There we were, at the Staples Center, downtown Los Angeles, the night of Christmas. The LA Lakers were hosting the LA Clippers. This was my first time there, first time to see either the Lakers or the clippers in a live game, and surely the first time and the last time to see Kobe Bryant play in a NBA game.
The long wait started a few months ago when I bought the tickets. At that time I realized that I had never gone to a Lakers game, even when Kobe Bryant was at his best and they were winning championships. The reason might be that I never liked him as a person. I always thought of him as being shallow, impatient, and self-centered. But I had to admit that he was a great player. With talent and hard work, he earned his place in the history of the game of basketball. His former teammate Shaquille O'Neil once said of him: “Being a great basketball player does not make you a great man.". When his retirement was announced later, I was very glad that I stopped looking for a great man in him, and decide to go see a great player play one of his last games on his home court.
The Staples Center was packed by a sold-out crowd. The atmosphere was red hot. When Kobe Bryant's name was announced his fans welcomed their hero with deafening cheers. He looked in good shape and showed his normal form and moves; however his old explosiveness and lift were not with him anymore. The game's first shot belonged to him, and he missed. On the other end of the floor the Clipper's Blake Griffin made his signature power move under the basket and scored the game's first 2 points with a seemingly easy layup. Bryant didn't look like his old self anymore. He didn't try to lead or dominate. He worked hard trying to fit in and help. After missing his second shot he tried to pass the ball to his teammates but for a few times the ball missed targets badly. Roy Hilbert, the once self-claimed "best center of NBA", provided most of the Laker's scoring in the first quarter. The first quarter belonged to the Clippers, featuring DeAndre Jordan's spectacular dunks, Blake Griffin's accurate mid-range jump shots, and Chris Paul's dance-like steps and deceptive and lethal passes. Chris Paul looked like the prime-time Kobe Bryant in a small package, exceptionally talented and skilled, with a strong determination to dominate and win. The second quarter saw the Clippers continuing their advances, but Bryant fared better. His jump shots started falling, providing the Lakers with much needed scoring to keep them in the game. He received loud cheers and applauses from his fans for every made shot. In the third quarter Bryant continued to score points, but the Clippers' J.J. Redick shot the lights out with consecutive 3-pointers. At the end of the quarter the Clippers enlarged their lead to 28 points. The final quarter seemed meaningless at first. Both clubs sent in their second-tier players. But the young Lakers second team quickly made the game interesting. Led by their rookie star Julius Randal, they narrowed the Clippers' lead to 11 points before half way through the quarter, forcing the Clippers to send all their starters back into the game. The young Lakers were not intimidated by the Clippers' stars. Julius Randal continued to score under the basket against one of the league's best defensive players DeAndre Jordan. But Chris Paul decided to take over the game. His dribble penetration layups and pull-up jumpers brought life back to the Clippers who were in panic mode for a while. Jamal Crawford and Luc Mbah Moute scored on Paul's assists, J.J. Redick started making shot again, and the Clippers kept their lead to the end of the game. The fans' chant of "Kobe" near the end did not bring him back into the game.
I may go to the Staples Center to see NBA games again, but not soon enough to see Kobe Bryant play another game. The current season is his last. The page has turned; the Lakers team has to be rebuilt. It will take years for it to become a great team again. I hope the star-packed Clippers will do well in the rest of the season and beyond.
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