Like it or not, the 2008 season is all about Kobe Bryant. The 2008 Finals are all about Kobe Bryant. This is his transformation, his redemption. Craig Hodges said it best: "When [Kobe Bryant] got the MVP, that was the saga, and now we're in the legacy." Every other basketball player right now is but a role player, a secondary character, in the story of Kobe Bryant as he chases immortality.
Kobe Bryant is no Michael Jordan. I am fine with that - God is mysterious with His gifts and He is sovereign. Jordan did it for 6 seasons, won 6 rings and 5 MVP awards. But for the latter half of this season, Kobe has reached Jordan's rarefied plateau. The way he picked apart the Spurs' championship caliber defense was as Jordanesque a performance as Jordan could have done himself. He finally was able to average more than 30 per while shooting over 50 percent from the field for an extended playoff run. He chipped in 6 assists and 6 rebounds per as well.
These two games at Boston should have been the legacy defining, crowning moment. But then, a few things went horribly wrong.
First, Kobe was called for his second foul in the first quarter after waving his hand at Ray Allen. Mind you, the Boston Celtics are vaunted for their physical defense and style of play and the series in general has shifted in that direction. Yet, on the greatest stage on earth, how do you call such a minor foul, when the greatest player of this generation is attempting to define his legacy? Kobe ends up going to the bench, and by the time he returns, the Celtics have turned a one point deficit to an eight point lead.
The Lakers would make a 31-9 run at the end of the game, a signature moment for the storied franchise. Kobe Bryant would finally break free and score at will against the Celtics, and the Boston Garden was deadly silent. Two field goals through the heart of the defense, a three pointer, two free throws, and suddenly it is a 2 point game with 38 seconds left. If all those hours of dedication and sacrifice would pay off - the off-season training, the two-a-days, the video sessions, the sleepless nights - then Kobe Bryant has done enough to deliver his team a win. Up to that moment, the Lakers were a +12 when Kobe was on the floor.
Paul Pierce, the warrior, heart and soul of the franchise, would not back down. But Paul Pierce is no Kobe Bryant. He misread the defense and stumbled into a double team instead of kicking it out. He flipped up a layup from 10 feet without even looking at the rim. It had no chance of going in. He had no elevation because he was jumping off his injured right knee. The Lakers rebounded the wild shot and should have had a chance to win it. Kobe Bryant had ice in his veins. This was the defining moment.
But then, something went horribly wrong in Kobe Bryant's saga. Paul Pierce was awarded two free throws. Game, set, match. Kobe Bryant would end up shooting 11-23, with 30 points and 8 assists, and the Lakers were a +8 when he was on the floor. There is nothing more he could have done to define his legacy.
What if Jordan was called for an offensive foul against Bryon Russell in the waning moments? His Bulls were on the road as well, and shouldn't the home team get the calls? If Kobe Bryant's hand in the face was an offensive foul, then there is no way Jordan's take-down of Russell wasn't.
I'm not saying that Jordan should have been called for an offensive foul. What I am trying to say is this: the game has lost its magic. There was a time in the past, when games made for storybook endings and the referees had a complicit understanding of it. As Reggie Miller would say, "let the players decide it." Tonight, Kobe should have had a chance to add his chapter to the rivalry. He should have had his attempt at the Magic baby hook at the end, except translated into his game and skill set. But it was all stripped away from him by calls that obeyed the letter, but not the spirit, of the law.
It is much easier for a third person observer to say this, but Kobe Bryant should walk away from this season, and eventually from his career, with his head held high. Whether he ends up with more championships, or not, we have witnessed his redemption from arrogant teenager and guilty adulterer. He has remained true to his promise to steward God's blessings as darn well as he knows how to, to maximize his ability to play the game of basketball. He has remained humble and grounded as well, respecting the history of the game and his seniors, absolutely ridiculing any attempts to place him in their stratosphere. Let it be an indictment of these times, then, when its all said and done, that the game has indeed lost that magic that gave it life in the first place.
