Calm, cool Bryant collected points
LOS ANGELES - Chants of "MVP, MVP" echoed through Staples Center last night. And reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant did not disappoint, clearly feeling more comfortable before the supportive hometown crowd. Bryant delivered the kind of performance Los Angeles fans expected and the Lakers needed.
In his breakout performance of the 2008 Finals, Bryant accounted for 41 percent of his team's point total as the Lakers defeated the Celtics, 87-81, in Game 3. He led all scorers with 36 points, going 12 for 20 from the floor. In his postgame remarks, however, Bryant claimed he felt no pressure to perform at such a high level.
"What I tried to do with my teammates is just stay calm," said Bryant. "It wasn't the end of the world. [The Celtics] did a great job of defending home court. We knew we had to come here and do the same.
"But it's important that they understand that I'm not pressing. I'm not worried or anything like that, because they feed off that. They feed off my confidence, and I have all the confidence in the world that we can come here and win."
And a strong start helped build that confidence. It was a positive sign when Bryant scored his first field goal on a driving layup, then made four trips to the foul line shortly thereafter. In the first two games combined, Bryant attempted a total of 13 free throws. Last night, he went 11 for 18 from the line, exhibiting aggressive play that trickled down to his teammates.
Bryant scored on a mix of drives to the basket and jumpers, but many more of his shots came from inside the paint than in Games 1 and 2.
"I just went, took it to them," said Bryant. "I just went and had the confidence that once I get in there I'll be able to make the right play and hopefully some whistles will go our way a little bit tonight, get to the free throw line.
"If they collapse, I'll hit my shooters. They did a great job in Boston of just zoning and not having to help too much. I wanted to put their defense in jeopardy a little bit more than we did in Boston."
After two games in which he did not play as well as he would have liked - and showed his frustration - Bryant found his rhythm and his comfort zone.
"Undoubtedly, it was the leadership of Kobe Bryant out there," said Phil Jackson. "He was aggressive right from the start. I think he put the defense on its heels. We stayed aggressive out there and Kobe was very instrumental in that."
Bryant was also helped by Sasha Vujacic finding his offensive touch. With the Lakers leading, 78-76, in the fourth quarter, Vujacic nailed a 3-pointer to give LA a slight cushion and the Boston defense more to think about. Bryant found himself guarded one-on-one in the final minute when he hit a 19-footer and an 11-footer that ensured the victory.
"That's what happens when we have a lot of people and shooters on the team, and our spacing is great, so Kobe has an opportunity to do whatever he wants," said Vujacic. "He can go to the basket. If they're going to double-team him, he's going to find open teammates, and that's why he's MVP this year and that's why he's playing like the MVP."
And he did it on both ends, charged with covering Paul Pierce in the fourth quarter. Pierce finished with 6 points (2 for 14 shooting), his worst game of the Finals.
"I just tried to stay with him," said Bryant. "He's a tough cover. He's a bad boy. I just tried to accept the challenge and tried to make it as tough as I can for him."
The question now is whether Bryant can make it tough for the Celtics two games in a row.
