Kobe Goes H.A.M.

Really Kobe? Really? I mean what does Kobe Bryant have to prove at this point in his career?

I don’t know what point Kobe is trying to make but he has now scored over 40 points in three straight games this week.

Sheesh! It’s not like we don’t already know that Kobe can score on anybody in the league when he feels like it but I guess he felt the need to remind us of his awesome scoring prowess.

Or maybe there is something else going on in that complicated mind of his. You know the last time Kobe went off like this was back in 2007 when he ripped off four straight games of at least 50 points in March of that year.

Okay it’s no secret that Kobe likes to score. He wants the ball in the final seconds when the game is tight and he has no conscious. He will jack up a shot at anytime from anywhere on the court no matter how many shots he has missed before. Aside from his lack of conscious though, he has another motivator that gives him his edge when he’s on the court.

Just like his idol Michael Jordan, Kobe takes adversity and uses it as motivation on the court. He has been overlooked in MVP voting, accused of sexual assault, accused of running Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson out of L.A., and even blamed for a big letdown against the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 playoffs.

And when Kobe gets mad he usually goes on a scoring binge leaving a trail of devastated opponents in his wake. Just look at some of the scoring outbursts he’s had throughout his career.

Back in February of 2003 he ripped off nine straight 40-point games. Then in the 2005-2006 season he had a four-game streak where he scored over 45 points-per-game. He also had single game totals of 62 and 81 points during that season.

So what could be setting off Kobe this time? Could it be Coach Mike Brown’s insistence on running the offense through Andrew Bynum, anger over being swept by the Dallas Mavericks during last years’ playoffs or maybe frustration caused by his impending divorce from his wife of ten years?

Although Kobe is usually pretty forward with his opinion, he has gotten a lot more selective in what he is willing to reveal to the media these days. At some point this season we may learn what it is that is irking Bryant but whether or not he reveals what that is, rest assured that neither we nor his opponents have seen the last of Kobe’s scoring barrage. Heaven helps whoever gets caught standing in his path though.

Roosevelt Hall is an NBA Blogger for Pick And Fade and also writes for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@shatterthebackboard.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.