Call it the big stage effect. Call it showmanship or maybe just a good sense of timing, but when the light’s shine brightest seems to be when Kobe does his best work. With the spotlight squarely on the city of Los Angeles for this year’s All-Star game I expect nothing less than a star worthy turn.
If Kobe is to take home the MVP trophy, it will probably come down to one word. Shots. Shots can be hard to come by in a game where every player on the floor is used to being “the man” on the team they play for. If Kobe gets his shots and fills up the box, history tells us he wins this award. Looking back at previous games, every time Kobe has taken 20 or more field goal attempts in an All-Star game he’s won the MVP award. Pretty straight forward arithmetic, and in all likelihood he’ll hit that milestone, especially when we consider the factors working in his favor.
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For one thing, All-Star affairs are always dominated by guards and forwards. These are the players that advance the ball up the floor and always have the option to create for themselves, while big guys rely on their perimeter counter parts to feed them the rock, and in being so dependant, can often go long stretches without getting a touch. In this regard, if Kobe wants shots, he should have no problem getting them.
Secondly, there is certain a sentimentality that plays a role these games. This will probably be the last time Kobe plays in an All-Star game in his home city and we all know how the NBA likes to use narratives like this to advance the drama. Rest assured they’ll push the home town angle during the broadcast and if the other players pick up on that vibe, and my bet is they will, they may actually be force feeding Kobe down the stretch to the delight of the home fans.
Really, if anything stands in the way of Kobe and his fourth All-Star MVP it’s the fact that the East roster is absolutely loaded. They have Dwight Howard, the league’s most dominant center, Lebron James, the league’s best forward and Derrick Rose who might be the frontrunner for league MVP.
Yet somehow, I have this feeling that the West is going to find a way to pull it out with Kobe leading the way. And the biggest reason I’m sure that number 24 will put on a monumental performance in this Sunday’s game is he, probably more than any player in the league, is conscious of his place in NBA history.
