LOS ANGELES - With 3:17 remaining in the third quarter, Kobe Bryant pulled up and stayed up, even as the defender had begun his descent.
All Mickael Pietrus could do was foul him. Not that it bothered Bryant, as he made the basket off the glass. The ensuing free throw put the Lakers up by 22. For all practical consideration, the game — perhaps the finest of the 28 games Bryant has played in the NBA Finals — was over. The fans took up their customary chant: "M-V-P! M-V-P!"
A few more nights like this, he will be. The league's annual Most Valuable Player designation is nice and all. It makes for great arguments. But at this level of basketball, with players of this caliber, there is a higher honor. Better to be the MVP of the Finals than of the regular season.
Kobe would've gladly traded places with Paul Pierce last year.
This year, LeBron James would do the same, happily exchanging the award for the chance that Bryant now has.
Already, one game into the championship round, much has been made of Bryant's demeanor. His curt answers, and admittedly surly disposition have been analyzed to the point of exhaustion, his, ours and probably yours. His facial expressions have been all but deconstructed.
Still, I kind of like him this way. Or perhaps, I dislike him less. In either case, there's no more phony superstar. At some level, he understands that being a nice guy is an almost thankless task. Fans don't love you for being a good citizen; they love you for winning. And that's what you see in Bryant's expression, that snarl where there had been a smile.
"My kids call me Grumpy from the seven Dwarfs," he said. "That's how I've been at home, just a grouch."
He has begun to bare his teeth, metaphorically and literally, a sign of unvarnished desire. "I just want it so bad, that's all," he said. "I just want it really bad. You just put everything you have into the game and your emotions kind of flow out of you."
The wanting to win bit is way overdone, a catch-all excuse, a bit of white noise for the postgame interview room. But in Bryant's case, I believe him. I get this feeling that victory — yes, a championship of his very own, no Shaq — is the only nourishment for his soul. What's more, as great as he is, as great as he has been, a kind of desperation is inevitable.
He has to do it now. While he's still young enough. While his coach is still coaching. Before Lamar Odom becomes a free agent. Before he has a chance to opt out. Before LeBron James gets a team.
Bryant's last two chances have ended in defeat, the one in Boston being an ignominious one. This could be his last chance. More than likely, this will be the one he's most remembered for. And to his credit, he's not playing it off otherwise.
"It's a lot of motivation," said Bryant. "A lot ... I'm using it all right now."
The Lakers were down five when Bryant re-entered the game in the second quarter. Between that moment — with 8:32 on the clock — and halftime, he scored 12 points and handed out four assists. The Lakers went to their locker room up 10.
The third quarter saw him score 18 points, the most spectacular of which were the three he earned on the previously mentioned play with Pietrus attempting to guard him. In all, his was an old-school effort — driving to the basket and mid-range jump shots. He missed his single attempted 3-pointer.
"They were backing up, giving me a jumper," he said. "So I took it."
Though Bryant finished with 40 — his first 40-point game in the Finals — his line would've been even better if he hadn't gone after the number, shooting 1-for-5 in a garbage fourth quarter. Still, his case had been masterfully made. This championship is his to win.
He had some help, of course. Lamar Odom had 14 rebounds, which, not coincidentally, was the Lakers' margin of victory in the rebounding column, 55-41. Also, when they are good, which they were Thursday night, Los Angeles is the best-passing team in basketball, particularly with Pau Gasol finding teammates cutting to the basket or posting up in the paint.
And speaking of that low-block territory, the Lakers outscored the Magic, 56-22. It would be shameful for any team to get pushed around like that inside — but even more so for the Magic, who only have the league's best center.
As it happened, though, Dwight Howard was limited to a single field goal. That would be two fewer than the much-maligned Andrew Bynum scored.
"Tonight was just an off-shooting night," explained Howard. "We've never had a shooting night this bad."
Howard is a very personable 21-year-old who has taken to calling himself "Superman." He wore a lime green sweater. Nice kid.
But he'd be better off showing his teeth.
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