{"id":3676,"date":"2009-06-16T05:20:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-16T05:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/sports\/couch-commentary-nba-finals-this-one-s-all-kobe-s\/"},"modified":"2009-06-16T05:20:00","modified_gmt":"2009-06-16T05:20:00","slug":"couch-commentary-nba-finals-this-one-s-all-kobe-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/couch-commentary-nba-finals-this-one-s-all-kobe-s","title":{"rendered":"Couch Commentary: NBA Finals\u2014This One’s All Kobe’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 <\/span><\/p>\n

As Lakers fans, we are children of divorce.  To consider Kobe\/Shaq\u2019s breakup anything else would be a lie.  Immediately after it happened Phil Jackson, like a friend that got caught in the middle, didn\u2019t want to choose sides and instead went on vacation.  Their other mutual friend, Derek Fisher, left town too.  But we weren\u2019t allowed to leave, we were just stuck.  I mean what were we going to do, cheer for the Clippers?  I\u2019d rather die.  So instead we were forced to choose sides in a separation that we never wanted to happen.  What were you–a Shaq or a Kobe?  It’s like an Angelino Pepsi challenge.  The family got together each Christmas, but it was incredibly awkward because each time Dad came back he always brought that new young thing with him. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Powers That Be had made the decision for us; Shaq left, we stayed, and so we backed Kobe.  And we defended him.  Despite some, um, difficulties.   We stuck through the tough times, let\u2019s call them the \u201cSmush Parker years.\u201d  We saw the Lake Show miss the playoffs for only the 2<\/font>nd<\/span><\/sup> time in our lifetimes.  Our happy family was never going to be the same\u2026  <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, now Pau Gasol has proved that he can fill the void.  The old friends returning (Welcome back, Phil and Derek!) was icing on the cake.  The new friends, Trevor and Lamar and Andrew, are fun to hang out with, although there is some valid concern that a few of them might leave town soon.  But frankly all of them are irrelevant to our story right now.  This story is of personal redemption and there\u2019s only one guy that fits that bill.<\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let me get something off my chest: I consider the 3 Rings to be more Shaq\u2019s than Kobe\u2019s.  I know I\u2019m not supposed to, I know that I\u2019m supposed to defend Kobe because he stayed, I\u2019m supposed to say things like- well their championships coincided with Kobe making the Leap, he led the team in assists, he made the clutch shots when Shaq was too big a liability.  I know all that.  But here\u2019s the thing: Shaq was better.  (Note: I say \u2018was\u2019 and I mean that in many respects.)  From 2000-2002 Shaq was a force of nature.  That first Championship postseason Shaq averaged 43.5 min, 30.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 56.6% shooting.  While Kobe scored only 21.1, dished out 4.5 and pulled down 4.4 on 44% shooting.  Shaq was the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP.  He was the reason we won.  He was.  <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Of course Kobe was important, he was crucial, and it\u2019s very true to say that Shaq couldn\u2019t have won it without him.  Just as MJ needed Pippen- but that doesn\u2019t make Scottie as valuable as Michael.  No one says that Kobe is chasing Scottie\u2019s 6 rings.  In those first three Kobe was Robin, not Batman.  And that makes Kobe\u2019s ring less valuable.  Look, I know that\u2019s not fair.  But those are the rules from the Book of Jordan.  MJ was The Man and has 6 rings.  #23 set the bar and you can\u2019t get a boost when you\u2019re trying to jump it.<\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I know that a lot of you are immediately saying, \u201cNo, those rings count.  Kobe\u2019s got four and they all count.\u201d  But I would hope that you would admit- or at least that somewhere deep down you know- that this one is better, sweeter, more completely a reflection of our #24.     <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few reasons this one is better than the first 3.<\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

1:<\/span><\/strong><\/span> The other 3 are more Shaq’s because he was Finals MVP all 3 years (and regular season MVP in the first one).  To say that Kobe was viewed then as being as important as Shaq is revisionist\u2014Kobe wasn’t even Co-MVP once.<\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

2: <\/span><\/strong><\/span>2004 cemented this.  S<\/span>haq was clearly declining but Kobe could only muster a 22.6, 2.8, and 4.4 in the Finals\u2014and don’t say it’s because everybody else was playing well.  No one besides Shaq was in double-figures, Payton and Malone didn’t combine for 10 pts\/gm. It was the first time it was Kobe’s team and he couldn’t carry them. <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

3:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span> The natural order of things.  There is a natural belief in basketball that guards are secondary to big men.  Guards are designed to get the ball to centers, and the big men are designed to get the ball in the hole.  This Where-Does-Kobe-Rank debate has led a lot of people to look at guards from years past- Jerry West only winning one, the help Dr. J needed to win his, etc.- but surprisingly absent is the difficulties that Wilt had winning one.  We over-value big men and Kobe suffers for it. <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

4: <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span>The Kobe\/Shaq rivalry.  Granted most of this was Shaq\u2019s creation but when Shaq won one with D-wade, it proved that he could replace Kobe.  2009 let Gasol prove that Shaq was replaceable too.  <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But this one?  After Kobe the young man got his ya-yas out with scoring titles.  With 81 in a game.  With his own regular season MVP.  After the Dynasty blew up and was rebuilt.  This one is undoubtedly special, and not just because it was the most recent.  If all Rings are equal, this one is more equal than the others.  This one makes him whole again.  Makes us whole again.  This one makes us feel like a happy family again.  <\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After years of post-divorce ups and downs, Kobe finally has a ring to call his own–and Lakers fans can put their Mommy\/Daddy issues to bed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":17016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-3676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3676"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=3676"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}