KOBE CEMENTS HIS LEGACY
June 15, 2009 by R.C. Cola
Trade talks have emerged for a potential trade of Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Phoenix Suns.
Oh yeah, and KOBE BRYANT AND THE LAKERS WON THE NBA TITLE.
Bryant didn’t just beat the Orlando Magic in the decisive fifth game on Sunday. He killed them. Every time the Magic poked their shell-shocked heads back up, Kobe would knock them back down. Whether it was the ice-cold three pointer in Courtney Lee’s face, to the acrobatic slight-of-hand shot over Dwight Howard, Bryant did everything in his power to take the spirit out of the Magic. Bryant finished the game with 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists. More importantly, he won his fourth title and cemented his legacy and status as the true “Air Apparent” to Michael Jordan as the second-best shooting guard of all time.
While Kobe said all the right things in the post-game interview, talking about the work that the team put in, and how much his guys deserved the championship, the reality is - and should be - that it’s all about Kobe.
Bryant had been seeking his elusive fourth title, having messed up his chances in 2002 against the Detroit Pistons and last season against the Boston Celtics. There was never more at stake for Kobe. Lose, and he’ll forever be known as choker who can’t win without Shaquille O’Neal. But Bryant did what he does best: close on the biggest stage in the sport. With four titles and won NBA Finals MVP under his belt, he can be secure in place in NBA lore.
With the title, he gets off his back the pesky talk about not having his own ring. He also evens up his championship count with old rival O’Neal, although the flames of that old conflict has long died out.
And the scary part is, Bryant isn’t done.
A lot has been written about the mileage that he’s endured over his 13-year career, which includes trips deep into the playoffs for virtually his entire career. He didn’t stop this year despite nagging injuries, playing through the entire season last year, leading Team USA in the Olympics, and going wire to wire this year. Still, with the insane amount of care he takes with his bodies, and improved cast of teammates, and unmatched intensity to win, he has a few good years left of playing at the superstar level.
As we wrote before, owner Jerry Buss needs to step up and ensure Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom - who are both free agents now - stay in the line-up. Kobe can continue to lead them and a maturing Andrew Bynum (who still needs a LOT of work) to several more titles.
He’ll need a few more to build upon his legacy. With four titles, he’s still one short of Magic Johnson, two short of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and of course, seven behind Bill Russell. While catching Russell is unrealistic, he’s got a shot of equaling the likes of Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar.
As a friend of mine noted, Phil Jackson doesn’t win just one title at a time. He wins them in bunches. Let’s hope Kobe’s first solo-title isn’t his last.
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!