Kobe vs. Phoenix isn’t about revenge. It’s about redemption
I’ve never been OK with the Kobe-Bryant-As-Basketball-Cyborg idea. Even as his legend grows with each heroic feat; his rank in NBA history moving closer to the head of the table alongside the likes of Jordan, Kareem, Magic and Oscar while each game-winner is met with more incredulous announcer laughter … I still don’t buy into the concept that Kobe is beyond human, beyond flawed.
In my Dime #55 cover story on Kobe, I wrote: “In his 14th pro season, the NBA’s Bruce Lee — a study of focus, precision, efficiency, attention to detail, killer instinct, raw talent, charisma and sheer love of the fight — seems on a mission to prove no injury, illness, danger or distraction will stop him from dominating this sport.”
But we all know that Bruce Lee, even in the movies, was not indestructible. He had vulnerabilities and moments of weakness. So to allow Kobe Bryant that same leeway is not a criticism of the man, just a reality. Kobe is not 100 percent relentless 100 percent of the time. And that’s perfectly normal.
Revenge has been the most hyped-up storyline of the Lakers/Suns Western Conference Finals series that tips off tonight (9 p.m. EST, TNT). This stems from 2006 and 2007, when Steve Nash was at his MVP peak and Kobe was trying (unsuccessfully) to prove he could win without Shaq. Two years in a row, Nash’s Suns knocked Kobe’s Lakers out in the first round, and Kobe was under the same fire — “See, he can’t win the big one!” — that LeBron James is under right now. After the second early exit, Kobe had his infamous parking-lot rant against the Lakers’ front office and publicly requested a trade. The organization responded by getting him Pau Gasol, a championship-worthy team was assembled, and now it’s all gravy in L.A.
Kobe has alternated between downplaying the Phoenix revenge angle and fueling its fire, but deep down, I wonder if this series is more about proving something to himself than it is about “get-back” on the Suns. Think back to the 2006 Suns/Lakers matchup: That was when Kobe, at least in the eyes of the public, gave up and quit during Game 7. In the second half he took three shots and was uncharacteristically passive and uninvolved in the offense. For a player with a history of allegedly tanking games intentionally just to prove a point (to Phil Jackson, to his teammates, to the world), the ’06 playoffs was a step backwards into that immature place, and his actions went against every “He’s wired just like Jordan” argument ever made on his behalf.
But because he’s had so much success since then — adding an MVP and Olympic gold medal in 2008, then a championship and Finals MVP in 2009 — it seems everybody forgot what happened four years ago. Kobe didn’t forget. In that Dime cover story a few months ago, when I asked about the likelihood of a post-championship hangover, Kobe said he was hungrier this year.
“Before I was outside in the street, begging Phoenix and them to let me in,” he said. “Now we got in and kicked them out: now you can’t come in. We’re going to hold our house down.”
At the time I wondered why — of all the teams he could have mentioned — Kobe chose to call out Phoenix. Not San Antonio, not Detroit, not Boston, but Phoenix. I think it’s that those first-round exits still bother him, and more because of how he let them slip away than anything his opponent did.
And that’s why Kobe needs to dominate this series and show his warrior spirit one more time. By laying another victim, this particular victim, in his wake, he puts even more distance between himself and that ugly ’06 incident. Not to right any wrong Phoenix inflicted on him, but to set straight one of his biggest public failures.
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May 17th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
D.I. Dollar says:
Two years in a row, Nash’s Suns knocked Kobe’s Lakers out in the first round, and Kobe was under the same fire — “See, he can’t win the big one!” — that LeBron James is under right now.
Except Kobe already had 3 rings on his hand. And I don’t want to hear those rings belonged to Shaq. It was the Shaq and Kobe show. They won them as a team. Of course he wanted to prove the Lakers did the right thing by releasing Shaq. But even in winning without Shaq he couldn’t have done it without Pau Gasol. This series may be about redemption for him personally, but this is a team game and Kobes growth came when he became a superstar team player.
May 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Ianny b says:
please Kobe don’t dominate the ball tonight. this aint the team you had back then. You just be a facilitator andf luagh those guys in the face. Please don’t feel the need to dominaite…………………………………
May 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
jay says:
as i said earlier today to a bud of mine..kb is droppin 40 tonight!!! period! book it ..whatever you want to call it…getting his knee drained..peeps are going to have doubts on his health…he drops a big number tonight!
