Ball Hog... I Mean, Kobe Bryant Scores 81!

There he goes now... taking the ball from a teammate's hands to make the winning shot.

The Lakers are my Team.  But I hated when they traded Shaq.  They should have traded Kobe.  You are right.  This is not baseball or Golf.  There are 5 players on the court. and hogging the ball does nothing for helping the team.

The Lakers are my Team.

I won't hold that against you. My two favorite teams are the Phoenix Suns and whoever's playing the Lakers.

I don't follow basketball, but I think Kobe's a doofus.

My two favorite teams are the Phoenix Suns

You would like my Son!

I think Kobe is not getting a fair shake here. When Kobe scored 62 points in 3 quarters against the Mavericks last month
and sat out the 4th in a Lakers victory, everyone called him a wimp for not trying to break Wilt's scoring record.

In this game, the Lakers were down 49 to 63 at half time. At the end of the 3rd, the Lakers were up by only 6 points, 91 to 85.
Now, there was still 12 minutes to play and the Lakers were up by only 3 2pt baskets or 2 3pt baskets. I'ld say that there was still a lot of basketball to be played and if I was a Laker, I would give the ball to Kobe because he was hot. Kobe made 61% of his shots. The Lakers as a team shot for 48%.

So was Kobe a ball hog that night because he played a gutsy game with a passion to win? I think everyone that paid for a ticket that night got their money's worth and more. Those folks got to see history that night.

And yes, basketball is not golf. You don't pass in golf and you don't try to block someone's shot.
And yes, basketball is also not baseball where you stand alone in the batters box with an option to let someone swing for you, or
you are out of the game.

Kobe is now in the position that no matter what he does, great or not so great he will be disrespected.

Nothing like being accused of a crime to ruin your life.

I would give the ball to Kobe because he was hot. Kobe made 61% of his shots... So was Kobe a ball hog that night because he played a gutsy game with a passion to win?

I certainly don't diss Kobe's passion for winning. And he is a very talented player, from the day he left Lower Merion HS for the big time. I question his team ethic, which prevents his teammates from touching that orange rubber ball for 48 minutes a game.

Kobe is now in the position that no matter what he does, great or not so great he will be disrespected. Nothing like being accused of a crime to ruin your life.

I disliked Kobe Bryant long before his court appearances in Eagle, Colorado.

Kobe is now in the position that no matter what he does, great or not so great he will be disrespected. Nothing like being accused of a crime to ruin your life.

Actually, that has nothing to do with my disrespect (and quite Frankly I thought, think and stated he was innocent).  No, he lost my respect when he feuded with Shaq and made them trade Shaq.  The Lakers were great when they were team mates.  They are ok now.

I question his team ethic, which prevents his teammates from touching that orange rubber ball for 48 minutes a game.


The rest of the Lakers were 14 of 42, that's 33%. If they were making shots, the burden to score would not weigh so heavily on Kobe's shoulders.

The rest of the Lakers were 14 of 42, that's 33%. If they were making shots, the burden to score would not weigh so heavily on Kobe's shoulders.

If he was not so egotistical, Shaq would still be there.  And they would rule the court instead of fighting for a scrap of it.

I'm afraid that even if Jerry Bus did put Shaq on the payroll, there would be even less money for supporting players.
So he chose Kobe=27years old, 40.5 min/game, 36 pts/game over
Shaq=33 years old, 28.5 min/game, 18 pts/game.

Good article presenting the opposite viewpoint, in today's Washington Post:

Bryant is still perceived in many quarters as a selfish ball hog, which is why his grand accomplishment is not celebrated today like it would be if you-know-who seized a game the way Bryant did at the Staples Center. The revisionist historians argue Michael Jordan would not have taken 46 shots and 13 three-pointers -- even though Bryant made more than half of his attempts from both short- and long-range.

They won't remember the rest of Bryant's supporting cast, which shot a combined 14 of 42 in a game they were about to give away, or how lackadaisical Lamar Odom looked (0 for 4, one rebound in the first half).

All they'll say is, "Michael would have passed more."

Whether you enjoy his levitation and competitiveness or you think he is part of what's wrong with the modern game, Kobe Bryant is going to score 100 points in an NBA contest. He's that good and that indefensible.

He's playing on an average NBA team that needs him to put up huge numbers every game. Which is why his one-time harshest critic, Phil Jackson, has not said boo about Bryant averaging 45.5 points the last 10 games.

