The mystery of Kobe

There's no way Game 7 of the Lakers-Rockets series should be happening.

There is no way that a team that lacks any star power aside from Ron Artest, starts a 6'6" center, and and was facing a massive talent deficit before the series started, before losing its best player, should win two of three, and at worst would play the Lakers to a standstill over four games.

The result of game four was understandable. In a one game situation, being without a star, teams often can play in a different style that their opponent hasn't seen before. But Game 6, with the opportunity to keep their foot on the neck of the Rockets, the Lakers instead let them get up off the mat and hit back. 

The Lakers have, all postseason, shown a lack of killer instinct. The lone Jazz win in the first round series came after a late comeback. In Game 1 and Game 6, the Lakers closed after Houston had built up leads, it was as close as 2 in the 3rd, at which point the Rockets pulled away again. What's amazing about this lack of killer instinct is that they showed the same thing last year, most especially in blowing the huge lead in Game 4 of the Finals. It's also a damning result for the idea that Kobe Bryant's will is the equivalent if Michael's.

There are two men in NBA history who have shown that they would rather cut off their own limbs than lose, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell, the greatest winner ever. Both men willed their teams to wins they shouldn't necessarily have won, both men made their teammates substantially better, because those teammates both respected and feared them so much. Other players, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Magic, Tim Duncan have had similar effects on teammates. Kobe's effect seems different. 

Kobe, so self-possessed, so self-aware, seems like he's always wanted to enter that group. To be thought of as one of the great leaders in his sport, since so often, leadership means success. And you always hear about how hard Kobe works, how much he's inspired LeBron to up his game this season in terms of preparation. 

But if that's true of his Olympic teammates, why hasn't Kobe's effort translated to the other Lakers? I think its a combination of factors. One, I don't really think Kobe's leadership is such that he can inspire guys to compete for him, either out of fear or love. He wasn't the Alpha dog of the Lakers championship teams, Shaq was. Leadership was provided by others as well, whether it was Horace Grant, AC Green, Big Shot Bob or Derek fisher. In the '04 season, nearly every major outlet wrote about how important Karl Malone was in leading that team, and how when he got hurt, the team disintegrated. Kobe makes a show of leadership. He glares, he snaps, he does the things he thinks make a leader. But they don't, at least not on their own. 

And maybe Kobe doesn't have that killer will either. It's one thing to work exceptionally hard, but its another to actually come through with an effort to inspire. Kobe hasn't done that since Shaq left. In each season ending series, the Lakers have essentially quit. They did so against Phoenix in 06 and again in 07, and did so in Game 6 last year. Kobe has not had a signature game where he's hobbled and toughs it out, no amazing comeback where he takes the team on his back, and no signature game in which he locks down the other team's best scorer. His own killer instinct is suspect, so it's not that surprising when his team's is as well.