The Billiken's Bluff

On January 10th, The Sports Guy went off on Kobe Bryant, calling him a selfish idiot for sitting out of the fourth quarter of a blow-out win over the Mavs.



During the game in question, Kobe Bryant, the best player in the NBA, had 62 points through three quarters. Phil Jackson asked Kobe if he wanted to play in the 4th. Kobe declined. Simmons wrote:

Which brings us to the 62-point game. Kobe had the optimum opponent (none of the Mavs could guard him), optimum referees (he was getting every call), optimum conditions (he was feeling it) and the optimum venue (the Staples Center). He could have scored 80, and no one besides Wilt has ever topped 73. But when Phil Jackson asked if Kobe wanted to keep on playing in the blowout, he shook his head no. He was done. Apparently, he thought that passing up a chance at immortality would prove he was a good guy.

Simmons' went on to say that Kobe was cheating fans because you never knew when you would have the chance to make history again. Fans want to witness greatness, Kobe deprived them of this, therefore he was cheating his fans. Simmons even got all Bronx-Tale-ish and wrote that, "The saddest thing in life is wasted talent."

Well 2 weeks later, Kobe did make history by scoring 81 points, including 55 in the second half. The Lakers needed everyone of those points to come from behind to beat the Raptors 122-104. On 1/10/06 Simmons wrote:

Fifty years from now, nobody will care that Kobe refused to reenter a blowout or that he did the "right thing." They would have cared about 80.

How about 81?



Simmons is from Boston and loves to make pop culture references in his writing, so Bill...

How do you like them apples?



My boy Kobe is wicked smart.