Jackson knows: If Bryant doesn't detonate for more than 30, the Lakers probably lose.

Yes, Bryant's point-to-assist ratio (40.5 to 1) on Sunday will not excite either Shaquille O'Neal or John Wooden. But West is right: The NBA is not an equal-opportunity league. Kevin Garnett's team was up by 19 points on Philadelphia on Sunday and lost. You know how many shots Garnett took in the final quarter? One. Would the purists be happier if Bryant, Chris Mihm and Smush Parker all took 20 shots?

Bryant scored more in two quarters than Allen Iverson totaled in four on his way to a season high of 53 points in a game last month. Eighty-eight times this season NBA teams failed to score more than 80. Think about that: Bryant outscored 88 entire rosters.

That is exactly the point I was trying to make. The Lakers NEED Kobe to score as much as possible because no else on the Lakers
is capable of taking them as far as the play-offs. Also, Jordan was notorious for putting up a lot of shots, but he has 6 championship rings to Kobe's 3.

The Lakers are a not a balanced scoring team like The Pistons, Spurs, Suns, or Heat.


Thanks for putting in this article, Singerdave. That's fair and balanced blogging.

That is exactly the point I was trying to make. The Lakers NEED Kobe to score as much as possible because no else on the Lakers is capable of taking them as far as the play-offs.

They won with Shaq and Kobe.  They have not been a factor since then.  Kobe may be able to get them to the playoffs, but he will not win any rings.  Jourdan never was a one man show and knew it was his supporting cast that got the rings.

we should stick to hockey

Let me start off by saying I'm not a fan of Kobe Bryant. I was a fan of Michael Jordan. And even though this has nothing to do with this article I will add my favorite player of all-time was Larry Bird.

81 points. If it would have been Michael Jordan who scored 81 points no one would have said anything bad about it. Why? Because Jordan was well-liked. Kobe is not so he gets criticized.

I know why I don't like Kobe. He's a Laker, and being a lifelong Celtics fan he's the enemy. I wonder why he is so hated. Is it because he's a Laker? Is it because he's got 3 rings? I don't think it's because of the rape charges, he was disliked before that. Maybe it's because Jerry Buss (the Lakers' owner) went with Kobe over Shaq. But again I don't think that's the reason either. Kobe has been hated for years. Look when the All-Star game was in his hometown of Philadephia he was loudly booed.

To me Kobe is a fierce competitor. He wants to win, and he plays defense every night. He has a killer instinct, and always seems to hit the big shot at end of close games. Is he a ball hog? Yes, I guess he is, but who on the Lakers helps him out on a consistent basis? The Lakers are a team that no one had in their pre-season predictions of even making the playoffs, and as of right now they would make it. He scored 81 points and took 46 shots doing it. There were many times when Jordan shot over 40 times, and Jordan had a far better team.

81 points. Another thing people aren't saying is the Lakers, after being down by 19 points, came back and WON. The game were Jordan scored 63 points against Boston in the playoffs his team lost. When Kobe scored 62 points against Dallas earlier this season he did it in 3 quarters. With his team ahead by 30 points he took himself out of the game and sat out the 4th quarter because it was a win. If he was so interested in scoring 80 points he would've played the rest of the game. In fact some of the media criticized him for NOT playing the rest of the game. Saying he had a change to score 80 and he owed it to the fans to go for it.

81 points. The second most in NBA history. No one has scored higher in over 40 years. If you seen the game or look at tape of the game he wasn't forcing shots. Toronto played horrible against him they hardly ever tried double teaming him even after he was routinely burning the man guarding him. Why can't the haters just sit back and enjoy something they may never see again? What Kobe did was amazing, dare I even say Jordanesque. So I tell the people who dislike him to just relax and take it for what it is. I'm not saying to become a fan of his or his team nothing drastic like that. But you can at least tip your hat towards him for having a tremendous game. Just picture the hoopla if it would've been Michael Jordan.

To me Kobe is a fierce competitor. He wants to win, and he plays defense every night. He has a killer instinct, and always seems to hit the big shot at end of close games. Is he a ball hog? Yes, I guess he is, but who on the Lakers helps him out on a consistent basis?

He has Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom to back him up. I'm not claiming that the Lakers are just as good a team without Kobe! Oh my goodness no! But they seem to sit back and let Kobe do all the work.

I am conflicted over the Kobe Bryant career. On one hand, he is a very talented player. I think that makes me dislike him even more. That he is capable of 81 points in 48 minutes is unthinkable, especially for a guy who didn't like him in the first place.

