ShareThisJust because the Los Angeles Lakers' are off to a perfect 7-0 start this season doesn't mean their execution late in games has been. They continue to rely heavily on star Kobe Bryant's playmaking abilities in fourth quarters of close games, a tendency that has produced victories but can also make their offense stagnant and predictable. Bryant hit an off-balance, game-saving three-pointer with 1:08 remaining in Wednesday night's 93-86 win in New Orleans, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson was critical of his superstar's fourth quarter performance. Jackson suggested Bryant was "doing too much" in the final six minutes, taking quick shots and dominating the ball instead of trusting the balanced attack that helped the Lakers build a 19-point lead through three quarters. "We need to make sure that we continue to execute offensively the way we do the first three quarters," guard Derek Fisher said. "Teams know the ball is going to be in (Kobe's) hands down the stretch. We have to be able to do things so that there are other options. We have too many other guys who can make plays. It doesn't always have to be Kobe." Finding the appropriate fourth-quarter balance figures to be a season-long process for the Lakers, who have relied on Bryant's ability to close out games for years but also boast more proven scoring threats than in previous seasons. Jackson also thought his team was too dependent on Bryant in a victory against Denver earlier this month, even though Bryant's 14 fourth-quarter points sparked a strong Lakers' finishing flourish. Against the Hornets, Bryant was far less effective down the stretch, aside from his big three. He committed a charge, missed a runner in the lane and a contested 20-footer, finishing with 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting. "We should have had him off ball a few times so it wasn't always him on ball," Jackson said. "But he came through with the big shot that kind of clinched it."The Lakers host Detroit (6-2) Friday night at Staples Center.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Jackson frets over too much Kobe
Submitted by SHNS on Fri, 11/14/2008 - 13:56
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