<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20 (Ticker) -- Kobe Bryant was at times unstoppable but rarely was unselfish. Bryant scored a league season-high 43 points but took seemingly every shot for the Los Angeles Lakers, missing his final four attempts in a 96-93 loss to the Chicago Bulls, who posted their first road win of the season. Video highlights from Bulls-Lakers: Play A seven-time All-Star, Bryant made 17-of-34 shots as he hoisted at least 25 for the ninth time in 10 games this season and at least 30 for the fourth time. Bryant poured in 37 points through the first three quarters but failed to take over down the stretch. With about eight minutes remaining, Bryant emerged in transition and split two defenders with a beautiful wraparound move, making a layup for a three-point play. He added a 20-foot jumper on the next possession for an 84-77 lead with 7:20 left but did not score again. The Bulls, who came in with a three-game losing streak, ended the contest on an 11-1 run while showing that two scoring options are better than one. Chris Duhon and Kirk Hinrich combined for 19 of Chicago's 22 fourth-quarter points, with each drilling huge 3-pointers down the stretch. Lakers guard Smush Parker sank a shot from the arc for a 92-85 lead with 4:03 left, but Hinrich and Duhon answered with consecutive 3-pointers to bring Chicago within a point. Andres Nocioni completed the comeback with a driving layup to give the Bulls a 93-92 lead with 1:59 remaining, but Lamar Odom answered with a free throw to tie it with 1:25 to go. After the teams exchanged empty possessions, Chicago's Mike Sweetney drove to the rim and was clobbered by Lakers rookie center Andrew Bynum. Sweetney, who finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, made 1-of-2 from the line to give the Bulls a 94-93 lead. The Lakers opted not to take a timeout, instead pushing the ball upcourt. Bryant forced a shot, attempting an off-balance jumper over three defenders that failed to hit the rim. Duhon sank a pair of free throws to push the lead to three points. On the Lakers' final possession, Bryant's 3-pointer clanged off the front rim and Odom's game-tying attempt at the buzzer rimmed off. A 2004 second-round pick, Duhon continued to prove himself to be an overachiever, pouring in 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. The former Duke star made 5-of-7 shots from the arc, adding eight assists and five rebounds. Other than Bryant, Chris Mihm was the only Laker in double figures, scoring 13 quiet points. Parker was the only other Laker to take more than seven shots, making 3-of-12 for eight points. </div> Recap Box score Kobe needs to pass, he can't expect to win when he is hoisting up shots all game. The Lakers need more balance in their offense.
As I was watching Kobe drive and throw up that ugly UGLY attempt I was thinking the exact same thing. That was selfish and just exemplified the lack of trust he has in his teammates and their abilities.
Three consecutive games hoisting up at least 32+ shots? Wow. Kobe needs to cool it offensively and start getting others involved because before you know it the opposition will only focus on him and his offense aka the Lakers offense will struggle even more. The way I see it, he's in a similar situation Iverson has been for most of his career, and it wasn't till Iverson starting passing the ball more is in which things started getting better. If Kobe wants to improve his “game” he needs to take a few tips from A.I. He is just as capable creating for others like Iverson. He can get to the paint and draw attention like Iverson, plus he is a better finisher so that would draw even more attention and once he gets into the paint, like Iverson just drive & kick. It worked wonders for A.I, I think he should do the same, but I doubt the triangle runs too much like that and revolves more around Kobe creating around the perimeter. I’m not too sure but Kobe should most def. take a few tips from his peers. Well for the Lakers addicts out there, is there any particular reason why Kobe is taking all of those shots is it because Odom is not fitting into the triangle offense or what? The Lakers were worse last season but Kobe wasn't even taking all of those shots. Perhaps could it be frustration or Phil wants him to take those amounts of shots.
Odom doesn't make himself seen enough. He initiates the offense at the top and then runs down to set a screen or take a new position, and he dissapears. Then the ball goes to Kobe who shoots... They should swing the ball more before taking a shot. Kobe can get a pretty good shot almost every time he wants, so they shouldn't with the shot clock if they give the ball to him during the last 10 seconds, if they weren't able to create a scoring opportunity for someone else before. Also, I agree with what Magic Johnson said during the Knicks game; they should pass the ball in to the big guys (especially Kwame) the first few possesions so that they can get him going.
