I would like to point out and address a few things about this video; Kobe Bryant did lockdown Russell Westbrook, that is how I interpreted this game, you are free to watch and download the entire game on your own and determine for yourself whether he did or not, even if most of you already have pre-conceived notions, be you a hater or a fan. Here is how I saw the game and I will address a few things mentioned in the comments. "Kobe got blown past a bunch of times". Okay, he did, however, I would also like to point out that many times this is the result of screens set by a big man (often an illegal screen that goes uncalled by Kendrick Perkins) "This isn't lockdown defense or not a single defensive play on Westbrook" Courtesy of George Astafyev earlier that made me decide to comment. Defense isn't always about the blocks or the steals, that stuff looks fun in the highlight reels, but those usually are two or three times over the course of an entire game. Lockdown defense is not allowing your opponent to catch the ball, denying, forcing him left instead of right (if he's right handed), forcing him to give up the ball, funneling him to the teeth of the defense, or contesting shots. "This was more team defense rather than individual defense". Basketball is a team sport. And Kobe was the most suited to guard Westbrook this game and did an excellent job, if Bryant decided to have an off day defensively, Ramon Sessions of all people would be the one defending. "Westbrook just had an off night". Westbrook exploded for 30 points 3 days after this game against the Nuggets. Sure, believe whatever you want to justify your argument. "Kobe can't guard Westbrook" This comment has occurred numerous times and I scoff at the notion of it. What was this point of the video then? Overall, I conclude with this. Russell Westbrook 2011 - 2012 Stats. FGM / FGA: 8.8 / 19.2 FG%: 45.7% 3PT FG%: 31.6% TOPG: 3.6 Personal Fouls: 2.2 per game Points Per Game: 23.6 This game. FGM / FGA: 3/22 FG%: 13.6% 3PT FG%: 0% (0 for 4 the entire game) Turnovers: 3 Personal Fouls: 5 Total Points: 14 This is my reasoning for what I perceive to be a lockdown effort by Kobe, you, as fans, are free to interpret it how you want, good or bad. Cheers
That George guy is a Lebron troll who appears to have never played a game of organized basketball in his entire life. Take what he says with a grain of salt. His mind is already made up. On the other hand, great analysis. I just noted the same thing. Kobe did an excellent job of funneling RW into Bynum or Hill when he did drive past him. There were some times where Westbrook did get past Kobe, but that's going to happen during a game where the player you're guarding is 10 years younger and is often cited as the most athletic guard in the game. This is what I consider lock down defense. He forced bad shots, funneled RW into taller teammates, and GOT IN HIS HEAD to force mental errors. Even when he passed Kobe, Kobe was still shadowing him tightly. Kobe's 1st team defenses weren't just given to him. He is a defensive stopper when need be.
Kareem Shaibi you shouldnt even need to explain that kobe gets blown by RW Since no one in the league can legit stay in front of the elit pgs like russell, derrick, wall, cp3 and damian lillard. These guys are just unguardable and you just have to hope they miss or send someone longer than them to bother them.
I really like Kobe but this is not a lockdown defense. There are obvious boxout issues, too much cushion given regardless of Westbrook's speed, not shirt-tailing as often, etc. Despite the mentioned, it was still good defending.
Kobe does take plays off from time to time to conserve energy (the man has played over 40,000 minutes in his career...let's give him a break sometimes?). It's important to note though, in this video, at least, he not only locks up Westbrook and forces him to catch the ball further out or take rushed/second-thought shots (makes him change his mind often), but he also grabs boards, fights for the 50/50 balls, and then goes down on the offensive end and gets the W with clutch shot after clutch shot. I watched this game live but did not remember the trouble he gave Westbrook on defense, so thanks for the upload/mix.
look at this legend.. guarding point guards when hes old af. this is why kobe is kobe. Kobe loves challenges man.. LEBRON on the other hand doesnt.. he wouldn't gaurd a point gaurd because hes afraid of getting crossed or looking bad
@@AHMAD-2324 Exactly. Bron can defend all positions, but he can't defend the more athletic and dominant players like Rose or Howard. He may be able to defend Gasol brothers, but that's it. Hell, Melo blew him on the perimeter regularly.
LeBron is the GOAT. Kobe can’t even tie his shoes no matter how hard he trained, he still comes up short. Plus, Kobe not LeBron has the most missed field goals in the history of the game.
The greatest thing about Kobe's defense is that he doesn't even have to do anything anymore. Once he switches onto an offensive player, they suddenly turn passive. Players can't beat Kobe psychologically.
TL N I'm not even talking about this game. I'm just speaking in general from watching Kobe over the last 5 years. I've seen him switch onto guys and do nothing and they're immediately intimidated, usually from the younger generation that grew up watching him.
