Zen Mistress and Kobe: Lost from the Outset

June 17, 2008

Zen Mistress and Kobe: Lost from the Outset

After the final buzzer, Doc Rivers, in his Gatorade-drenched suit, sought out Kobe Bryant

Rivers embraced Bryant and whispered a few words in his ear; undoubtedly, the Celtics coach complimented the regular-season MVP on his play and offered some encouragement. Then Bryant did his best to find Celtics players amid the growing chaos on the parquet. He offered congratulations and shook hands, then made his way off the TD Banknorth Garden floor, alone with a towel draped over his shoulder


"Honestly, I don't recall what he said because my mind was elsewhere," said Bryant. "One thing I caught was he supports me 100 percent.”

Bryant played until almost the bitter end, leaving with 2:21 left. It was better than sitting on the bench, though either way, it was hard to witness the colossal LA embarrassment also known as Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. In a historic display of domination, the Celtics defeated the Lakers, 131-92, last night for the 17th NBA championship in franchise history.

"We just lost the championship, and it's tough, especially the way we got beat," said Lamar Odom. "It's a humbling experience in the sports world, especially when you're playing in this profession. You win games by 20 and you lose games by 20. You win and you lose championships. We were just on the short end of the stick tonight."

When asked if he felt the game unraveled on the Lakers, Odom said, "That's what it was like. Are you asking me what you saw? That's what happened."

It's likely no moment was harder for Bryant and his teammates than watching Rivers substitute for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen with 4:01 remaining. The new Big Three exited right in front of Bryant as he waited to inbound the ball. It was at that moment that the Celtics' celebration truly started.

The second half amounted to a coronation for the Celtics and a painful reminder for the Lakers of all that they lacked in shot-making, aggressiveness, and determination. The Lakers were left to wonder why they never could get their game together. They won ugly in Game 3, then squeaked out a victory in Game 5 in a farewell salute to Staples Center. But when the final buzzer sounded last night, the Lakers were truly lost, struggling to fathom what happened

"It hurts to talk about it," said Sasha Vujacic. "We were just two games short. It's going to hurt tomorrow and the day after, but we've got to get over it. There's nothing else I can say about what happened or why. We just lost the NBA Finals and it's very painful."

The Lakers' historic collapse in Game 4 paled in comparison to their complete failure to fight when facing elimination in Game 6. Coach Phil Jackson didn't want them to give the game away, but that was exactly what happened. They looked and played like a team with no hope. In addition to missed shots and turnovers, the defense disappeared

"There were times when I thought [the Celtics'] defense was exceptional, and there were times where I thought we didn't play very smart basketball in execution," said Jackson. "But I think more than anything, Kobe started with a hot hand and then I think his legs [tired]. You could see his shot was flat. He didn't really get his shot going and it really changed the course of the game. He started out strong and then only made three field goals the rest of the game. So, that really was a change

"One of the things they did is they really focused on him and made sure that he wasn't going to be the guy that hurt them. And we didn't have guys step up in this instance."

Bryant finished the first quarter with 11 points (4 for 7) and the game with 22 (7 for 22). He went 0 for 4 in the second quarter

And the Lakers reached the point of no return in the second quarter, long before they thought it would come. Midway through the second, in a little more than three minutes, the Celtics stretched a 3-point lead to 14. Not surprisingly, a pair of Lakers turnovers, including one by Bryant, helped the Celtics sustain momentum. The Celtics closed the second with a 9-0 run and entered halftime ahead, 58-35, well on their way to the championship. The Lakers didn't help their cause with more turnovers and poor defense.

"When you look at a halftime score like that, we're really disappointed in that fact," said Jackson. "I thought we played from our heels from the very get-go. They overran us."