When All Goes Wrong, Just Blame Kobe Bryant

Man, it must not be fun to be Kobe Bryant right now.

Not now, not ever.

But if you look at how he was received before his recent defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics, it would have been great to be Kobe.

Recreated character, new legacy, finally trusting his teammates even though there were other seasons when he averaged more assists. Fifty-six wins in the tough-as-a-pit-bull's-teeth Western conference and that MVP trophy that has eluded him.

This was Kobe's year to prove the naysayers wrong and that he could indeed win a championship without the Big Aristotle, turned the Big Cactus Shaquille O'Neal.

Except his Cinderella story ended upside down.

He ran into a trio of stars, "the Boston Three Party," by the names of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Also a plethora of role players that would rival the great movie "Crash" with their ability to make the stars look even better.

Rajon Rondo was an emerging force at PG, P. J Brown was a crafty veteran that knew exactly what to do. James Posey was an assassin and proven champion who shot his championship serum through the team's veins. Eddie House was a journeyman that found the confidence to be that good role player he could have always been.

Yeah, Kobe was stuck on the opposite side of a one-sided affair.

All of the people who just knew the Lakers would be crowned NBA champions turned on them after two games, and Kobe became the scapegoat once again of the Lakers problems.

After all, he can't win without Shaq right?

Please. Spare me.

As the infamous Jalen Rose, who is actually really knowledgeable, said, "Great players can't win titles alone."

Right on, Jalen. Name me any player who has won titles without a great supporting cast of players. Just as Academy awards usually go to the same actors and actresses who have made names for themselves.

The best actors and actresses get the best parts, and thus better supporting casts. Could Rajon Rondo be the same point guard without the Three Party around him?

Could Sasha Vujacic be any kind of a force without KB24? And for those who say he isn't, check Game Three.

Great players have many things in common, but one important trait they have is the ability to make others better.

We all can concur that Kobe has made that team better, and that shouldn't be forgotten just because he lost the NBA Finals.

He simply ran into a better team, and his core of players seemed to shut down. How can we blame Kobe for the loss when he is forced to play the best defensive team in the league one-on-five?

Everyone has been quick to denounce Kobe as everything he was before this defeat, and that's unfair.

Suddenly he was shut down and he was shut up. He went to his old self again.

Blah, blah, frickin' blah.

He simply was put in a bad position by a great defensive team who forced others to beat him. Kobe passed the ball, but players missed shots and turned the ball over.

He ran around the court on defense guarding and double-teaming everyone who touched the ball like a hungry piranha. He created the steal-to-steal Game Five.

Doc Rivers even said after one game, "Kobe is a superb help defender, and we have to make shots to keep him home."

Despite all of those facts, he still will be given the, "needs Shaq to win" label, and be blamed for not taking the game over like Jordan did.

Kobe isn't Michael Jordan. He is Kobe Bean Bryant, a superbly talented shooting guard that can't win anything without players making plays.

Michael Jordan didn't win anything alone and he'll tell you that. Lets compare Michael Jordan's 1998 Chicago Bulls NBA Finals statistics to the 2008 Los Angeles Lakers and then tell me that Kobe wasn't dealt a crushing blow by his underachieving teammates.

1998 Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup:

C- Luc Longley- 5.0 PPG

PF- Toni Kukoc- 15.1 PPG

SF- Scottie Pippen- 15.4 PPG, 6.3 APG, 5.5 RPG

SG- Michael Jordan- 33.3 PPG, 2.2 APG

PG- Ron Harper- 5.2 PPG

Starters: 74 PPG (63.8 Big Three)

Key role players, G Steve Kerr, F Dennis Rodman, F Bill Wennington, G/F Scott Burrell

2008 Los Angeles Lakers

C- Pau Gasol- 14.7 PPG, 10.2 RPG (19.0, 8.4 Reg. Season)

PF- Vladimir Radmanovic- 7.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG (8.4, 3.3 Reg. Season)

SF- Lamar Odom- 13.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG (14.2, 10.6 Reg. Season)

SG- Kobe Bryant- 25.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.0 APG (28.3, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG Reg. Season)

PG- Derek Fisher- 10.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, 19% 3PT FG (11.7, 3.0, 41% 3PT Reg. Season)

Starters: 70.4 PPG (54.6 Big Three)

Key role players, G Jordan Farmar, F Luke Walton, G Sasha Vujacic, F Ronny Turiaf

As you can see, the drop off of production is immense for the Los Angeles Lakers. Pau Gasol averaged nearly 5 PPG less in the Finals, Lamar Odom averaged nearly 2 RPG less and Derek Fisher shot an abysmal 19 percent from the beyond the arch after over 40 percent in the regular season.

Also, the role players played a small role in the Finals. Only three times in the Finals did a Laker reserve score in double figures, and two of those times were by Farmar, including Game Six when it didn't matter.

James Posey nearly matched that alone, and was assisted by timely baskets from the likes of Eddie House, P. J Brown and Sam Cassell.

Bottom line, the Big Three of Boston dominated the big three of Los Angeles, and the bench of LA wasn't there to help. No disrespect to the Utah Jazz, but they were not the team the Celtics are this season and no one player could have defeated them.

A more intriguing match up would have been Kobe and Shaq's Lakers vs. the Boston Three Party. Then KG would have had a tougher time dominating the paint because Shaq is no Pau Gasol.

Before we go and place more blame on the NBA's most individually talented player, and give him such ridiculous stipulations and expectations, remember that no team has ever been successful with just one player.

Boston wasn't when Pierce had nobody, Jordan wasn't in a Wizards uniform, LeBron hasn't won a chip yet and Kobe is no Superman.

I guess the next time something happens like checking your mailbox for a check you're expecting just to discover Discover card bills, do what everyone else does.

Blame Kobe Bryant.