Even Kobe Bryant’s most ardent supporters have to admit he has put up some terrible shots at the end of games, highly contested fade-away threes. But this time he is the best option on the play and gets a shockingly open look.
To set the stage: The Lakers are up one (because of an earlier Kobe bucket) and there are 11 seconds left in the game but just 2 seconds left on the shot clock. Traditionally in this situation the priorities are: 1) do not allow the easy inbound pass under the basket for a layup; 2) stick with Kobe.
The Nets forgot the second part of that. After the game Kobe was asked how he got that wide open and he jokingly said “because Pau (Gasol) finally set a good screen.” Gerald Wallace does get picked off by a Gasol screen but with two seconds left to shoot you switch everything and Kris Humphries doesn’t, he stays with Gasol, too. By the time Wallace gets free Kobe has popped out, gotten the ball and gotten a good look at a three. It’s a good shot.
But it rattles around a lot. That is a shooter’s roll.