This game awful. The Lakers had the Bulls in their pockets during that late run. They became too relaxed and gave them the game. Once they were down by 1 point, the Lakers got paranoid and hoisted dumbass shots. One thing that is impressing me is Chris Mihm staying out of foul trouble and his contributions. Bynum should be playing alot more because he didn't do too bad last night. He looks like he can bloom quicker than most.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Avery:</div><div class="quote_post"> Well for the Lakers addicts out there, is there any particular reason why Kobe is taking all of those shots is it because Odom is not fitting into the triangle offense or what? The Lakers were worse last season but Kobe wasn't even taking all of those shots. Perhaps could it be frustration or Phil wants him to take those amounts of shots.</div> The situation is a little different than A.I. because it comes down to the other players not knowing how to play witin the Triangle. I think in Philly players new the offense, but A.I.'s role in the offense was to score as much as possible. I think A.I. got better when he learned to take higher percentage shots and the 76ers added more athletic players around him who could finish above the rim and some catch and shoot players. Right now Kobe is taking all those shots because PJax wants him to. In the Clippers loss Kobe said it's ridiculous for him to be shooting this much, but right now he has to carry the offense until his teammates learn how to play the in the Triangle. If you just look at the boxscore then you'll think Kobe is a ballhog and not passing the ball and creating for teammates. However, his statline doesn't tell the entire story. If you watch the game, you'll see how bad the spacing on the court is and the low percentage shots and turnovers resulting from it. Last night Kobe took a lot of shots, but he hit 50% of them, so it's hard to knock the guy. Without Kobe in the game, the Bulls would have blown the Lakers out. If you look at how the offense is when Kobe is out of the game, you'll get a better idea why he's taking all those shot attempts. The team is -12.8 when Kobe is off the court. Last night the interior defense was dominated by the Bulls. They outrebounded the Lakers by 10 and had 13 offensive rebounds. The Lakers were forced to use Odom at the PF, and just like last year he got into foul trouble early and was a non-factor in the game. The Lakers missed Kwame's presence in the paint last night, because he allows Odom to play SF, and Kwame has been our best low post defender. The Bulls outscored the Lakers 50 to 20 at points in the paint. Lamar Odom only took 4 shots last night, and was 1-6 from the free throw line. He missed crucial free throws again, and it was one of the main things costing the Lakers the game. The Lakers actually led by 8 points with just 6 minutes left in the game, and then went ice cold the rest of the way on offense. Lamar is 3-15 from the free throw line the past three games. Really unexceptable, considering the Lakers have been losing some close games. Right now I'd argue Chris Mihm is more valuable then Lamar Odom for this team. I never thought I'd have to make those comments, but Mihm is having more impact right now than Odom. That's how far down Odom's game has digressed this season. He'd be a great 3rd option for the team, but with the salary he's making he needs to be the 2nd option for the Lakers. If not it's time to package him for one or two players. Odom is no longer drawing double teams and can be stopped one on one by the opposition. A couple of bright spots, Andrew Bynum played 17 minutes in this game, and was great. The boxscore showed he only got credit for 2 blocks, but he had closer to 5 blocks in the game, and scored his first 4 points in his young career. The poor kid got stuffed by Chandler near the end of the game, but Bynum has been impressive so far. Sasha also played much better in this game, on offense and defense. He finally made his outside shot, and hit 2 out of 5 from behind the arc. An improvement over his previous 29% shooting from the field.
Ok wait a minute now. After each of the last three games, Kobe has said that he does not want to take that many shots. Clearly he is doing it because he has to... No one else is producing offensively and the players are throwing him the ball with very little time left on the shot clock so he can bail them out. He has been saying it... Phil has been saying it... right now in order for them to even be competitive in those last three games Kobe needed to force the issue. Had someone else come up big in the last quarter we would not even be having this discussion.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Fiyah:</div><div class="quote_post">Ok wait a minute now. After each of the last three games, Kobe has said that he does not want to take that many shots. Clearly he is doing it because he has to... No one else is producing offensively and the players are throwing him the ball with very little time left on the shot clock so he can bail them out. He has been saying it... Phil has been saying it... right now in order for them to even be competitive in those last three games Kobe needed to force the issue. Had someone else come up big in the last quarter we would not even be having this discussion.</div> On point. It's not a matter of Kobe shooting too, much it's the lack of production from the rest of the team. I'm a Laker fan ahead of being a Kobe fan, so if I saw it as Kobe being a ballhog, I'd be all over his case. However, other players are either missing open shots, or passing them off. The dilemma right now is Kobe is the best option on the perimeter and in the post.
Hey why doens't kobe drive to the paint any more? what's with all the fadeaways? if pjax wants him shooting 50%, shouldn't he look at guys like wade and lebron and even AI who are shooting high% because they continually drive the ball.
When the spacing is right and the lane is open, Kobe is driving to the paint. He's getting to the FT line 9 times a game as a result. However, the lack of a low post threat is limiting his opportunities to drive to the paint. Defenses don't have any respect for Mihm or Kwame to finish in the post, so they sag down low and force Kobe to take it against three players if he wants to drive. With Lebron, he has Ilgauskas, Gooden, and Marshall on the inside, and those three know how to finish around the basket. Same goes for Wade and Iverson. The difference is those players have teammates who can finish around the basket whether it's an open jumpshot, or a dunk in the post.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">When the spacing is right and the lane is open, Kobe is driving to the paint. He's getting to the FT line 9 times a game as a result. However, the lack of a low post threat is limiting his opportunities to drive to the paint. Defenses don't have any respect for Mihm or Kwame to finish in the post, so they sag down low and force Kobe to take it against three players if he wants to drive. With Lebron, he has Ilgauskas, Gooden, and Marshall on the inside, and those three know how to finish around the basket. Same goes for Wade and Iverson. The difference is those players have teammates who can finish around the basket whether it's an open jumpshot, or a dunk in the post.</div> What he said. And as he also said... even with the defence keying on on Kobe and trying to limit him to tough fadeaways he still gets to the line 8 or so times a game and his shooting percentage is not horrible. The man is balling this season... but it won't be enough if he doesn't get help.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Johnnybrasco:</div><div class="quote_post">Hey why doens't kobe drive to the paint any more? what's with all the fadeaways? if pjax wants him shooting 50%, shouldn't he look at guys like wade and lebron and even AI who are shooting high% because they continually drive the ball.</div> Just so you know... Kobe's, Wade's and AI's %es are basically the same right around 45%. Lebron is the only one shooting over 50%.
