Kobe Welcomes Byron Back Home

Friday the 13th came and went and even though I sidestepped the cracks in the sidewalk, and made sure to stay clear of any mirrors for fear of breaking one, and sped up to avoid squashing the black cat that was about to cross my path, a black cloud still loomed over Staples Center. Fortunately, it was only the exhaust plume from the Cleveland Cavaliers team bus as they puttered out of town after falling 97-92 to the Los Angeles Lakers. The game featured a coaching duel between Laker-for-lifer Byron Scott pitted against newbie Mike “I Love LA much better than Cleveland” Brown. All nostalgia aside, the actual game was simply a case of too much talent versus too little. But as is the case with any B-Scott-led team, the Cavs played hard and with effort until the floodgates finally opened and submerged them in an onrush of Kobe Bryant.

Shaquille O'Neal is introduced for the first time at the Fabulous Forum as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, as teammates Kobe Bryant and Byron Scott greet O'Neal prior to a preseason game on October 18, 1996. All rights reserved. Copyright Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images.

I personally think Kobe (42 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) gets up for games like these and genuinely gets a kick out of torturing old Laker chums. B-Scott once took a young rookie under his wing and tried to help guide the talented teenager through the difficult waters of NBA life. That was back-in-the-day when 18-yr. old Kobe was sporting a cleanly shaved dome and bucking the stranglehold of Del Harris’ repressive offense coupled with the burgeoning, overwhelming personality of Shaquille O’Neal. That young kid who lived with his parents grew into a man, and now that man is the MAN. It must make Scott proud to some degree that he had helped mold Kobe into what he is today. And as a salute to his former mentor, Kobe pays him the ultimate tribute in the only way he can.

Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant have remained friends over the years. All rights reserved. Copyrights may apply.

While the Lakers were busy avoiding cracks in the sidewalk, they almost got hit by a passing freight train. Andrew Bynum (15 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocked shots) scored on a 9-ft. bank shot, turned to run upcourt and inadvertently stepped on the foot of a Cavs defender. Bynum immediately grabbed his ankle, then collapsed to the floor as Staples Center groaned in unison. But Drew got up and ran it off as sighs of relief were heard throughout Los Angeles. Moments later, Kobe was slapped hard on his injured wrist and grabbed it in agony as the sighs suddenly transformed into a morose silence. Fortunately, both bounced back in overpowering fashion.

Mike Brown pushed the Lakers to up their defensive pressure, and in the second period, they responded. After giving up 28-points on 50% shooting in the first quarter, the Lakers limited the Cavs to 13-points in the second. Pau Gasol (19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot) and Matt Barnes (15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocked shot) were the recipients of some stellar D-Fish dimes. Fisher recorded 9-assists (10 total along with 3-steals) in the first half alone while not even attempting a single shot. The Lakers enjoyed a 59-41 lead at halftime while Byron Scott could only shake his head in disbelief and ask himself, “What if…?”

Cleveland came out with considerably more pep in the second half and began chipping away at the lead. Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, Kyrie Irving (21 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Ramon Sessions (12 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound) heated up as the Lakers began coasting. But Kobe injected himself whenever the Cavs got too close for comfort. And with the absence of Steve Blake (out 3-4 weeks with a costochondral fracture, the cartilage connecting the rib to the sternum), Mike Brown was forced to utilize seldom used rookie Darius Morris (3 points, 4 assists in 14-minutes) to back up Fish. The Lakers survived the period ahead 82-70, but their sloppy play transformed into utter chaos to start the 4th as the Cavs ran off 9-straight points to draw within 79-82 with a tick over 7-minutes to play.

Kobe and the Lakers were ice cold from the field but Cleveland couldn’t make up any more ground as fatigue set-in and they began throwing the ball away. The 4th quarter became a mud-fest as both teams took turns sloshing around in a display of offensive offense. But the Lakers managed to make just enough shots down the stretch to secure the ugly win as Kobe recorded his third consecutive game of 40+ points. Both Metta World Peace (sore achilles) and Luke Walton did not play, perhaps in anticipation of tomorrow night’s back-to-back in a much anticipated rematch against CP3 and the Blake Griffin-led Clippies.