I remember clearly in 2008 where Kobe effectively held Wade to an extremely low field goal percentage and high turnovers in the 2008 season. As for Westbrook having great games against Kobe, he doesn't. This video provides a fine example. Durant? Kobe doesn't guard Durant, that was Ron Artests task when they match up. Paul Pierce? Kobe guards Rondo during the championship years runs they had. Tony Parker is a PG, and Kobe would usually get matched up with a Manu Ginobli or Bruce Bowen on cross matchups. So to rebuttal your point, yes, Kobe ain't a lockdown defender, he doesn't do that on a consistent basis. Why? Ever since his knee surgery in 2005, his defense has been sporadic mainly because he has to save his legs for offense. He is capable of playing great defense, look at LeBrons career averages against the Lakers and compare them with his actual averages, so don't knock on them just because his athleticism hasn't slipped recently
wongalvin213 lol from what I see this video has nothing to do with kobe I haven't seen any lock down D this is just a kobe fan posting a video about a bunch of missed wide open shots
Kobe, best all-around player. His very smart, very high basketball I.Q. Works harder than anybody in the league even though his already so talented. Some players play for the money, and that's all right; but Kobe plays for the win, always.
You are so wrong man. Firstly you don't know if Kobe actually does train harder than anybody/everybody else. Don't judge anybody's situation, because you don't know their way of upbringing. And secondly, If Kobe really does it for the win then he shouldn't be hustling the Lakers organisation for their money. I mean 30mil salary for a fcuking season ? at least give up a fraction of that to enlarge the salary cap for good players to improve the team. what's he gonna do with all that money ? better have a big foundation he's sponsoring.
Esera Timu kobe is getting paid 24 mil a year for the next 2 years. The lakers have all the money they need to bring a championship team. Kobe is a smart business man and if he comes back like he played in the 2013 season, people pay to see him in other arena's. He's not stupid, the lakers will probably make 100 million off him in those 2 years. Oh and kobe is known for his work ethic, he's known to show up 2 hours early before a game just to shoot. He's known to push his body to the limit and trainers tell him to stop, their is not many players in the NBA like that. I dont think ive ever seen a superstar show up 2 hours early at a game just to practice. In the 2010 finals he showed up to the Boston arena on the teams day off to practice. A lot of people were saying the Celtics shouldn't have let him do that. So don't start talking shit because Kobe has been known to be the hardest working man in basketball for a long time now.
People keep talking about Kobe taking plays off. What do you expect? The guy was one of the best perimeter defenders for years before he hit 32, 33 years. When Kobe was 23 years to 31 years, he did not take a single defensive play off. He locked his man down all the time, go and check the stats. When you hit 32 - 33 years old, you can take plays off and conserve your energy for the right moments. Even Jordan did that. But Jordan had the luxury of having as a team mate, Scottie Pippen, who was the best perimeter defender of that era. The best perimeter defender Kobe has had is Ron Artest but Artest was already 31 years by the time he joined Kobe and they could only get 1 championship ring together. Partner Kobe with an elite perimeter defender like Andre Iguodala or Luol Deng or just a an elite perimeter player such as Carmelo Anthony to put pressure on the other teams defense, and Kobe and the Lakers will win another ring. Kobe isn't done yet. I think he will come back from the injuries and still be a formidable scorer and create plays for his team. He might not run faster or jump higher (we don't know yet) but he will still score and average about 28 points per game if the Lakers surround him with top players so he doesn't have to do everything himself. Kobe at his age shouldn't have to be guarding a young, explosive point guard like Russell Westbrook who is supposed to be Steve Nash's (or whoever the Lakers point guard is) defensive assignment
true but I consider westbrook a SG forced to play PG! All the lakers have to do now is someone to slow down durant! like a loul deng like you mentioned!
Steve Nash is 40. I wouldn't put one of the fastest players in the NBA against one of the oldest. Also Nash is a passer while Westbrook has a tendency to show boat, take the game in his hands, and take risky shots.
achozenfew lol AI Arenas and Tmac are GREAT scorers who are unstopable when theyre on a zone. You cant fault kobe if he cant lock these guys down. Even the best of defenders get lit up by scorers (like pippen)
for those saying westbrook was blowing by kobe you must not play ball, if you are defending someone who is nearly ungardable you should play up on em as much as possible and force them into help d when they drive. I'm a huge westbrook and kobe fan, but kobe executed perfect defense. also nice to see how westbrook has all around improved his game since then.
The thing is, if I give Kobe a complement for his performance here in comment section, a bunch of assholes here are going to start an argument with me, say a lot of bullshit about how terrible player Kobe is, and will start throw out past events, all the negatives about Kobe will be tossed out, stats, games, everything. That's why you can't even complement a player a their highlight videos, even on LeBron videos, Durant videos everything. Because if you complement these players, that means you just started an argument (about how good/bad they are as a player). Smh
This coming from a Nate Robinson fan, Kobe Bryant did not try to much, and he stuck to the fundamentals. The only time I saw Russell Westbrook blow by him was when he had screens, and that is not even blowing by. Kobe Bryant also knows to force someone to your help side; that is what your teammates are for.When defending one of the most explosive point guards right now, and probably ever, he forced him to shoot long contested 2's, and stopped his penetration. On top of that, he was scoring the whole game, and dove in the stands for a loose ball. Kobe did all of that while guarding Russell Westbrook. Russell is a beast. You can tell that Russell Westbrook was frustrated the whole game because Kobe mentally got into his head. When was the last time you saw someone as explosive as Russell miss a dunk? When you are used to having your way on offense, and someone is forcing you into tough predicaments, you start to get a little frustrated. Kobe set the mark on Defense for his team. KOBE DID NOT LOCK WESTBROOK DOWN, BUT HE FORCED HIM INTO TOUGH SITUATIONS. There is no way to shutdown a complete scorer. That is all you can do when you are guarding a scorer as great as westbrook. Force him into tough situations
If you can make Westbrook settle for jump shots and force him to make out of control plays, then you've won. He is mostly about driving layups and dunks, not the best shooter out there.
