This was a different Kobe. Not the jubilant kid with the afro who made his first NBA Finals appearance in 2000 or the one clashing with his coach, teammates and the district attorney’s office of Eagle, Colo., in 2004 or the one basking in the adulation of an MVP award before the start of last year’s Finals.
Although he says, “I can play at a high level for another six years at least,” I get the sense he’s aware that this could be it, that there’s no guarantee he’ll arrive at such an opportune place again. He’s in the Finals with home-court advantage over the Orlando Magic. He has a team that was two victories short of the championship last year intact. He’s 30, old enough to know what he’s doing, young enough to still be able to do it.
Now he realizes he is only as strong as those who stand with him. If he wins, you don’t have to consider it a victory for him, think of it as basketball restoring respect for the game. Even MJ had to play by the rules, giving John Paxson and Steve Kerr a chance to hit championship-winning shots before Jordan got his turn. For Bryant to win, he will have to play the game as Phil Jackson and Tex Winter envision it, with the ball moving around the triple-post offense, teammates working to create the best possible shot.
There’s more to the game than just scoring points, lots of points. That was Kobe’s M.O. three years ago. Now, he comprehends that less is more, even in the run-up to the Finals. Less talking, less emotion.
via ESPN
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What I’ve seen in Kobe’s demeanor is that he is ‘a man on a mission,’ and the mission ends when he raises the Championship trophy above his head.
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I loved the shot of him at the end of Game 6 vs Denver. He had this smirk on his face, which told me so much. I agree with Diana, he’s a man on a mission. And that look showed that he knew part 3 of the 4-part mission was complete!
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