On the Court With... Kobe Bryant by Matt Christopher Page B
Authors: Matt Christopher
Tags: Biography
Ads: Link
Division.
In the first round, the Lakers blew out the Portland Trailblazers, winning the best-of-five playoff three games to one. Bryant
hardly played in the three Laker wins, but in game three, with the Lakers trailing, he had come off the bench to keep things
close by scoring 22.
In the next round, against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers lost the first two games of the best-of-five series and again Bryant
played only a few minutes. But opportunity came in game three once again.
The Lakers jumped ahead early, but turned cold as Utah began to make a move in the fourth quarter. Harris recalled Bryant’s
performance against Portland and he put him in the lineup, looking for some points.
Bryant proved he was becoming an explosive scorer. He scored 17 points in the final period as he kept the pressure on Utah
by driving to the basket again and again. They responded with fouls, and he coolly sank 13 of 14 free throws to secure the
104-84 win.
If L.A. didn’t win game four, their season was over.Harris decided to go with the hot hand and Bryant played much of the game.
With the Lakers nursing an 87-85 lead with less than a minute remaining, Jazz veteran guard John Stockton went one-on-one
against Bryant. When the rookie went for a fake, Stockton blew past him to score a layup and tie the game with 11 seconds
remaining.
L.A. called time-out. O’Neal had fouled out and the Lakers needed someone to take the final shot. Harris decided that someone
would be Bryant. He told his team to get him the ball and get out of the way. The decision showed a lot of confidence in the
rookie.
L.A. inbounded the ball to Kobe and his teammates scattered, leaving him isolated on one side of the court. He moved toward
the basket, pulled up, and from fourteen feet shot a potentially game-winning jumper. He had made the same shot thousands
of times while playing shadow ball.
But this time, there was a national television audience, thousands of fans in the/ stands, and a hand in his face. The ball
fell short. Air ball! The game entered overtime.
Bryant was uncharacteristically unnerved. In the extraperiod he shot three more times, and three more times he missed the basket entirely. The Jazz won going away, and the partisan
Utah crowd hooted Bryant and his teammates off the court.
The press questioned Harris’s decision to put the ball in Bryant’s hands in crunch time, and the coach snapped, “All year
I get criticized for not playing him and now I’m criticized for playing him.”
But no one felt worse than Kobe Bryant did. After returning to Los Angeles, the next morning Bryant went to the gym and began
working on his second season in the NBA. His rookie year was over.
CHAPTER NINE
1997-1998
One Step at a Time
Bryant knew he had to work harder if he was ever to achieve the level of success he expected from himself in the NBA. In addition
to his time spent in the gym, he added a grueling weight-training regimen to his fitness routine so he could become bigger
and stronger. He also played for the team the Lakers sponsored in the L.A. Summer Pro League, coached by former player Larry
Drew.
Although Bryant’s performance in the playoffs seemed to indicate that he would play a key role on the team in the upcoming
season, as he played in the summer league it became apparent that wasn’t necessarily the case. The Lakers tried to put restrictions
on his game. They didn’t want him to score as much as they wanted him to pass.
Bryant tried to adjust, but he found the transition difficult. He was convinced that his talents were best used as a scorer,
but the Laker offense was increasinglyfocused on getting the ball to O’Neal inside. It was a slowdown style that Bryant felt uncomfortable with.
He tried his best to fit in. But in the preseason it became clear that Coach Harris planned to use Bryant off the bench as
a sixth man, either at shooting guard or small forward.
While Bryant was disappointed
In the first round, the Lakers blew out the Portland Trailblazers, winning the best-of-five playoff three games to one. Bryant
hardly played in the three Laker wins, but in game three, with the Lakers trailing, he had come off the bench to keep things
close by scoring 22.
In the next round, against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers lost the first two games of the best-of-five series and again Bryant
played only a few minutes. But opportunity came in game three once again.
The Lakers jumped ahead early, but turned cold as Utah began to make a move in the fourth quarter. Harris recalled Bryant’s
performance against Portland and he put him in the lineup, looking for some points.
Bryant proved he was becoming an explosive scorer. He scored 17 points in the final period as he kept the pressure on Utah
by driving to the basket again and again. They responded with fouls, and he coolly sank 13 of 14 free throws to secure the
104-84 win.
If L.A. didn’t win game four, their season was over.Harris decided to go with the hot hand and Bryant played much of the game.
With the Lakers nursing an 87-85 lead with less than a minute remaining, Jazz veteran guard John Stockton went one-on-one
against Bryant. When the rookie went for a fake, Stockton blew past him to score a layup and tie the game with 11 seconds
remaining.
L.A. called time-out. O’Neal had fouled out and the Lakers needed someone to take the final shot. Harris decided that someone
would be Bryant. He told his team to get him the ball and get out of the way. The decision showed a lot of confidence in the
rookie.
L.A. inbounded the ball to Kobe and his teammates scattered, leaving him isolated on one side of the court. He moved toward
the basket, pulled up, and from fourteen feet shot a potentially game-winning jumper. He had made the same shot thousands
of times while playing shadow ball.
But this time, there was a national television audience, thousands of fans in the/ stands, and a hand in his face. The ball
fell short. Air ball! The game entered overtime.
Bryant was uncharacteristically unnerved. In the extraperiod he shot three more times, and three more times he missed the basket entirely. The Jazz won going away, and the partisan
Utah crowd hooted Bryant and his teammates off the court.
The press questioned Harris’s decision to put the ball in Bryant’s hands in crunch time, and the coach snapped, “All year
I get criticized for not playing him and now I’m criticized for playing him.”
But no one felt worse than Kobe Bryant did. After returning to Los Angeles, the next morning Bryant went to the gym and began
working on his second season in the NBA. His rookie year was over.
CHAPTER NINE
1997-1998
One Step at a Time
Bryant knew he had to work harder if he was ever to achieve the level of success he expected from himself in the NBA. In addition
to his time spent in the gym, he added a grueling weight-training regimen to his fitness routine so he could become bigger
and stronger. He also played for the team the Lakers sponsored in the L.A. Summer Pro League, coached by former player Larry
Drew.
Although Bryant’s performance in the playoffs seemed to indicate that he would play a key role on the team in the upcoming
season, as he played in the summer league it became apparent that wasn’t necessarily the case. The Lakers tried to put restrictions
on his game. They didn’t want him to score as much as they wanted him to pass.
Bryant tried to adjust, but he found the transition difficult. He was convinced that his talents were best used as a scorer,
but the Laker offense was increasinglyfocused on getting the ball to O’Neal inside. It was a slowdown style that Bryant felt uncomfortable with.
He tried his best to fit in. But in the preseason it became clear that Coach Harris planned to use Bryant off the bench as
a sixth man, either at shooting guard or small forward.
While Bryant was disappointed
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