May 17th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Bizz says:
And LeBron is under an even bigger category of failure…because those Kobe teams had Kwame Browns, Smush Parkers and other non-relevant players, while LeBron was pushing #1 ranked teams, with Shaq, Mo Williams, Jamison, and a developed bench. Mo Williams had more all-star nods than anybody Kobe was playing with if I recall correctly, and even if I don’t, Shaq has 15 on his own and Jamison has a couple, so shut that argument down. There was a point in the Pacers series where Kobe pulled out wins for Shaq. Either way, let’s keep this topic to what it is…Kobe vs. Phoenix.
That being said, everything Kobe has done over the last 3-4 years has been to gain redemption for the issues he had, whether it was the losses to Phoenix, the Finals loss to Boston 2 years ago, the rape charge, the dismantling of Kobe & Shaq, the driving Phil Jackson away. Expect him to come out focus and delivering a series win when it’s all said and done. The Suns usually don’t match up well vs. L.A.’s length currently, and I recall some beatdowns the Lakers have given Phoenix @ Staples over the past 3 seasons, regardless of how hot Phoenix is.
May 17th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Lol @ The Lebron Dime Drop
Come on now guys.. Way different set of circumstances.. Kobe had already won the big one..
Lebron is getting the “You ARE NOT living up to the hype we have all given you, please dont make us look STUPID..”
Kobe aint never had no hype.. Only thing Kobe has had is people WANTING him to fail.. No one ever stood up for him like all you media types do Lebron.. everything Lebron does negative the media tries to feed us excuses.. GTFOH.. only person i ever heard stand up for Kobe was John Sally lol
Other than that DIME you and all your sister media outlets are stuck with the stench of your own shit ONCE AGAIN this year.. and boy did it stink this year..
Just though id let you guys know
May 17th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
control says:
Bizz
Come on, don’t open that can of worms again man. Just had a few 200 and 300 comment posts about that shit. If you think that Shaq who was in 15 AllStars is the same Shaq that played for Cleveland…you don’t really have much of a leg to stand on. Smush Parker WAS probably one of the worst teammates a guy could ask for though, he really shouldn’t have been in the league, the guy is a clown, a joke and he fucking sucks.
May 17th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
Man, it’s so difficult to go from the NBA on NBC days to THIS. You never had “Michael Jordan will need to cement his legacy in this series, or he will never be accepted at the table of the holy greats before him” type of thing. Don’t get me wrong, I do it to, but why are we always worrying about how every stinkin’ thing a player does affects his LEGACY? You’re not supposed to think or talk about the legacy until the career is DONE.
The gambling thing didn’t ruin Mike’s legacy; it’s PART of his legacy. Same with all the other players in that era. But we got so enamored with it, that we’re now trying to get players to actually craft their legacy from game to game, and it’s getting so painful to watch. Everything you said in this article is exactly right, sad to say. But it really shouldn’t be that way. Same with ‘Bron.
May 17th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
do it *TOO*!! Oh no, you’ve all corrupted my grammar-skillzzzz!! Aaauurrghh…
May 17th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Bizz says:
@control
DEFINITELY not saying Shaq was the same Shaq of 15 years of all-star games, but Shaq now is better than Kwame ever was, and Mo Williams and Jamison are far better players supporting cast wise than what Kobe had to work with in 06. Not saying LeBron should have won a ring, but he had more to work with than Kobe.
May 17th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Bizz says:
the need to dominaite…………………………………
3.May 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
jay says:
as i said earlier today to a bud of mine..kb is droppin 40 tonight!!! period! book it ..whatever you want to call it…getting his knee drained..peeps are going to have doubts on his health…he drops a big number tonight!
OHHHH HOW THIS POST WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY LMAO! 40 EXACTLY!
May 17th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
Foolio_iglesias says:
Jay called it-Kobe dropped 40+ in a blowout win.And Nash is healing nicely from his annual Spurs beating….
May 17th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Lol had to get on just say Jay called it too..
Give the man his shine Dime!
May 18th, 2010 at 2:22 am
Smitty313 says:
Lakeshow84 that is the best comment I read in a long time. I use to love Lebron until the media overhyped him. He lets them down every year and its never his fault. How can you go form best record in the NBA to not having a team in the playoffs. But when Kobe palyed with Kwame and Smush he should of done more.