Who Gets to Deal With Kobe?
Photo. Chris SembrotThere is apparently a lot of debate in Lakers camp over matchups heading into this Finals series with the Celtics. The biggest question seems to be who Kobe Bryant guard. The two most logical matchups are Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
The Boston Globe asked Lakers assistant Tex Winter who will draw the Mamba:
“We haven’t really come to any conclusions,” assistant coach Tex Winter said. “It’s a question of who you’re going to put on [Paul] Pierce. If you put Kobe on him, then Kobe’s got to really concentrate on his job, his responsibility and got to stay attached, which is hard for Kobe to do.
“And yet I don’t think you want to put Kobe on [Ray] Allen because Allen has always been very effective against Kobe. Kobe just won’t pay enough attention to him. The way he can shoot the ball, he’s a player you’ve got to pay attention to. And so it goes, all right down the way.”
There definitely doesn’t seem to a be right answer. Pierce is physically bigger than Kobe, but Ray will put Bryant in the hamster wheel, running him all over the court, through a series of screens on every play. We’d say that Kobe probably starts on Pierce – he’s been Boston’s best player and Bryant is obviously L.A.’s best defender.
How would you set the matchups? And who would you put on KG? Pau or Lamar Odom?
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June 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 am
rashad says:
Kobe v. Pierce
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:57 am
djKianoosh says:
So if you have Kobe on Pierce, you want Fisher on Allen? Not sure if Fisher can keep up with Allen. he did alright against parker, but parker doesn’t go through nearly as many screens as allen.
pau will get eaten up by KG if KG is smart enough to take advantage of him.
x-factor again is Odom. Not sure who the Celtics want guarding him.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Austin Burton says:
I’d start out Kobe on Rondo in Game 1 and have him go “Team USA” on him for however long it takes to get into the kid’s head.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
JK Whut says:
Celtics should be much more worried about which one of them is guarding Kobe than they are about his defensive assignment.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:26 am
rangerjohn says:
i see fisher on rondo, kobe and pierce go head to head (like labron pierce) kg will be on odom since the celtics are more worried about him then pau, perkins will d up pau along with pj, sasha v and vladdy raddy will run through those screens on allen.
celtics in 7
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:42 am
Taj says:
I like Austin’s idea going with Mamba on Rondo. I would play KG on Lamar, though to negate his effectiveness and have Perkins D-up on Pau.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
PALakerFan says:
Celts Fan will tell you, the heart of that team is Pierce. Kobe needs to lock him down even at the expense of his offense at first. Kobe can get his any time.
The other option is Kobe on Ray, LO on Pierce which would force Vlad onto KG. Since KG would rather shoot J’s than post up, that would probably be okay.
Alotta weird matchups in this series for sure.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
shake&bake says:
What I’d do is have Kobe start at the 3 and guard Pierce and start Sasha at the 2 just so he can bother Jesus all series. Fish-Rondo, Odom-KG, Pau-Perk.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Big Freeze says:
@ post 5
Vlad Rad on Ray? Are u serious? There is absolutely no chance in hell that Phil Jackson would put Vlad on Ray. He can not keep up the off-the-ball movement of Allen. Fisher on Rondo, Kobe on Ray, Vlad on Pierce (until Sasha comes in and then him and Kobe will switch and then it will be The Mamba vs The Truth), Odom on KG, and Gasol on Big Perk. It’s a great match-up for both teams, and it should be a great series. Ray and Kobe are famous for their individual battles during games. Those two have had a great one-on-one rivalry for the past few years.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
sweetv0mit says:
put kobe on rondo, farmar / fisher on allen and radmanovic on pierce…
kobe on rondo
-tough match up for rondo here… kobe’s arguably one of the best defenders in the L today.. this will create tons of turnovers and opportunities for fast break for kobe coz he’ll spend most of his time on top of the key…
farmar / fisher on allen
when he’s on, ray allen is a smarter player and better shooter than tony parker… farmar wont have any trouble catching up with allen but i think fisher will… but this will all depend on ray allens consistency to shoot the ball, if he plays like the lights out player that he was before, i think this match up will be the difference makerin the series… kobe might spend some time defending ray too but i think the lakers would rather have him conserve his energy for the offense…
radmanovic on pierce
height wise radmanovic has the advantage, but everything else is on paul pierce… everybody was surprised on how radmanovic did a good job on guarding a “healthy” ginobili… but pierce is a totally different player… if vlad will just concentrate on pierce and hold his ground in the post without getting eaten alive and drain his occassional buckets he should be fine…
lakers in 6
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 am
Myrie says:
It doesn’t matter who Kobe Bryant defends. Unless Rajon Rondo hits his first 3 mid range jumpers, the Lakers will double off of him on every possesion.
Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett can/will be doubled leaving Rajon Rondo open. And if LA wants to double with a big (instead of a guard to leave rondo open), expect LA to double off Kendrick Perkins.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
QQ says:
Kobe on Allen, then they’ll switch it up with Kob guarding Pierce in the later parts of the game. Depends really.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
evan says:
I don’t understand the idea that Ray is going to put Kobe in the Hamster Wheel. Ray has upped his scoring in recent games, but he hasn’t been anywhere close to his early-season form. He’s able to rotate more on the outside and let KG get more of the attention on the wings and high post of late.
Ray Allen is not Rip Hamilton and James Posey should get a ton of burn picking up Kobe as 6th/7th man.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Celts Fan says:
Let’s be real, the ONLY matchup that matters in this series is KG vs. his desire to play like a 2 guard. If he gets his ass down in the post and abuses whichever big they put on him (and if he stays down in the post, he WILL abuse Pau or Lamar) the Celtics will win. If he’s constantly doing his routine of taking shots a step in from the 3 point line (unless he’s on, and even then, he should live in the post for the most part,) Kobe’s gonna get another ring.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
The Jed says:
My boy from Seattle was actually talking to me this weekend about how well Ray plays D on Kobe and how well Ray usually plays offensively against the Lakers.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Jay G says:
It doesn’t really matter who Kobe starts on b/c once the 4th quarter rolls around, he’ll be guarding whoever is having the best game………GUARANTEE!
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
jimmhumm says:
Kobe D’s up Ray, Odom D’s up PP. We saw in the west finals that phil isn’t afraid to give up points in the post. Pau goes at KG. Rays a jump shooter by gaurding hiom kobe stays out of foul trouble. Paul’s got a lot of moves and fierce drives. He’ll get Kobe in trouble. Fisher is more than enough to gaurd Rondo. He’s gaurded Parker and Williams and A.I. already. Who is Rondo compared to these guys?
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
DaPro says:
Ray always has success against the lakeshow from an individual standpoint
Kobe will switch between Ray, Paul, and Rondo with the primary responsiblity will be guarding Pierce when Sasha checks in to gaurd Ray
Who ever said Vlad gaurds Pierce is smoking mad kush because Pierce is too much to handle for Vlad
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Kudabeen says:
Vlad on Pierce to start should be sufficient. Vlad wasn’t horrible against Ginobli considering the injury. Vlad is big and mobile enough to keep up with Pierce who’s O game is slick, but he isn’t necessarily the most athletic player out there. Vlad will put him on the line, but he can save Kobes legs for the second half at least
But what I would try is. Gasol on KG, Odom on Pierce, Kobe on Allen, Fish on Rondo, and Vlad on Perk. Boston is not going to run their offense through Perk, even if Kobe Sasha was guarding him. Also, Vlad may not even start. Then can plug Sasha in to guard Allen and put Kobe on Pierce, but that may be more of a 2nd half look. Also with Trevor Ariza being back they have another option to guard Pierce and/or Allen.
I just think LA will give life to the games of guys like House and Cassell, which can be a problem.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Kudabeen says:
@ Celts Fan
True about KG. He is the biggest game changer potentially. His coach and teammates have to bark at him to get in the post. Just think about it. Every time KG get his feet in the painted area something good usually happens. His jumpshot has been wet, but he could really take LA’s bigs out the game. If they had Bynum it would be different, but that’s not the case.
I’m not into the Celt/Lakers history thing, but I look forward to watching KG and Kobe display what it looks like when true passion meets opportunity. It’s going to be a great series.
I think Boston has the advantages defensively and they will win in 6.
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
karizmatic says:
Good question I think you start with Kobe on Allen for a while, Let Odom guard Pierce and Gasol on Garnett. Then when Vujacic comes in, put Kobe on Pierce, move Odom to Garnett and Vujacic would guard Allen. At the very least this gives each Celtic offensive player different looks on defense.
