Land of Kobe

I was going to come up with my own original piece to kind of 'sum up' Kobe Bryant's accomplishments this season and sort of where he stands in the annals of NBA History. I was. Obviously though, Kobe being the figure that he is and eliciting the response that he does there are going to be tons of written word about him by professional writers. So why throw my hat in that ring really. Instead I'm going to read as much on the subject as I can, because the subject is fascinating really. Then I'm going to link what I think is relevant. The first I've read so far is from national columnist Bill Simmons. Obviously Simmons is the most read sports writer in America so he needs no help from me linking but what the hell. Kobe 09' Change We Believe In.


I think Simmons does a good job investigating what makes Kobe tick and his relationship with teammates and coach. The column is a little more about Kobe's relationships and his evolution in his career than just purely basketball. My only issue with it when Simmons at one point says Kobe had no 'clutch moments' in the 09' Finals. My argument to that is, while there was no 'moment' that may stand the test of time, like a game winning or tying shot, in the NBA Finals every shot is magnified. So when Kobe was reeling off those double digit point efforts in the first quarters or hitting those tough shots in the second and third quarters those are all still clutch shots. I understand that fourth quarter is money time and I understand that when the games got to the final minutes and overtimes he pressed a little. I just don't think you can dismiss a guy averaging 30 points in an NBA Finals as not having any clutch moments so easily. Anyway enjoy that one and I'll post more as I see fit.

-Dif