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Not enough Kobe Bryant's numbers were atypical in Game 1 loss
Updated: Friday June 08, 2001 4:06 AM
LOS ANGELES -- A day after Philadelphia shocked the Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, CNN/Sports Illustrated's NBA insider Kevin Loughery joined Vince Cellini on Sports Tonight to discuss what changes may be in store for Game 2.
Vince Cellini: If you look at Kobe Bryant's numbers in Game 1 compared to what he has done in the postseason, points and having an off-shooting night is one thing, but some of these other numbers are glaring. Kevin Loughery: Oh, exactly, Vince. The intangibles that he has to bring to his team were not there in Game 1. He had six turnovers -- that's way too many for Kobe -- and only three rebounds. He usually gets seven or eight. He never got involved in Game 1. Cellini: How do you think Kobe will respond in Game 2?
Loughery: Well, in Game 1, he came out with the idea of getting his teammates the basketball and he kind of "cooled it" into the game. He did not take a shot for the first seven minutes. In Game 2, he'll probably have six or seven shots up in the first seven minutes. He'll come ready, and Aaron McKie better be ready. Cellini: Birthday wishes for Allen Iverson, who turned 26 on Thursday. He took 41 shots to get 48 points Wednesday. Can the Lakers let that happen? Loughery: They cannot let it happen. First of all, they let Philadelphia shoot 48 percent from the field. That's too high of a percentage. A lot has to do with the way they played Iverson. He took 41 shots, had 48 points. You have to double-team him. Phil Jackson does not normally like to double-team perimeter players, but he has to let some of the lesser players on Philadelphia try to beat him. Cellini: Does Jackson have some decisions to make about his own backcourt? Loughery: For the first time in the playoffs, Phil has to decide whether he wants to use Tyronn Lue. He did not use him at all in the first half of Game 1, but he used him in the second half and he did a terrific job. But Derek Fisher for the last two months has been the third-best player on that club. I think he has to go back to Fisher. Fisher has to play more than 23 minutes, unless he gets in foul trouble. Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN's "This Week in the NBA."
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