Only Six Field Goals from Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers Win Game Five

Usually, Kobe Bryant can score six field goals in a half. Sometimes, it is that many and more in a quarter. In Game Five, the Denver Nuggets contained Kobe Bryant for just six field goals and a total of twenty two points. Fortunately, for the L.A. Lakers, there was support and scoring from people other than Kobe Bryant.

Some of that support demonstrated Kobe Bryant’s trust in his team mates. He was rewarded:

• At the end of the second quarter, the ball was in Kobe Bryant’s hands. He could have made a drive to the basket, hope for a foul and a possible three points. Instead, he made a move to the hoop and passed to Sasha Vujacic in the corner. Sasha Vujacic has been having shooting problems and has not been the three-point-presence that the Lakers have needed. Yet, in a crucial Game Five and trailing in the score, Kobe Bryant gave him the last shot of the quarter. It was ‘all net’, it was three points and it helped remove a tremendous burden off Sasha Vujacic’s shoulders. His shot tied the game at half time.
• Another Laker that Kobe Bryant looked for was Lamar Odom. It is not clear how badly injured Lamar Odom is. There is swelling in his lower back and he has to wear a protective brace when he plays. Perhaps the best indication of how much pain Lamar Odom is having was the obvious difficulty that he had in bending over and fixing the lacing on his shoe. Nevertheless, Lamar Odom did have a huge impact upon the game. He had nineteen points and fourteen rebounds. In a situation where he could have disappeared on the court, Lamar Odom was inspirational to his team. His team mates know he is playing with pain and he led at both ends of the floor.
• One of the newest Lakers made timely contributions. Shannon Brown scored six points but it was how he scored. One was a cut to the basket to take a Kobe Bryant pass. Another was a jump shot as the twenty four second time clock was running down. And, perhaps most memorable, was a break-away dunk which Chris Andersen tried to block. That Shannon Brown has athletic gifts is obvious. However, he has not been tested under such playoff pressure. Coach Phil Jackson has commented that Shannon Brown never gives up on a play. It was that tenacity that the Lakers needed from their bench in Game Five.
• The Shannon Brown dunk will be long remembered. It was a score that one of the Denver Nuggets’ premier shot blockers could not defend successfully. What might be overlooked is who was part of that fast break and passed the ball to Shannon Brown. It was Pau Gasol who was leading the break and making a guard-like pass to Shannon Brown to complete the play. Pau Gasol had ten rebounds and fourteen points but he also had four assists, two steals and five blocked shots. It was a significant contribution far beyond just scoring the ball.
• And the question that most Lakers fans are asking… “Is Derek Fisher finally over his shooting slump?“. In Game Five, Derek Fisher made four of his nine field goal attempts and all four of his free throws. The Denver Nuggets may have to recognize that Derek Fisher is a scoring threat again.

All the Lakers who played contributed in the scoring. People like Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom need rest for their injuries. Game Six is in Denver and the Denver Nuggets hope to extend the series to a final, deciding Game Seven. The Lakers would like to close the series with a win in Game Six and end a physically gruelling series. Game Five showed Kobe Bryant that his team mates can elevate their game on their home court. Will he have similar faith in them in front of a loud and hostile Denver crowd? The answer comes on Friday, May 29.

Catherine Forsythe