HoopWatch

In the first half of Game One in their first round series against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant was spectacular. As soon as the Suns tied the game at 37-all, Kobe took over draining four consecutive jumpers, three from beyond the arc, and one being a buzzer-beater over the outstretched arms of Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw.

When you are in that zone, it’s okay to shoot improbable shots, but when you are ice cold you’ve got to pass it to open teammates. That was the case Sunday night. Bryant scored 28 first half points and was 11-of-17 from the floor. He was unstoppable shooting fade-aways and draining threes from the right elbow. He had no assists however.

The Suns then changed their defensive plan in the second half, throwing two or even three bodies at Kobe. The result, Kobe was a miserable 4-of-16 in the second half, and just 11 points, a measly pale comparison to his first half numbers.

This was what Coach Phil Jackson feared the most. Kobe used too much energy at the start of the game, such that he was not able to finish the way he should. Kobe continued to shoot over two defenders even though he was ice cold. Raja Bell and Marion always had a hand on his face whenever he took the shots. He also failed to drive to the hole, or even pass to open teammates. He did make a wonderful pass to Andrew Bynum in the third quarter, as he hung in the air, and threw a bullet to the wide-open Bynum in the paint. But that was just it.

The Lakers extended the series to seven games last season because Bryant was unselfish. Phoenix was mesmerized with the way Los Angeles passed the ball around, with Smush Parker, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton contributing in double-digit efforts. They even led, 3-1, after four games, before the Suns figured out the way to stop the united Lakers.

If this game one is a telltale of things to come, the series might be over before you can even blink. Bryant has to realize that he cannot do this alone. He needs to trust his teammates for them to have a fighting chance against a formidable fluid Suns offense.