| | INDIANAPOLIS -- He has always been the prime suspect, the heir to the NBA's most rarefied airspace, the high school kid most likely to be crowned Next Jordan.
|  | | Kobe Bryant took over the L.A. offense after Shaq fouled out. |
Only now, it might not matter if Kobe Bryant never matches every last aspect of that lofty legacy.
That's because Bryant, at last, has set his own standard, played his own signature game. You will inevitably hear Wednesday's for-the-ages performance described as Jordan-esque, but Kobe-esque might be the higher compliment. Game 4 of the NBA Finals was the night Bryant stood on his own as a basketball great, on an ankle that wasn't supposed to be sturdy enough to support a fallen, 335-pound giant and the championship dreams of a fallen-giant franchise.
Remember the air balls against Utah? The missed free throws in San Antonio? If so, they must be fuzzy memories, because Bryant is suddenly synonymous with an over-the-shoulder, mid-air rebound basket that all but clinched the Lakers' first title since 1988. Or daggers so deadly from the top of the key, Phil Jackson had no choice but to ditch his precious triangle offense. Those are the images Bryant's name henceforth evokes.
And if for some ungodly reason you haven't seen those magic moments yet, don't worry. You will, over and over, just like that last snapshot of Jordan shoving aside Bryon Russell and beating the Jazz with a jumper.
"The game I have been dreaming about, to be honest with you," Kobe called it.
Larry Bird, who choreographed a few such dreamscapes of his own, called it something else.
"Awesome," said Larry Legend.
"We were there, but we really weren't there," added Bird, whose Pacers now face an irretrievable 3-1 deficit entering Friday's Game 5. "Every shot was, you know, all net. I mean, it wasn't even close."
It was, quite simply, the dreamiest NBA evening seen since Jordan left the big stage. The event that reminded the world how elegant the game can be, a reminder that, once in a while, the sport can still reward us for enduring all the lockouts and conspiracy theories and sagging TV ratings.
|
“ |
I
was upset that we kept losing in the playoffs. I
was upset with people talking about my game as
far as not being a team player or being great
defensively. I just wanted to make a change. I
wanted to make it happen. I wanted to prove that
what they were saying was wrong. That's
it. ” |
|
|
— Kobe Bryant |
It also reminded us of Jordan, of course, because even Bryant himself can't resist the comparison. Lakers guard Brian Shaw revealed Thursday that Kobe, right after Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 2:33 left in overtime, started with the MJ chatter right there on the Conseco Fieldhouse floor.
"He came over to me and said, 'In this situation, Jordan wouldn't let his team lose, so why should I let mine?' " Shaw recounted.
For years, Bryant has been walking and talking like Jordan, mimicking ol' No. 23's inflections and mannerisms even when he failed to deliver. This, though, has been a season even Jordan could envy. Just since last summer, Bryant has mended his differences with O'Neal, overcome a broken hand, emerged as one of the NBA's five best at both ends and stepped up repeatedly in the playoffs on legs that keep failing him.
All at age 21.
There was a game-winning jumper against Phoenix in Game 2, Round 2. There were brilliant Game 3 and Game 7 showings against Portland in spite of a sprained right foot. And then there was Wednesday: 28 points, eight in overtime, 47 of a possible 53 minutes, and one new nickname.
"Big Little Brother," O'Neal anointed him.
Responded Bryant: "Personally, I've just been doing the same things that I've always done. I will say I feel more comfortable now. I feel more comfortable around them maybe to be myself.
"I was upset that we kept losing in the playoffs. I was upset with people talking about my game as far as not being a team player or being great defensively. I just wanted to make a change. I wanted to make it happen. I wanted to prove that what they were saying was wrong. That's it."
That's accomplished, even if the Lakers closest to Bryant and Jordan are trying to keep Heir Kobe grounded.
"I probably coached what, 115 (playoff) games with Michael Jordan," Zen Master Jackson said. "I saw a lot of games that were above or beyond (Wednesday's) level from an individual performer. But that's not to take away anything from Kobe."
Added the Lakers' Ron Harper, who was planning to place a Thursday afternoon phone call to Jordan: "MJ won't talk about Kobe. He's gonna say Kobe played a good game, and that's that."
Gradually, grudgingly, Harper was moved to acknowledge that -- as much as Jordan might prefer to talk about hoop happenings in Washington -- Bryant indeed "came into his own" with Wednesday's wizardry.
Yes, Kobe clearly stands on his own now, bad ankle and all.
His own man-child.
Marc Stein, who covers the NBA for The Dallas Morning News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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