Kobe Bryant’s Unique Talent Will Always Be Remembered. This Sunday’s Upcoming NFL Super Bowl
I didn’t know Kobe Bryant.
I realize that’s an unusual admission for one who covered the NBA for over 25 years, but it’s a fact.
I covered a few of Bryant’s games for TNT at the tail-end of my career reporting pro basketball games including every one of those classic Lakers-Celtics NBA finals in the 80’s.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t know what Kobe Bryant meant to the sport.
I was as stunned as everyone who learned of his death in a helicopter crash in Southern California last Sunday.
It is always jarring when you hear of the death of anyone who you knew about, in any field of endeavor.
It is a terrible shock when that person is a current figure in your experience.
Kobe Bryant was 41. His daughter, Gianna, who was also killed, was 13. All the more heartbreaking.
And for the moment, let’s not forget the others who lost their lives. There were seven others, including John Altobelli, the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA, and his wife and daughter.
Those who knew them, as well as Christina Mauser, who coached basketball at the school Kobe’s daughter attended, and three others, including the pilot of the helicopter, are not grieving any less than the friends, and fans of the NBA legend.
When observers like to compare NBA players through the years, I like to remind them that there have been so many eras in the sport, it is a difficult task.
Especially since players become bigger, more athletic, and more versatile over those years.
How can you compare past greats such as Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor, to name just two, with Michael Jordan and Lebron James?
Not to mention, Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, in between.
But I believe Kobe Bryant was unique.
Coming directly out of high school in Philadelphia, Bryant hit the ground running and when I list the following achievements, it speaks to the headlines of his remarkable resume: 20 years in the game, 18-time all-star, five world championships, and an 81-point game, second all-time to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point performance.
This dynamo of an NBA super-star was a fierce, determined package as an ultimate offensive AND defensive powerhouse.
He would dominate his opponent when attacking and totally shut him down on the other end of the court.
Kobe Bryant also was the first to mesh with the international direction the sport was heading.
He spoke fluent Italian, among other languages.
At one point, he said he was learning Serbian and French, so when he cussed out officials who nailed him with numerous technical fouls, it would have a different ring.
“French is really cool”, Bryant would say, “because everything sounds good in French”.
He retired on his own terms, and embarked on a life that centered around coaching basketball for his daughter, now gone as well.
Tragic.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe and Gianna
Can we turn 180-degrees and talk Super Bowl?
Let’s turn back the clock to last year’s Super Bowl, won by the Patriots over the Rams, 13-3.
13-3?
That’s right.
We won’t see anything like that kind of defensive battle this time around, which is wonderful news for football fans who like action-packed higher scoring games.
How can we not have a thriller. It may not wind up in that fashion, but I think this one will have tremendous excitement.
Actually, I can make a case for both teams coming out ahead. This isn’t a game with an underdog.
There won’t be an upset-winner. There is no real favorite, despite a point-or-so listed for the KC Chiefs.
The Super Bowl features two brilliant offensive head coaches. They are a cut-above.
Sixty-one year old Andy Reid has another chance to grab the brass ring.
His previous attempt as head coach of the Eagles ended up a three-point loss to the Patriots in the 2004 season at Jacksonville.
The head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, is 21 years younger than Reid, and is on a mission of retribution as well.
It was Shanahan, who was widely criticized for his play-calling for the Falcons when they blew a huge 25-point halftime lead and lost the Super Bowl to the Patriots three seasons ago.
It’s apparent watching the 49ers this season, that the younger Kyle has learned from his father Mike Shanahan, who captured back-to-back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos.
Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan had John Elway as his quarterback, but the Broncos won because of their strong running attack.
That’s how Kyle has done it with the 49ers this season, despite the return of young Jimmy Garoppolo, who returned after missing practically all of last season with a torn ACL in his left knee, suffered in a game against the Chiefs.
In a way, it all proved a blessing in disguise for the 49ers, who finished 4-12, and were able to draft sensational pass rusher
Nick Bosa, the second pick in the first round.
Bosa’s presence as a fearsome defensive lineman against the run as well as the pass, has also opened up opportunities for others up front.
Nick Bosa
San Fran has surrendered 30 points on two occasions coming into the big game.
The Chiefs have allowed 30 or more, five times.
The 49ers defensive unit has set the tone in their victories in 2019.
Combined with their relentless ground game, they have found the ideal formula to win.
The 49ers will be tough to beat.
The wild-card in all of this is Patrick Mahomes, the amazing never-say-die young QB of the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes
It seems no deficit is too much for this quarterback and this offense to overcome. We’ve seen it in the AFC playoffs.
So I see Super Bowl 54 coming down to this:
If the 49ers exhibit the kind of quality defense, limiting the run, doing a decent job in coverage, and not permitting Mahomes to go wild, they should win.
But they’ll need their usual running game to control the ball and limit Mahomes’ snaps.
In other words, play their game against the toughest foe they’ve faced.
But if it comes down to Jimmy Garoppolo having to air it out for the 49ers to triumph, I don’t see it happening.
Those who read this after the game will know which way it turned.
As I said at the outset, I can make a solid case for either team.
That’s what we all want going in.
A chance for a thrilling contest.
Just remember, turnovers and takeaways, which never go into pre-game analysis, always turns the tide.
As do trick plays at the right time that work.
Enjoy the Super Bowl. Always a special time.
