i’ve been slacking on the attempts at writing about sports stuff, despite being convinced that most sportswriters are almost as bad as most sportscasters - that is, extremely, stink out loud bad. my lakers are playing way over their heads, and best of all doing so in an exceptionally entertaining way; I guess that’s as good a place to start as any.
What confuses me, really, is why no one seems willing to admit that Bryant, he of the “sharing the ball more” myth that all the talking head types can’t spout about enough, is actually playing the point. Derek Fisher has in fact been huge for them this year, but it certainly isn’t because of his ability to push the ball or his sparkling assist totals. Which isn’t surprising, really; it’s hard to get a lot of assists when your leading shooter/scorer so rarely makes baskets from assists. Bryant is almost incapable of slashing to the basket without the ball, and he almost *never* shoots without making a series of moves and fakes first. People talk about what a great player he is, and they’re right, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone consistently take shots with the degree of difficulty he does, and MAKE them, over and over. It’s amazing, like he’s playing a different game where, to keep himself interested, he needs to take the most difficult shots possible. And he *makes* them. That turnaround fadeaway from 16-18 feet that’s become his pet move is completely impossible to defend against, because it’s *hard* to make that shot, and he does, over and over again. Watch him shoot threes; he’s the only shooter in the league that consistently launches from 4-5 feet behind the arc. Just because he can make it.
The last game against Denver just illustrates the point, and shows how devastating he is as the post option, ala Gary Payton in his prime. He’s at least as big as anyone who guards him, usually bigger, and he can jump out of the building. And he has that turnaround. So he gets the ball in the post 16 feet away, and either the other team gives up a jumpshot that he’ll make 80% of the time (and maybe foul him in the process), or they overplay him and he drives and gets to the rim, because he can blow past just about anyone. Then he either scores, or hits a cutter like Ronny Turiaf or whoever is playing center for a dunk, or kicks out to Fisher or Farmer or whoever for a three. Or they double-team him in the post, and he uses his size and court vision to throw it to a cutting big guy (hello, Kwame Brown and his early dunks in that game) or hits Fisher or Vujacic or Farmer or Walton… for a wide open three. Next thing you know, he’s got 7-8-9 assists to go with his 25 points.
But he kills the ball movement, because he has to fake and deke and jab-step every time he catches the ball. So no one gets assists for giving it to him, but if they move and cut while he’s fooling around, he’s giving up the ball more than ever, playing like, well, a point guard. And a damn good one, too.
The fact that guys no one ever heard of or gave a shit about, like Turiaf especially, but also Farmer and even Fisher, are just busting their asses and making the extra pass and doing it in a hurry, is what makes them lethal, Andrew Bynum or no. Well, that, and the real secret weapin they have, which is Lamar Odom’s rebounding. The guy has arms that just don’t seem to end; he’s routinely getting 15 boards a game just by hanging around the basket. And because they have to pay so much attention to Bryant defensively, guys like Ariza can operate on the baseline and slash to the basket before the defense can adjust or rotate.
They are a fun team to watch, playing the game exactly the way it is supposed to be played more often than not, and when Bryant is playing point guard they’re damn near unstoppable. Just don’t expect him to spot up or dive to the basket and pad anyone else’s assist total, because it’s not going to happen. Although I bet Steve Nash doesn’t get a lot of baskets off assists either. And he’s probably the best shooter in the game, period.