this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2023
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Kobe's first half in game 7 of the 2010 finals was the worst basketball I've ever seen him play. I think there were two plays where he just dribbled the ball off his leg out of bounds or to the back court completely unforced.
That game is awesome to rewatch, and you're correct, Kobe's first half was terrible.
But that second half, that was a bit of magic from him.
Also I still have no idea why Doc took Rondo out of the game. And it's phenomenal to rewatch Bynum and Gasol punish KG and Rasheed Wallace over and over. Really shows you the Celtics could've won if they had Kendrick Perkins there.
Great game -- ugly basketball at it's finest. Game is completely different now.
Kobe has had some bad performances in the playoffs and finals here and there, but this isn't really one of them if you take into account the broader context of the game. Pretty much everyone shot like shit this game, it was a real grind offensively for both teams. Kobe found other ways to contribute in this game.
And made two clutch FTs with 25 seconds left to give the Lakers some much-needed cushion in their lead.
Big surprise putting Kobe on the line.
lmao it's hilarious how Kobe's performances (rightfully) get afforded all the context in the world. Other stars (like Lebron, Steph, KD) don't seem to get this.
Fans still claim KD choked against Boston two years ago when in reality he took on a much heavier playmaking load in response to all the double teams.
It’s literally because Kobe was one of the standout defenders in that game.
He was sensational on that end
If Steph ever shot like garbage and played the defense Kobe played in that game 7, feel free to provide an example.
You can’t, because it never happened.
It's also because the Lakers won.
I watched those games of KD vs Boston -- that was not a choke by KD.
In this overall comment thread started by Jakanzi, there are several replies detailing the specific "context" as to why they feel Kobe found way to be a positive for his team while he worked through certain (major) offensive struggles in the game being referenced...
I don't know that that is "hilarious". You are welcome to do the same for LeBron/Steph/KD/whoever else.
Your KD example (imo) is not a comparable. The general opinion (amongst this comment thread) appears to be that Kobe found ways to make up for his deficiencies in that game. In contrast, the context you are creating essentially serves as an excuse response to people who claim KD choked.
For clarity, I'm not hating on LeBron/Steph/KD here, you may be able to find positive ways they contributed during games they struggled! But in your specific example, KD is the main star on the team, he needs to adapt his game when he gets doubled, because that is not really a unique defensive strategy. If he can't adapt then it may well be a legitimate choke job? It feels like a cop out to just say "oh, well, he was doubled, and he had to take on a higher playmaking load, how could he possibly win that series??"
Many times, stars don't live up our expectations (like KD in the game you reference and like Kobe in the game being referenced by Jakanzi). But what ELSE did KD do on that night to best ensure his team got the W? If there are standout things he did, THAT is the type of context you need to include to sway people away from believing it was a choke job.
If you feel there is some sort of bias in favour of Kobe here, then I think you should provide some examples of how you feel these players contributed to their teams success (or attempted to help them succeed) in similar highstakes games that people say they "choked" on. I think there are people who are willing to hear rational examples, I don't think it's just Kobe-stans blindly upvoting. Guys are providing legitimate explanations...
Others are saying it but he compensated for his poor shooting with great rebounding and defense, and managed to get to the line a lot
ie he was bailed out by the refs more than most.
i remember being so surprised that i went online to see if someone had found a way to steal NBA talent like in space jam