On the other hand, he's on a team that needs him. They will be at 12-69 if Kobe is injured for a season.

But here's another point to ponder: the Lakers didn't need Kobe before they traded Shaq... and who orchestrated that trade? Need I answer?

Lamar Odom is very important to the Lakers, but that night he made 1 of 7 shots. That's not very reassuring as back up.
If Odom goes cold and Kobe is HOT, you feed him the ball. It's a no-brainer. 60% field goal shooting.

Odom and Mihm together average 25 ppg. Webber and Iguodala of the 76ers avg 31 ppg. Lebron gets 32 ppg support from the
other top 2 scoreres on his team. Both Iverson and Lebron avg over 30 ppg. and take over 20 shots ppg.

Kobe doesn't have the role players.

If the Lakers were the mid 80's cast of Saturday Night Live, Kobe would be Eddie Murphy starring in 3-4 skits a night carrying the show. who's backing him up? Anthony Michael Hall?

---But here's another point to ponder: the Lakers didn't need Kobe before they traded Shaq... and who orchestrated that trade? Need I answer?---

Are you saying the Lakers wouldn't need Kobe if they had Shaq? They would most certainly need Kobe if they had Shaq. I mean if the Lakers wanted to win championships they would. If Shaq was with the Lakers right now without Kobe would their record be better? Not really since Shaq has been injured this year. A yearly event for him since he refuses to play at a lesser weight.

Shaq, even if he got in shape and played with some hunger for another ring, would still have needed Kobe. Do you really think Shaq could win a ring in Miami without Dwayne Wade? I still say Miami would've beat Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals last year if Wade wouldn't have been hurt for game 7.

I was listening to sports radio and they mentioned a high school player, who is going to Duke, scored 52 points in a 83-79 loss. With his time down 71-58 with 1:24 left in the game he scored 21 points in the next 75 seconds before fouling out. I hope the media or fans didn't call him a ball hog I hope they enjoyed his outstanding attempt to win. I wish I was there to see it.

Let me start off by saying I'm not a fan of Kobe Bryant. I was a fan of Michael Jordan. And even though this has nothing to do with this article I will add my favorite player of all-time was Larry Bird.

My Favorite player is James Worthy, but in the top 5 is Magic Johnson! hehehehehehe 79 championship!

-I was listening to sports radio and they mentioned a high school player, who is going to Duke, scored 52 points in a 83-79 loss. With his time down 71-58 with 1:24 left in the game he scored 21 points in the next 75 seconds before fouling out. I hope the media or fans didn't call him a ball hog I hope they enjoyed his outstanding attempt to win. I wish I was there to see it.-

That's true, he's not a ball hog. He's trying to carry his team to a victory. Someone has to be the leader, and know that success hinges on him. Last week, Lebron James had the opportunity to win some close games. He drove to the basket with time ticking down and then passed the ball to the perimeter for a missed shot. The next night he missed a crucial free throw and the Cavs lost again. Lebron himself admitted in the new issue of ESPN that he doesn't have the "Killer Instinct" yet that he sees in Kobe.

My favorite players are of course Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Worthy, Magic.

My favorite players are of course Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Worthy, Magic.

That's the 5!  Best team of all time!

My favorite players are of course Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Worthy, Magic.

That's the 5! Best team of all time!

And those were the guys we'd chant against in Phoenix: "BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!"
BTW, you forgot AC Green and his socks.

Lamar Odom is very important to the Lakers, but that night he made 1 of 7 shots. That's not very reassuring as back up. If Odom goes cold and Kobe is HOT, you feed him the ball. It's a no-brainer. 60% field goal shooting.

It's a balance between getting good play out of your go-to guys like Kobe or Odom or whoever, but you also have to get your backups to play hard and score, too. But the backups can rest easy, because they know Kobe will pull out a win for them and all they have to give is 35%.

If the Lakers were the mid 80's cast of Saturday Night Live, Kobe would be Eddie Murphy starring in 3-4 skits a night carrying the show. Who's backing him up? Anthony Michael Hall?

Best analogy I have heard in a long time. I hated Joe Piscopo too.
But don't forget Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest were also there. And Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mary Gross...

Lebron himself admitted in the new issue of ESPN that he doesn't have the "Killer Instinct" yet that he sees in Kobe.

Can you imagine what Lebron will be when he does finally develop as a player and a leader? OMG, stand back and watch the magic happen.