Let’s not compare that shot as Jordanesque.
Kobe hit a great shot. He should be credited for never losing his focus or confidence, which is my view of what “clutch” means.
Click to see Kobe’s 3-pointer.
I don’t think this makes him “like Jordan” or suddenly the best player in the NBA. Jordan wasn’t the best ever because he hit last-second shots. He was the greatest ever because he played at a ridiculous level all game long. Game-winning shots are highly dramatic but not epiphanies about player talent, as much as people want to make them that.
Derek Fisher has hit key shots and game-winner but he forced way too many lay-ups last night. Robert Horry has become a mythic figure due to game-winners. Reggie Miller, a player no one will ever confuse for Michael Jordan, made a name on late shots. Blazers fans will recall that Damon Stoudamire has his collection of last-second tying or winning shots. Similar to who happens to get walk-off hits in baseball, there’s a large level of luck / randomness to who hits a game-winning shot.
Kobe’s trying to make all of his 3s. The fact that the one that went down was the last one is luck…dramatic luck. The rate at which he hits shots is not luck…it’s talent. But which specific shots go down is random.
That’s not what legends should be built around (though I realize they will be). Legends should be built around who took over games, who played at a high level all the time, who you could count on. Not who hit last-second shots.
In OT, Kobe took over the game. That trey raised his confidence level.
Luke just added another dimension to this thrilling NBA Finals. He might have made a stong case for himself to start over George.
He has been great when he has needed to be. He showed flashes of brilliance in the regular season, he hit a HUGE 3 pointer in Game 5 of the WCSF against the Spurs, and then this game. His stat line showed how much a great playmake he is. Shaq told reporters last night that he has been around with veterans on team for 6/7 years, and he’s just amazed to see how in the world Luke passes the ball to him but others can’t.
If Luke ever learns to defend, he’ll be a great starter at the 3, maybe 15-5-5 career. The guy has quality skills, especially as a playmaker, but the fact that he was able to maneuver against a very quick, long and energetic Pistons defense showed me he has somewhat athleticism to go with his game. His problem is tweener size and tweener athleticism. He’s not the most athletic player but he’s tall and he moves his feet alright. Plus, he’s a very bright kid and he has excellent instincts and I think you’ll see him anticipate better in the future. He’s got the skills to make it work for him as a SF/PF.
Walton’s a better passer than most NBA point guards.
“LUUKKEEE”
And I still don’t understand why Phil doesn’t run a few plays for Payton, especially since you’d have to be blind to not see how injured Karl is. God, just run some simple P&R. He’s getting outplayed by Billups. Run some P&R! Since Malone sprained his knee, forget Shaq doing a good job on defence because he won’t come up on Pick & Roll situation. Payton will be lost in the screen-rolls, and Billups will hit as many shots as he gets.
I say, bench George, play with Luke at SF, Fisher(in big moments)/Payton at PG with Malone, Shaq and Kobe. Last night, these were five players on the floor. The Lakers need energy to out-run Pistons and make defensive stops. That is the only way Lakers are going to win the NBA Finals. It’s the other way around. Lakers are used to beat teams by great offense at one end first, defence at the other.
Now, with Pistons, you gotta play defence first, switch on play-by-play to free up perimeter shooters. Since, we haven’t been good road team all season long, Lakes must take a game at the Palace. I can see us winning 6 and 7 games at home if we are down by a game(2-3).
woo hooooooo
…pistons :k:
