For years, the NBA tradition was for the two teams in last year’s Finals to play each other or someone else on Christmas. But with the Kobe/Shaq game outpacing the much better Spurs/Pistons game, we could be in for an annual adventure. If Shaq keeps winning, there won’t be much of a rivalry. With a 97-92 win, Shaq leads Kobe 3-0.
Maybe because it was in Miami or because the same game happened last year, but the atmosphere just wasn’t there. It still had a better feel than last year’s game in Miami, which took place on the first day of March Madness and MLB Opening Day. Game-wise, it wasn’t as good as last year, but it was still a lot of fun to watch. The scoreboard swung back and forth in the 4th quarter until a Gary Payton 3 put them ahead by two.
Kobe (just like the previous two matchups) outscored Shaq with 37 points. He scored 24 in the first half and kept them in the game. Unlike the game of him vs. Dallas, Bryant slowed down in the second half. Brian Cook went ahead with 15 points and hit several outside shots in the third quarter. Lamar Odom went 16-18 and vastly outscored his SF counterpart, James Posey.
Dwayne Wade didn’t perform as well as most thought going 5-15 with 18, but he hit a key shot down the stretch. Gary Payton, who didn’t step up when Jason Williams was injured, ironically played his best game of the year with 21 points off the bench and replaced Wade. Shaq had one of the best rebounding games of his with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
LA led by 5 in the third quarter and did a good job of keeping the game close (the Lakers actually came into this game with a better record than Miami). It still doesn’t excuse them for screwing up this game while leading in the final minutes. A win against Shaq would have been the ultimate morale boost for Kobe, but he still has to live with 0 wins.
O’Neal and Bryant may not have exchanged blows, but their teammates got in on it. Odom and Payton had to be separated after the game ended and Wade flagrantly fouled Kobe. After the game, Odom said of Payton, “He is an extremely disrespectful young man.” Disrespectful maybe, but young?
While Shaq may be the player most capable of rooting in this rivalry, he’s starting to get ridiculously bitter, to the point where he won’t even answer reporters’ questions if they’re related to Kobe. At some point he has to realize that getting as far away from Bryant as possible was the best thing that could happen to him.
So far Shaq has won all three games and they have all been entertaining. Whether Kobe or Shaq are better, there’s no denying that Shaquille has the best supporting cast. Odom and Cook played well today, but the central front of Mihm and Kwame Brown is quite unpredictable. Miami and LA play again on January 16 on TNT. When that game comes around, Kobe and Shaq won’t like each other any more than they do now.