He rules when it matters (good review of last nights Lakers/Nuggets game)

[GangstaBoogy]

On a night when Allen Iverson produced 51 points, making knees buckle and jaws drop, he had the answer for everything except Kobe Bryant.

A.I. scored a ton. But Bryant won.

Anybody could see the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Nuggets 111-107 Wednesday night.

But what was revealed is that not all Hall of Fame players are created equal.

There is great, which Iverson will be, forever and always.

And there is transcendent, which makes Bryant a basketball god on the order of Magic, Oscar and Wilt.

What went down in the Pepsi Center was far more than two superstars in top form, because this was an enduring lesson in basketball history, a game that should be studied and replayed in the minds of everyone who loves the sport and wants to understand its essence.

"I felt like everything was going to go in," said Iverson, who drove the Lakers crazy and scored in so many splendid ways it made longtime Denverites with laugh lines etched on their faces to recall David Thompson and feel the tingles of awe and nostalgia down the spine.

For wayward NBA fans who claim the price of a ticket has not been worth it since Michael Jordan retired, this fourth quarter alone could make a memory built to last a lifetime, when the 6-foot-6 Bryant looked at A.I., much smaller and quicker and in an unstoppable scoring groove, then took it upon himself to stop this incredible wow all by himself.

"Stop him," said Bryant, explaining his lone mission when defending Iverson one-on-one in the final period.

"I'm not one of these players who believes if a guy gets hot, there's nothing to do about it. I just don't believe that."

On helter-skelter drives and soft jumpers, Iverson had scored 49 through three quarters.

"I think what caught us off-guard was his aggressiveness," Bryant said of Iverson. "He hasn't been this aggressive since he was in Philadelphia. It kind of caught us on our heels a little bit."

But, in the final period, with Bryant draped on Iverson like an invisibility cloak, one of the great scorers the league has ever seen disappeared.

The Lakers, said Iverson, "wanted to make sure they got the ball out of my hands. And that's what they did."

This was a Philadelphia story Iverson thought he was done living. Remember? He needed to get away from the Sixers, because A.I. was too often the whole show, too often burdened with taking all the big shots and too often disappointed when his team lost despite his best efforts.

When A.I. got traded to Denver last season, he finally felt free. He had Carmelo Anthony as a teammate. The Nuggets were going to chase his blues away.

But here Denver is, banged up and looking for its personality, struggling to a record of 11-8, barely hanging on the fringes of the discussion regarding championship contenders, and getting beat by the Lakers.

Bryant taught us again that a player for the ages can dominate without scoring a point.

"If I have a game where I don't score no points and we lose, it's frustrating. It feels the same way," said Iverson. At age 32, he hates being called old, and proved against the Lakers he still has the wheels to run all 48 minutes without needing so much as a breather.

"When I got to (Denver), I didn't think I would have to have a night like this. And I definitely thought, if I did have a night like this, we would win. That's the tough part about this. Because I always talk about being in Philly and having those big nights and losing nights. I didn't think it could happen here."

In the NBA, there can be only one king.

You can have LeBron James or Kevin Garnett.

Before the game, Nuggets coach George Karl testified that Bryant is one of the top three basketball talents in the history of basketball.

On a night when Iverson scored 51, we saw proof that Kobe is the king.


http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_7646944

[7even]

Jesus Christ, nowadays they can make a Kobe-is-God thread out of anything. Like it was the first game where the clear top-scorer didn't get the W  Kobe could save his energy for the 4th cause his team was able to not get fucked up by the Nuggets... the end.

[wcsoldier]

Dude needs to watch the game again .. it's Ariza who stopped Iverson .. Kobe just finished the work .. this article is could have been done lots of time but this game isn't the best example of Kobe dominating in the 4th on the defensive end of course ...

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Dude needs to watch the game again .. it's Ariza who stopped Iverson .. Kobe just finished the work .. this article is could have been done lots of time but this game isn't the best example of Kobe dominating in the 4th on the defensive end of course ...

It was both Kobe and Ariza...

