Do not get Kobe Bryant fired up to the point where he wants to steal your soul. Just don’t do it. In an intense, physical game in L.A. last night, the Portland Trail Blazers awoke the sleeping giant that has been Kobe over the last few games and paid dearly for it. Portland was in control until the last seven or eight minutes of the game, when the tide started to turn. Kobe was the best he’s looked since hurting his ankle a few games ago and was more emotional than we’ve seen him in a long time, fist-pumping after shots and stops, extra animated when jawing with the refs, and he had a serious scowl going for the entire fourth quarter. The Lakers eventually took the lead and Bryant hit his patented right baseline, pullup fadeway over Brandon Roy to put them up six and essentially end the game. Bryant went nuts after the shot fell, high-fiving fans, fist-pumping, yelling, and almost ripped his off own jersey. Lakers color guy Stu Lantz screamed, “The best finisher in the game comes through in the clutch!” … Immediately after the game, a Lakers sideline reporter asked a still visibly agitated Kobe what he was thinking before that jumper. “Just make the damn shot,” Kobe replied … Can you remember another NCAA Tournament with this much angst towards the refs? It seems like every time the studio show is on, the NCAA officiating coordinator, John Adams, is getting his ass grilled EJ, Kenny, Charles, Greg Anthony, and Rick Pitino about the refs in this tournament. The funny thing is, for the most part, all of the calls that have people bent of shape (specifically the whistles at the end of the Butler/Pitt game) are debatable. The call that cost Texas the game against Arizona yesterday though was inexcusable … In case you missed it, Texas was up two, 69-67, when ‘Zona’s monster face Derrick Williams missed a shot in the lane with 14 seconds to go. Texas got the miss and called a timeout. Freshman Corey Joseph struggled to inbound the ball and signaled for a timeout, but the ref hit him with a five-second call even though he only visibly counted to four. That gave Williams another shot and he delivered on a three-point play to put ‘Zona up one. Texas missed a final shot and that was it … Read More: One of our guys puts the ‘Cuse away, the Knicks get lit up again, and Blake Griffin will crush your face…
How about our guy Darius Johnson-Odom and Marquette? As Gus would say, “cold-blooded.” We’re lucky to have DJO keeping a tournament diary for us and he foreshadowed what his team’s game was going to be like against Syracuse yesterday in his latest entry:
In terms of Syracuse, a lot of people will call our win earlier this year against Syracuse a fluke, and a lot of people will say that’s a game we shouldn’t have won. I don’t know if Syracuse feels that, but I know they’re gonna come out and try to play hard. A team like that is gonna make runs, and I think the key for us is gonna be to withstand those runs and make our runs. We can’t just let them keep punching us in the mouth. We’ve got to find a way to stop them.
In yesterday’s game, it was DJO & Co. doing the punching. They took out the ‘Cuse, with the knockout punch coming on a Johnson-Odom killer three down the stretch. Be on the looking for his next entry today or tomorrow … The Raptors/Thunder game in OKC was another highlight of Sunday in the NBA. The arena, as usual, was rocking, prompting a Raps announcer to say the atmosphere in the building was “off the charts.” Says a lot, coming from a market with arguably the most passionate fans in the NBA … The Raptors took control late in the game, winning 95-93. It was one of those games where everyone steps up to contribute for the winning team. For a decent stretch of game, James Johnson was the most important player on the floor. He was guarding Kevin Durant (very well) and for several possessions was the go-to guy on offense. They were running iso’s for him on KD and one time he responded with a swing-through, blow by on KD for a baseline dunk. After seeing this, who knew he’d make something of himself? … The Knicks lost to the Bucks in Milwaukee after getting their faces shot off by Carlos Delfino who finished with 30 on what seemed like 25 threes. He wasn’t even doing anything crazy; he was just coming off screens and letting it fly. When no one is guarding you, it’s a hell of a lot easier to make shots. And yes, for many of those possessions, Carmelo Anthony was guarding him. If you’ve been reading Smack, you know that ‘Melo’s defense has become something that Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier consistently note – and now it’s gotten to the point where they feel the need to speak up and point out when ‘Melo makes a real effort on D … Latrell Sprewell was sitting courtside at the game … We subjected ourselves to the mess that was Kings/T-wolves yesterday afternoon. Sacramento won, 127-95, going on a monster run after DeMarcus Cousins got ejected for shoving Martell Webster in the third quarter … For some reason, Nikola Pekovic was Minnesota’s go-to guy for a long stretch in the first half. They were feeding him the ball in the post like he was Kevin McHale, when in fact he plays more like Kevin James. One time though he did manage to score and the arena started playing the theme to “The Godfather,” which is apparently a regular thing in Minnesota. After the bucket, the T-Wolves announcer goes, “They play ‘The Godfather’ music here at Target Center every time Pekovic scores. He just gangster’d Jason Thompson.” … The Suns beat the Clippers partially on a great effort by Marcin Gortat, who had 17 on 7-10 shooting and 13 boards. He did, however, get caught on the wrong end of an incredible Blake Griffin dunk that was called off as an offensive foul. Afterward the game, Gortat told reporters, “I was just standing there, and I hoped he wasn’t going to crush my face.” … We’re out like refs deciding games.
