And here is what separates Kobe Bryant from just about every other NBA player: He notices all of it.
“Right now, both teams are not what we used to be,” Bryant said Friday after his Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Celtics 113-96. “But it’s always an eerie feeling walking down this hall and being surrounded by green. It’s always a weird feeling, but it’s a great one, though. From growing up and watching this franchise and then being a part of such great battles here, it’s a very special place.”
It’s doubtful anything in this world matters to Bryant as much as basketball, and it’s doubtful anything in basketball means more than Celtics versus Lakers. It’s the epitome of a historic rivalry, spanning 12 NBA Finals (counting the 1959 series when the Lakers were still in Minneapolis), two of which Bryant took part in.
This season, however, neither franchise has looked legendary. While Bryant does lead the league in scoring at 26 points per game, his club is tied for second-to-last in the Western Conference at 5-15 and the 6-11 Celtics can’t crack the mediocre East’s playoff picture. There has even been criticism that Bryant himself has a hand in the Lakers’ struggles due to his determination to carry the same load at 36 years old that he did at 26.
After knee and Achilles injuries limited him to just six games last season, Bryant is attempting more field goals per game than he has in three years and is shooting a career-worst percentage from the field. His younger teammates are clearly growing frustrated, but even Bryant’s response to their frustrations reveal that he’s wired a bit differently.
“Frustration is good,” Bryant said flatly. “You just have to be able to use your frustration in the right way and channel it to have good performances.”
Maybe that’s not the diplomatic tack, but it’s one that has enabled him to get back on the court against all odds — and to earn the admiration of a couple of coaches in the process.
“You know, I said before the season that there was really nothing he could do that would surprise me, but he has surprised me,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “Everybody that was writing him off, saying he was pretty much done, ranking him 40th and 50th and all that stuff, I don’t think those people truly understand the type of person that he is, how he uses that to motivate him.
“He’s come back with a vengeance. He’s been better than I thought he would be, so I’m surprised, but I’m not surprised.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens watches a ton of film, and he’s never raved about any player the way he did about Bryant before Friday’s game. Stevens marveled that most players have tendencies he tries try to take away. Bryant just does it all, even as his mid 30s become his late 30s.
“I think any of these great scorers, as they age they find different ways to be effective,” Stevens said. “He has moments where it certainly looks like he’s 22 again, but he can also trick you to death. That’s where he’s really special, with the pump fakes and the angles that he gets, the post position that he gets, how he plays off the elbow, all those things.”
Bryant knows he’s not 22 anymore, though. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t refuse to admit his physical gifts have diminished. He studies biomedical science, monitors his workouts and controls his diet — he said he hasn’t had a drink of alcohol in months — to keep his battered body in top shape. He understands his five rings are nice, but nobody has beaten Father Time.
So he no longer takes the No. 1 defensive assignment. He drives less, working out of the post and on the elbow more. He relies on his impeccable footwork, possibly the greatest in NBA history, rather than his former athleticism to score.
“More tailored,” Bryant said. “Picking spots, whereas in my younger days I could hound somebody for 48 minutes and go down the other end and score 30 or 40. I could do that now, but how much would that take out of me in back-to-back games, in the fourth game in five nights? So I find myself leaning on Wesley Johnson more, letting him chase around a lot of these top guys.”
He paused, for the briefest of seconds.
“Where in the past,” he added,” I used to do it all.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
