What’s the deal with Kobe Bryant’s facial expression in the Finals? Or better yet, why did he lose that look?
Kobe had what Dr. Jack Ramsay called “that jaw-jutting, vampire look” for the first two games in L.A.
The Lakers won both games–the first, because Orlando couldn’t make shots.
The second, because despite an admittedly sub-par game from Kobe, he made several key plays when they were necessary.
Then the series shifted to Florida. While the teams traveled, one of the biggest questions (along with did Pao Gasol goaltend on Courteney Lee’s alley-oop attempt) was, “what is with that look on Kobe Bryant’s face?”
He should have kept that look in Game 3. But most likely he heard all the talk and responded by relaxing a bit. When everybody is saying that you look stupid, the natural reaction is to adjust the way you appear to the world.
But to my eye, he lost his edge. Result: he misses 5 of 10 free throws.
“My rhythm was off,” he said after the loss. Maybe because he shot his wad too quickly with a ridiculous 17-point first quarter.
The Lakers as a team seemed a bit too lax. And why not? Up 2-0 because they held serve at home, they had no pressure at all.
It appeared from the start that they weren’t too worried about the result–this was kinda like a freebie.
It was a freebie all right. For the Magic.