For those of you who live under a rock - or in some completely soccer-mad country, which is almost the same thing - and missed it, Kobe Bryant basically pouted away a Game 7 vs. the Phoenix Suns the other night. Lightly criticized in the Los Angeles papers for going off for 50 points and supposedly ignoring his teammates in a Game 6 loss, and no doubt urged by Phil Jackson to get those teammates involved in Game 7, Kobe decided to stage one of his shot boycotts.
So with the Lakers down 15 points at halftime, the most dominant player in the NBA, the guy who dropped 81 on the Raptors earlier this season, refused to shoot in the second half. Kobe took three shots total in the last 24 minutes - what he gets up in some single minutes - and the Lakers got humiliated.
Anyone who's followed Kobe knows this isn't exactly new behavior. He did the same thing against the Kings in a game a year ago. But this was Game 7 of the playoffs.
And that makes it the single most selfish act in team sports since Phil Mickelson switched equipment brands right before the Ryder Cup two years ago. Now, I don't like dragging Mickelson into this. Phil's turned me into a believer with his play and actions in recent years.
But that wasn't one of his finer moments. And he and Kobe Bryant do belong in the same sentence in that sense.
The question is: Will Kobe Bryant ever get a Mickelson renaissance?
He's not off to a good start. Kobe furiously texted message Charles Barkley the other night, irate that Barkley called him "selfish" on air. Yes, he stood up for himself in text message, not having the guts to get on the phone even.
And of course Barkley gleefully relayed this all on TNT. You have to love Barkley no matter what ridiculous claims TravelGolf.com's William K. Wolfrum rambles on about. (And yes, K. I have interviewed Barkley and found him to be a "good guy" - look for the interview soon on BadGolfer.com.)
Barkley never pulled a Kobe in the playoffs or a Phil in the Ryder Cup. You don't pout or promote away your team's chances of winning on the big stage.
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