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
tealish says:
Kobe on Rondo for that “TEAM USA” mentality sounds good, but I’m giving Rondo’s handles more credit than that. Kobe’s a good defender, but he’s not single-handedly trapping Rondo at halfcourt.
Save his energy and have him guard Allen to start off. Then later on in the second half, guard Pierce. That’s how I’d draw it up. But then again, I hope the Lakers lose so disregard this comment.
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Kudabeen says:
LA are the dominating Offensive team, but Boston can handle them defensively. Boston arguably played two of the 3 best defensive team in the league (Cavs and Pistons) to get to the Finals (Best defensive teams: Boston, Pistons, Spurs, Cavs).
Fisher is a good defender, but he isn’t going to have the energy to do what Lindsay Hunter was doing to Boston. LA doesn’t have a Jason Maxiell to rattle Boston. I know no one cares about the regular season, but LA wasn’t even close in the regular season. Right there wasn’t Pau, but is he really that difference maker? Kobe will be the best player in the series, but I think KG is going to be able to do what he wants out there. LA doesn’t have the big men to be physical with KG. Also if LA tries to run they are going to suffer against this Boston team. Duncan was leaning all on Gasol. It will only take a couple of those classic KG Dunks and glares to take Gasol out his game. People forget the KG can be vicious (when he isn’t in an emotional coma chanting “woo-saa”)
LA’s style of play will enable guys like Glen Davis, Powe, House, and Cassell to come on the floor and produce more than the Cavs and Pistons allowed. Detroit’s aggressive play took Boston’s bench and starters out at times. I think Boston played some really good teams whose collective attributes will play a major roll in giving Boston a sense of the style of play needed to adjust to anything LA can throw at them. They have seen some of the most aggressive and physical defense, They have seen the one man juggernaut offense, they have seen the great ball movement, they have been ran on, and they are still here.
I can’t wait to see what KG shows us all. As a fan I want to see him have a few of those games mirroring that Game 7 against the Kings. I want to see him demoralize Gasol with the kind of finishes that put on Theo in game 5. He has to go hard. This will be telling of the kind of player he really is. He is the biggest game changer for Boston. Can’t wait to see all these players go their hardest to achieve their goals. I hope it isn’t a love fest, like everyones happy to be there though. But also, I want to see Kobe disassociate his greatness from Shaq.
Some forget Boston has home court too. People are talking like Game 1 is in LA. LA has to prove they can go to Boston and take one first. That is a big if. Regular season match-ups can be telling. I wouldn’t under value those games. (The short-shorts game in LA, was embarrassing) Kobe didn’t look good in either game. IF everyone thinks Gasol is the reason why LA will win…okay
I’m not buying LA as this dominant team just yet. Denver is a mess, Utah had no way to deal with Kobe, and Spurs looked old and satisfied. That weak strategy of giving Kobe whatever he wanted was horrible. Boston has the biggest advantages (KG and defense).
Like I said I have Celts in 6. (Games: Bos, LA, Bos, LA, Bos, Bos)
Can’t wait to watch all these player attempt to etch their names in NBA championship lore…
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
DaPro says:
Damn I can’t wait til Thursday
This has to be one of the best finals in a while
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Smitty313 says:
Kobe should gaurd Allen until the 4th qtr, then d up Paul Pierce if he is torching the Lakers. Same thing with Paul also. Them two guys get alot f people in foul trouble.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Camb0dia says:
heres the problem with kobe guarding peirce too early, i can’t see lakers winning if kobe plays bad, i mean he is 29 and if pierce wears himself out as well as kobe do you think LO or pau is gonna step for lakers or allen and KG for celts. Celtics in 7
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
Dave says:
Kudabeen: Excellent analysis, and I agree. I’m pulling for LA, but Boston actually has the matchup advantages. If Doc can exploit theme effectively, they’ll win the series.
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 am
E says:
I think the bigger question is who is gonna guard mamba. He just came out of a series where he just ate up probably the L’s best 1-on-1 defender. If Kobe stays in that zone he was in at the end of the last game then it’ll pretty much be a done deal.
LakeShow in 5.