pau got into a bidding war and Kobe finally outran Pau at $8,000,” Verge said.
“I decided that since Pau was bidding with interest and he really did give it the old college try, I’d donate another 25 percent to him as long as he made a separate donation to the Lakers Foundation.
“So now, Kobe and Pau own 50 percent of Siempre Mio, with no expenses, for the rest of the year.”
The horse’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, said he had spoken to Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, about getting silks made with the team colors, bloodhorse.com reported.
“She said, ‘Just make them, and we’ll use them as long as the legal team passes them,’ ” O’Neill said.
O’Neill said $24,000 was raised in total for charity with the sale of Siempre Mio.
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Lakers’ Bryant, Gasol team up to buy horse
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are more than just teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA stars have partnered in owning a racehorse.
Bryant and Gasol bid against each other for an ownership stake in a 4-year-old gelding named Siempre Mio as part of a Lakers Foundation fundraiser at Riviera Country Club on Tuesday night.
Santa Anita Park chief executive officer Mark Verge donated a 25 percent stake in the gelding along with a day at the races as part of a live auction.
”Pao Gasol bid first, but then he and Kobe got into a little bit of a bidding war. Kobe won the bidding at $8,000,” Doug O’Neill, who trains the gelding, said Wednesday.
Verge then offered Gasol a chance to buy a 25 percent interest in the horse in exchange for a donation to the Lakers Foundation. Part of the deal was that the new owners pay no expenses in the horse’s care and training.
O’Neill said he spoke to Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, about having silks designed similar to the Lakers’ jerseys.
”Pau was really excited,” O’Neill said. ”He told me he loves horses and it was just a matter of time before he bought a racehorse. Kobe can’t wait to see him run, barring playoff conflicts.”
Siempre Mio has two wins and a second in five career starts, including winning his most recent race on March 31 at Santa Anita. The gelding is also owned by Verge, who owns WestsideRentals.com and Chris Quinn, vice president of sales and marketing at Santa Anita.
Bryant and Gasol aren’t the first among the Lakers organization to be involved in thoroughbred racing. Jerry Buss has co-owned horses over the years, while son and team executive Jim Buss was a licensed trainer for several years in California.
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NBA Playoffs 2012: Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum Will Get Kobe Bryant 6th Ring
While all the attention in Laker Land is going to the impending suspension of Metta World Peace, the championship hopes of the Lakers lie with their Twin Towers in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
For the next couple of days, we can see if Kobe Bryant will win his third scoring title and if World Peace will be in uniform for the playoffs, but once all the chips are on the table and the games start counting, the Lakers’ best chance to add another championship to their collection is in the hands of their big men.
More importantly, Kobe knows it.
Hopefully for the Lakers’ sake, head coach Mike Brown knows it as well.
Playoff basketball is much different than regular season basketball, and the Lakers have an advantage with Bynum and Gasol that few teams are equipped to deal with.
The Lakers’ superior length will carry them to a chance at a sixth ring for Bryant.
If Bynum’s head is screwed on straight and Gasol is getting touches around the rim, it’s better for everyone in a Lakers uniform, including Bryant.
The two monsters in the middle will be able to force opposing coaches’ hands.
If they elect to guard each big man with one guy, then the chances are that they will get eaten alive. If they elect to start doubling quickly, both Gasol and Bynum are good enough passers to find open shooters. That means easy looks at the basket for the likes of Bryant and point guard Ramon Sessions. They just have to knock down shots.
Of course, the success of Bynum and Gasol can force teams to zone the Lakers often, but that’s where Bryant comes up big.
Shooting the ball from the outside hasn’t been strength of this Lakers team, but if Kobe and company can shoot teams out of the zone, it will force opposing teams to pick their poison on who they want to beat them on each night.
Kobe, Gasol and Bynum have proven throughout the season that they can come up big when needed.
It’s not just on the offensive end of the floor where Bynum and Gasol will impact the Lakers in the playoffs. They will be a handful for teams to deal with on the defensive end as well. The duo has combined to grab 22.2 RPG and block 3.28 shots per game. Attacking the paint is not easy when the Lakers duo is playing well at the defensive end.
So, while people like to talk about a sixth ring for Kobe, the easiest way to do that is to ride the big men.
People will point out that the Lakers’ depth and lack of shooting will cost them in the long run, and that’s entirely possible. But they have something that no one else has, and it should be a major strength of this team when the playoffs begin.
There’s a reason Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak didn’t trade either Gasol or Bynum during the season, and that’s because he knows what kind of advantage they bring the Lakers in a seven-game series against anyone. Now, all the Lakers have to do is ride them and reap the benefits.
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10 Reasons Kobe Bryant and the Lakers Could Use Lamar Odom in the Playoffs
Former sixth man of the year Lamar Odom was a huge part of the Los Angeles Lakers title runs in 2009 and 2010.
This season, the Lakers are poised to make yet another run at a championship, this time without Odom.
While the Lakers are a contender, there are numerous areas in which they are flawed.
Many of these flaws can be attributed to Odom’s absence.
Because of this, the Lakers could have surely used Odom’s presence in the playoffs in order to win another title.
Here are 10 reasons why.
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Kobe Bryant back in Lakers lineup tonight
The NBA’s leading scorer returns as the Lakers hope to secure a No. 3 seed for the playoffs.
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Lakers commit record 92 turnovers as a benched Kobe Bryant demands ball on each possession
OAKLAND—The Lakers collected an ugly 99-97 road victory against the Warriors last night, committing a record setting 92 turnovers, a majority of which came when Lakers players passed the ball out of bounds to Kobe Bryant, who, despite being on the bench with a shin injury, called for the ball on nearly every Lakers possession.
“You have to crack a few eggs if you want to make an omelette,” said Bryant after the game when asked about the 92 turnovers, which more than doubled the previous mark set by the then-San Francisco Warriors in 1971. “Yeah, we turned the ball over a bit, but I got my touches and we got the W. That’s no coincidence.”
When asked about Kobe’s comments, coach Mike Brown replied, “Yes. Yes, it is a coincidence. But please don’t write that down. I don’t want Kobe to know I said that.”
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