Shakedownsports.com

Ok. I’m sufficiently recovered from the Penguins Stanley Cup loss and ready to blog once again. Forcing me to get back into the swing of things was Kobe Bryant’s performance last night. It was hands down one of the worst games any player has ever played in the NBA Finals. And I’m not talking about his offense. I’m talking about Kobe’s defense.

The entire game Kobe was mired in his “I’m a freelancer who doesn’t have to guard anybody” mindset that he had from being matched up with Rajon Rando. That’s the reason James Posey and Eddie House made six three pointers. That’s the reason Ray Allen repeatedly got to the basket.

In the 4th quarter Kobe and Paul Pierce went head-to-head. It was mano-a-mano for game 4 of the NBA Finals. Kobe had no chance. Pierce abused him at will, culminating with a horrendous final-minute blocking foul on Kobe 30 feet from the basket. The Lakers effectively needed a stop to keep the series from getting out of hand, and Kobe couldn’t even move his feet.

Offensively, Kobe was no better. During the 4th quarter (while Pierce was repeatedly blowing by Kobe) he could do nothing. Pierce repeatedly forced him into bad shots which Kobe was all too content to take.

Earlier in the game, it was Kobe’s selfishness that helped fuel the Celtics comeback. The Lakers built up a 20 point lead thanks to great ball movement. Kobe wasn’t being a dynamite scorer, he was a ball-mover and a role player and it was working.

In the second half Kobe decided he wanted to join in on the fun. Expecting to turn the game into an even bigger rout, Kobe started with the 1-on-1 possessions. Unfortunately for him, the Celtics kept playing defense and repeatedly forced him into bad shots. Before Kobe knew it, the Lakers’ once mighty lead had been cut in half.

The result? The remaining games the Celtics need to win to secure a title has also been cut in half.

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