Kobe Bryant Hits Game Winner...Again?!?!

By CLINTON GOLDIE, FreshSportsDaily.com Lakers Beat Writer

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe…or MVP, MVP, MVP. Take your pick because it doesn’t matter. This guy has ice water running through his veins. The black mamba strikes again. This time with no time left on the clock in overtime, on the road in Milwaukee Kobe hits a turn around fade away jumper to “redeem himself” for missing the earlier game winning attempt in regular time. As Kobe put it after the game he’d “be pissed” if he missed that shot. Kobe finished the night going for 39 points on 13-28 from the field but a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line.

This was another huge night for Pau Gasol who continues to rack up the rebounds. Tonight he pulled down a game, season, and career high of 22 while shooting 9-15 from the floor for 26 points. Pau continues to show why his trade is one of the steals of the century as the Lakers swindled the Grizzlies into taking Kwame Brown. Pau Gasol might be one of the best power forwards simply because of his ability to elevate his game to a standard where Kobe not only trusts, yet admires his skills. His cerebral approach could be seen when the Lakers broke down during a stretch in the fourth quarter. Pau accidentally tripped fellow player Derek Fisher allowing an easy basket by the Bucks. As Phil Jackson called a timeout to rip into his player, Pau already knew what happened, apologized, but made good on the next play with a solid block out and rebound.



The amazing part for this writer is that really good and sometimes great players like Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest haven’t needed to be a factor. As the NBA season wears on the body, these players will need to step it up like Lamar has done in the past and be those go to guys. It’s not who starts, but who finishes.