NBA Finals…Kobe Bryant: Making the impossible possible

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Throughout his All-Star career, Kobe Bryant has made a living by making the seemingly  impossible possible for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Comfortably the best finisher in the National Basketball Association, Bryant thrives on the challenge of the playoffs and has made a habit of draining game-winning shots despite being double or triple-teamed.

Lakers fans have become well accustomed to the sight of Bryant, with time running down on the clock, somehow producing a three-point jumper to beat the buzzer while off balance and under profoundly close guard.

The 31-year-old is a master at knowing exactly when to  force the pace in a tight contest and has frequently won games  for the Lakers almost single-handedly in his 14-year career.

“To me, he’s an assassin,” Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry  said of Bryant after the Lakers booked their place in the NBA  Finals by winning the Western Conference championship series  4-2 on Saturday.

“When he’s in that zone, there’s really not a whole lot you  can do about it. That’s why they pay him $30 million a year. I  think he’s the best finisher that ever played.

“He makes every tough shot and every big play for them.  Since he walked into the league, I don’t think I’ve ever  underestimated him.

“He has the focus on one area, and that’s to try to win a  championship.”

Bryant has already won four NBA championship rings in his  glittering career and will seek a fifth when he and the Lakers  meet the Boston Celtics in this season’s best-of-seven showdown  starting today.

GREATEST PLAYERS

Named Kobe by his parents after they spotted the popular  Japanese cut of beef on a restaurant menu shortly before his  birth, Bryant has already established himself as one of the  NBA’s greatest players ever.

He has appeared in 12 All-Star games, was named Most  Valuable Player for the 2007-08 season and landed MVP honours  at last year’s NBA Finals after the Lakers beat the Orlando  Magic 4-1.

Earlier this season, he became the all-time top scorer for  Los Angeles and his team mates hold him in high respect — as a  player of outstanding talent and also as a leader.

“Kobe is so good, he makes incredible seem normal for us,”  Lakers forward Lamar Odom said. “He spins away from a double  team, leans back and hits those medium-range jumpers. He uses  his footwork to free himself while he’s double-teamed.

“There aren’t too many players in the history of the NBA  who can make those plays. I always commend Kobe for his  competitiveness, his preciseness, the way he studies the game  and his goal as far as being the best player ever.”

Bryant has averaged 25.3 points per game in his illustrious  NBA career and he lifted that mark to just under 30 points  through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Although he has been troubled by a swollen right knee and a  broken finger on his right shooting hand for much of this  season, expect him to shine once again against the Celtics.