Lakers vs. Warriors - March 25, 2007

Well, this certainly wasn’t the kind of game that inspired the Game of the Week Club. But, you can’t argue with the fact that this was, if nothing else, one of the most anticipated regular season games in a very long time. I doubt anyone watching believed for one second that Kobe wasn’t going to try to continue the streak. I’m not talking about the Lakers’ winning streak either. Apparently we’re not allowed to talk about that, which wasn’t mentioned nearly enough during the telecast. Kobe’s 50+ point scoring streak, on the other hand, was brought up by Stu Lantz and company 6,427 times. I counted. The great thing about Kobe’s streak is that it contributed directly to the Lakers’ success this past week. The Lakers needed every one of those 230 or so points. His field goal and free throw percentages during the scoring streak far exceeded anything anyone else on the team could’ve put up. So the fact that he’s taken so many shots is easily justified. In fact, when he started so hot against the Warriors that it appeared the score was 9 to nothing before the opening tip-off, I think everyone was cool with the fact that he had shot the ball on every touch of the opening minutes. Hell, even the Warriors had probably conceded the 50-point game to Kobe at that point. At the three-minute mark of the first quarter, the first thing that went through my head was not whether he would get to 50, but how quickly he would get there, and whether or not 60 was in the cards. However, once he cooled off a bit and started clanging 3s, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to get to 50. My thoughts then turned to whether or not Kobe would ease up, recognize that this wasn’t his night, and not allow the scoring streak to get in the way of the more important streak. He didn’t. But the Lakers won anyway.

The thing that’s great about a one-point game is that you can look back to any single play and see how that one play affected the outcome. Whether it be a Smush Parker steal, a Rony Turiaf put-back, or a Bynum block (which, by the way was ridiculous), they all had plays that directly affected the outcome of the game. By the way, speaking of anticipation and Andrew Bynum, am I the only one that looks forward to Bynum getting on the floor every game? I remember when Kobe was a rookie and the fans used to chant his name during garbage time in hopes of him getting in the game, because there was always a possibility you’d see something special from him if he did. This was slightly different from the Chuck Nevitt chants we used to hear from the Forum fans back in the 80s when they were hoping he would get in the game and the fans would be treated to seeing something very unnatural and awkward looking. Anyway, the anticipation of Bynum getting in the game for a big block or rebound and follow-up slam is something I can’t wait for during a Laker game. And I can’t wait until we get to see it every single night. Now, am I setting myself up for big-time disappointment when Bynum doesn’t pan out? Probably. But that’s alright. Right now, it’s worth it.

I loved Turiaf’s tribute to Shaq after he made a crucial lay-up late in the game (again, all plays in a one-point game are crucial – see previous paragraph). When Turiaf ran back to the defensive end of the court after the lay-up, he did so with both arms fully extended behind him, much like an Olympic ski jumper in mid-flight. It was the same way Shaq ran back down court after that famous dunk late in game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against Portland in 2000 that resulted in the Lakers run to a championship and the inhumane treatment of an innocent stack of towels in the tunnel leading to the locker room by Scottie Pippen. Anyway, Turiaf’s antics brought back a nice memory. Well, two nice memories if you count the image of Pippen knocking over the towels.

Well, here’s hoping the streak continues. And no, I’m not talking about Kobe’s streak of 40+ points per game – that is, unless it helps…