2010 NBA Finals: Kobe Bryant Is a Great Player, But He Can’t Beat Boston Alone

June 14th, 2010 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
Kobe Bryant's 19 point third quarter in Game Five of the 2010 NBA Finals would have been enough to break the spirit of most teams, but even his herculean effort couldn't offset the team-oriented Boston Celtics.

The Los Angeles Lakers are dangling on the precipice of another Finals' defeat at the hands of the Celtics, and the last two games have begun to bear an eerie resemblance to the Lakers' loss in 2008.

In that series Boston decided that Bryant was the only player who could hurt them so the primary focus was on preventing him easy access to the rim, and limiting his chances of creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.

The strategy worked as the Celtics were able to execute their plan with near flawless perfection, and it seems they have gained momentum in this year's series by employing the same strategy in reverse.

Boston coach Doc Rivers has said Bryant is a great player, but he can't beat an entire team by himself, so the Celtics have concentrated their defensive focus on preventing other members of the Lakers from contributing.

This would seem like a fool-hardy decision considering the talent of players suc ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
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