This Just In: Kobe Likes To Shoot

Last night's 81 point performance finally gave me enough motivation to write a peice on Kobe, something I have actually been brewing for a few days. Coincidentally, I was going to write about the Kings-Lakers game from Thursday night and how until I actually sat down and watched a Lakers game, I really hadn't visually grasped how many shots Kobe really does take. It's absolutely incredible to watch a player with such disregard for the other four guys out there wearing purple and gold. Here is how the fourth quarter broke down:

-They begin with the game tied at 76 apiece
-Kobe's teammates make their first six shots to put LA up by eight
(Enter Kobe's ego with 7.5 min to go)
-Kobe then takes 11 of the final 15 shots (most of which he didn't even look to pass) including six in a row at one point
-Sacramento rallies to send the game into overtime
-In OT, Kobe takes 7 of LA's 10 shots and they get outscored 14-5 to lose.

Now, one game isn't enough to claim a correlation, nor is it fair to assume that had the ball been spread around in a more even distribution the Lakers would have done 'better.' However, it can be deduced that Kobe shooting 18/25 (72%) down the stretch did not win the game, especially considering how well the rest of the team was doing before he entered.

Three nights later came 81.

I'll begin by making it clear that since I was a young boy and was told about the legendary Wilt Chamberlain game of 100 my initial thought was "how selfish." I know scoring points is essential to winning and that the truly talented can score on any defender and help his team win. Still, I am more of a believer in a team game and that the best player on a team is the one that can shoot, pass, rebound, playmake, get everyone involved in the offense, etc. I'm convinced that if Steve Kerr went out there one night and threw up 40 3-pointers there might be similar results. Now, I don't want to take away from the magnitude of Kobe's night because it honestly is very amazing and significant for the record books, and I have always thought Kobe was a terrific athlete and shooter. (My past bias towards him always rooted in their shady defeat of the Kings in 2002 and his refusal to admit Shaq was the reason for the three rings.) But can it really be fun for any of his teammates? Last night was the pinnacle of Kobe's talent, but would you liked to have been out there on the floor (or any other night he shoots 35+)? I wouldn't. I give him props for the feat (the 61% from the field is incredible) and know he is a tremendous player and I do realize they came back from 18 down to win the game (which is the most important thing, right?), but this article is meant for his teammates. Here are a few stats you won't see on Sportscenter:

-He took 52% (46/88) of the total shots
-He took 82% (18/22) of the shots in the 4th quarter
-In the 4th, during a stretch he took 11 shots in a row
-His Assist/Point ratio was 0.0247 (2/81)

Kobe hit his previous career high earlier this season against the Mavs with 62 points...and zero assists. A bit "selfish", you might say. But that's just my opinion.


UPDATE:
I was reminded by my buddy Sport that when a player shoots the ball and is fouled and does not make the shot it does not get recorded as an attempt. Yeah, so if you throw in the number of times Kobe was fouled to reach that free throw total of 20, his shot total actually exceeded 46. The numbers above are without foul consideration.