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| English: Bryant hangs from the rim after one of several slam dunks during the pre-season game, Tuesday night, at the University of Hawaii. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
With the way Kobe Bryant was gushing about what it's like to play next to the great Steve Nash after the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94 win vs. the New York Knicks on Tuesday, it was natural to wonder if Bryant ever caught himself watching his fellow future Hall of Famer with admiration.
"I ain't watching (expletive)," Bryant said with a laugh as he sat at his locker. "I'm looking to get open."
It's only two games with Nash and the Lakers at full strength, but what a difference a two-time MVP makes. Nash, who returned to hit a game-winner at Golden State on Saturday after being out since Oct. 31 with a left leg injury, followed up that 12-point, nine-assist outing with a 16-point, 11-assist effort in which his poise and presence were major factors late against the Knicks. One thing is clear already: Nash changes everything for Bryant and his teammates.
After so many years spent either being asked to carry too much of the offensive load or doing it of his own, Bryant finds himself with luxuries he has never had before. The options are many, chief among them a pick-and-roll with Nash and center Dwight Howard that has Bryant often left alone – no typo there – on the wing. And that, far more than a five-game winning streak that won't mean much if this season goes South again, is the part that should still scare Lakers' foes the league over.
"I get a rebound (and) I'm looking for him, running the floor," Bryant explained afterward. "If he's penetrating or whatever, I'm looking for an angle to back-cut somebody, or coming off a screen, I'm always just looking for crevices to get open because I know he'll find you."
For all the attention paid to the Bryant-Howard pairing and all its similarities to the Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal days of old, Bryant-Nash is where it starts for the Lakers.
"It's like (Michael) Jordan having (John) Stockton, or (Scottie) Pippen, (a player who) can facilitate and allows him to do what he does. I haven't had that throughout my career," Bryant said. "I've played with some great off-guards like (Derek) Fisher and (Ron) Harper and so forth, but I've never played with a point guard of his caliber that can manipulate the defense and put you in positions to be successful and organize the floor. It's great."
Nash helped stave off a late Knicks run with a stepback jumper with 1:47 remaining that put the Lakers up 96-91 and would turn out to be enough. He missed a floater in the lane with 1:11 remaining that was followed by a J.R. Smith three-pointer which cut the Lakers' lead to 96-94, but the Knicks got no closer from there. After tallying a season-high 31 assists against the Warriors, the Lakers had 22 against the Knicks. For the season, they rank 20th in the league with an average of 20.9 per game.
"It allows me to do what I do naturally, which is put the ball in the hole," Bryant said. "At the end of the games, I've had to bring the ball up, initiate the action, get it back, then look to score. Now you put me in a position where I can put a lot of pressure on a defense because I'm in a striking position. So now when Dwight's rolling to the rim or Pau (Gasol) is rolling to the rim, I'm on that backside and they've got to make a choice...It just puts everybody in the positions to do what they do best. He's the best at organizing offense. I'm the best at scoring. Dwight does what he does. Pau does what he does. He just fits."
While wins vs. the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors had certainly been steps in the right direction for the Lakers, this was easily their most impressive win thus far. The Knicks (20-8) not only entered with the league's fourth-best record but with a need for a win after dropping two of their last four.
"It gives you a chance to win every night," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said of Nash. "It keeps your energy up and calms everybody down.
"Everybody is getting the ball and getting into the flow. It feeds and it builds. Just like a snowball, it keeps getting bigger."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2012/12/25/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-kobe-bryant-steve-nash/1791187/
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