[GangstaBoogy]

Jesus Christ, nowadays they can make a Kobe-is-God thread out of anything. Like it was the first game where the clear top-scorer didn't get the W  Kobe could save his energy for the 4th cause his team was able to not get fucked up by the Nuggets... the end.

Mad cuz the Mavs have the same record as us?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Injured Lakers>>>Dallas

[7even]

Jesus Christ, nowadays they can make a Kobe-is-God thread out of anything. Like it was the first game where the clear top-scorer didn't get the W  Kobe could save his energy for the 4th cause his team was able to not get fucked up by the Nuggets... the end.

Mad cuz the Mavs have the same record as us?

Lol... now I'm not even gonna get into how I'm not mad and everything, but since you asked about the Mavs: It's kinda sad but to this point I can't be as fazed as I want to be about the regular season. That's just what it is. I know they are going to get into the playoffs easily either way... and that the playoffs are a story of their own, well nobody knows that better than a Mavs nigga. So..

Injured Lakers>>>Dallas

Let's stay to the facts, young hustler.

[Bay Area Jat]

i saw the score of this game and saw AI's state line and already knew kobe must have done something huge for the lakers to have won that game

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Jesus Christ, nowadays they can make a Kobe-is-God thread out of anything. Like it was the first game where the clear top-scorer didn't get the W  Kobe could save his energy for the 4th cause his team was able to not get fucked up by the Nuggets... the end.

Mad cuz the Mavs have the same record as us?

Lol... now I'm not even gonna get into how I'm not mad and everything, but since you asked about the Mavs: It's kinda sad but to this point I can't be as fazed as I want to be about the regular season. That's just what it is. I know they are going to get into the playoffs easily either way... and that the playoffs are a story of their own, well nobody knows that better than a Mavs nigga. So..

Injured Lakers>>>Dallas

Let's stay to the facts, young hustler.

Yea...The Mavs sure know a thing or two about stepping their game up in the playoffs, huh? Your team is done. The Mavs are just as much contenders as the Lakers the Nuggets and the Rockets, if not less...maybe even the Warriors.

[7even]

Nigga you're not in the position to talk like that. For all I know all the Lakers need is a big whopping by Dallas in the first round and your team is as done as it can be.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Nigga you're not in the position to talk like that. For all I know all the Lakers need is a big whopping by Dallas in the first round and your team is as done as it can be.

Kobe > Dallas Mavericks.

[Styles1]

Kobe did his damage with a hurt shoulder too.... and he played through sickness the night before when most would have taken the night off....

 

[GangstaBoogy]

Jesus Christ, nowadays they can make a Kobe-is-God thread out of anything. Like it was the first game where the clear top-scorer didn't get the W  Kobe could save his energy for the 4th cause his team was able to not get fucked up by the Nuggets... the end.

Mad cuz the Mavs have the same record as us?

Lol... now I'm not even gonna get into how I'm not mad and everything, but since you asked about the Mavs: It's kinda sad but to this point I can't be as fazed as I want to be about the regular season. That's just what it is. I know they are going to get into the playoffs easily either way... and that the playoffs are a story of their own, well nobody knows that better than a Mavs nigga. So..

Injured Lakers>>>Dallas

Let's stay to the facts, young hustler.

John Hollinger's latest new math gimmick tries to predict who will make the playoffs, win their division, make it to The Finals and win the title this year, and it's based on how everyone has been playing so far. As it stands today Hollinger says there's a 98.9% chance the Lakers will make the playoffs with a 51-31 record, a 10% chance they'll win the Pacific Division, an 11.4% chance they'll go to The Finals, and a 2.9% chance they'll win it all. This puts the Lakers behind the Warriors in all these categories, but it puts them ahead of Dallas.

 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Yea...I too was surprised when Hollinger out of all people picked us to win it all ahead of Dallas. If fucking John Hollinger is sayin' it, what does that tell you, 7even?

[Antonio_]

Nigga you're not in the position to talk like that. For all I know all the Lakers need is a big whopping by Dallas in the first round and your team is as done as it can be.

Kobe > Dallas Mavericks.