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Kobe Bryant
Hidden Gem Full Highlights (Rare)
LA Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers
January 30, 2001
Gund Arena
- 47 pts, 5r, 3a, 3s, 1b / 12-26 fg, 23-26 ft
Kobe entered the night averaging 29.4 ppg on 47-32-86 (%) through 2000-01’s first 42 games. This matchup with Cleveland was the 2nd amidst a 6 game span in which Shaq was nursing an injured foot. Kobe was therefore tasked with playing much more aggressively on offense. He proceeded to post 34.3p, 9r and 4a during the stretch. The Lakers went 4-2, including wins over the playoff bound Kings and Suns.
Personally, the Shaq-less Kobe games are quite intriguing. For those who’ve been following my videos and their descriptions, I need not explain once again Kobe’s ‘03 leap. But from 2000-02 Shaquille was recognizably and understandably the focal point amidst the triangle. When Shaq wasn’t healthy, Kobe was given the opportunity to showcase more of his ability. Kobe played 214 out a possible 246 games over the 2000, ‘01 and ‘02 seasons. In 25 of those 214 games, Shaq did not play. With the help of basketballreference and statmuse, I was able to calculate Kobe’s averages for those games. Also shown are his accumulative numbers over the course of those 3 years:
(w/ Shaq) (No Shaq) (Total)
189 games 25 games 214 games
24.9 ppg 29.7 ppg 25.4 ppg
5.7 rpg 7.0 rpg 5.9 rpg
5.1 apg 5.4 apg 5.1 apg
47.2% fg 44.0% fg 46.7% fg
83.7% ft 82.8% ft 83.5% ft
Thats the sacrifice right there. The numbers are indicative of the value Kobe placed on winning relative to chasing individual prestige. As much as he wanted to prove himself superior to the rest of basketball, the importance of winning long term edged that out. Average 30 a night and bid for a scoring title annually, or put up 23-28-25 a game while accepting a more balanced role within a team oriented system designed for championship contention?
This goes for the later years as well (2008-10). After posting 35.4 and 31.6, along with the numerous absolutely absurd short-term feats obtained during those 2 seasons, was there any doubt regarding what Kobe was capable of? But the time to rack up numbers and challenge records had passed. It was time to win. 32-35 ppg suggests lack of support. Average that and get bounced in the 1st round with Kwame and Smush? Or average 27 with Pau, Fish, Bynum, Lamar, Ariza/Ron at your side and reach 3 straight NBA finals? Huge scoring outputs suggest too much weight on one’s shoulders. The weight Kobe wanted is presented on opening night and rests on one’s finger.
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Rare - few or no known highlights of player/game on YouTube at time of publishing.
All footage is property of the National Basketball Association (NBA). No copyright infringement is intended.