sonofaballer96 "Nobody said anything about Currys game or his midrange or Jordan so stfu. All I said was Russ is improving his midrange to a point there needs to be a game plan to stop it. Why tf does that matter hating ass nigga."
kobe was one of the best perimeter defender when he decided it, and he defended westbrook so good in this game (4 period+ 2 OT, damn), no doubt about it. But 3/22 is not all about kobe's defence, it's also about westbrook's bad day of shooting. we all know westbrook, especially in this years, his mentality was on thin ice and kobe knows how to get into a player's' mind.
People don't forget Kobe was the youngest (21 years old) to ever be named to the first all-defensive team. That is a major accomplishment due to the fact young players are more concerned with their offensive game rather their defense. Will we ever see someone match that accomplishment? Who knows, but I doubt it.
Man, Props to Ibaka and Kobe for that 9:03 hustle. Can appreciate that. Defense is so unrewarding. People see Kobe's stat line in this game and think he played like shit when in reality he had a great game on the defensive end. You look at a James Harden stat line and it looks like he played an amazing game and no one even considers that defensively he might have been garbage.
Kobe can play defense when he wants to. I'm sure he "got up" to play defense on Westbrook that night. That's just age coming up to get him now. He's been a solid defender on the perimeter the majority of his career..
Great video. He knew exactly what he had to do to make Russell play like that. Forcing him to give up the ball on wild passes and when he didn't have anyone to pass to, he would end up slashing right into two big men. That's just superior smart defence. And as for the whole getting blown by comment, obviously that guy never played before.
shutting down westbrook isn't hard. westbrook makes a lot of bad plays on offense anyway (randomly shooting the ball, driving the lane and losing the ball). shutting durant down is the real problem.
if u watch westbrook play, yes he is capable of being a great slasher to the hoop and shoot the perimeter shot well. but he's also very indecisive and out of control at times. so many times, he's randomly taken bad shots when the shot clock is at 15 or randomly tried to draw a foul by throwing himself into the paint. that results in a lot of turnovers and bad shooting percentage. also, he's not a true point guard so he cant run the offense well. most possessions, he tries to do it himself or gives the ball to durant to isolate or do some pick and roll crap. it's easy to defend westbrook because he makes a lot of mistakes naturally. when you have an semi-elite defender in kobe, it's easy to knock him off his game.
If it is not hard, why does he average 20ppg? I agree, he profites from his atheticism, not from shooting, but it is very hard to guard him, especially through Perkins screens
2010 NBA Playoffs game 5 vs Thunder. Kobe got on Westbrook & changed that series. Scott Brooks postgame: "Kobe took over the game defensively." Shut down Iverson for a whole half. I mean I've never seen anyone have to match up with Pierce, Allen, & then guard Rondo. Plus get his offense. Of course he'll never get the credit he's due cause people hate him.
Kobe's always been a great on-ball defender but: 1) he does have to conserve energy for all of those tough shots he takes in the offense and 2) he can't do this every night ( no one can )
ForeverBrosTK Scottie Pippen, great as he is, didn't carry the bulk of the load on offense. MJ did, as you know. MJ and Scottie were both great defenders and offensive players, so they shared the work effectively I'd say.
***** Yup, you are right but he was talking about defense only. MJ was never the defensive player Pippen was and Pippen was never the offensive player MJ was. And that's why there were the best duo to ever play the game.
Musa kusa Exactly! I get tired of people saying Jordan was the best defender on their team! Even Jordan was quoted saying "Pippen sets the tone defensively for us." Phil Jackson is quoted saying "Pippen is a one-man-wrecking crew."
He went under all those screens to start and towards the end of the game and OT he went over to push him to Jordan hill. He have him tons of space too. He is the goat.
Also shows how much better of a defensive team we were under Brown if you see the rotations and team defense and how we defended. Problem was people were so snowblinded by the absense Phil they didn't see a good coach when they had one. Took D'antoni to get them to open their eyes that maybe they didn't have it so bad under Brown.
I think it was more the 8 Straight losses in the offseason + the 4 in the start of the actual season was what scared people. It was more about trying to please Howard, but then we went and made a Bonehead mistake in getting D'antoni...
luis fragoso the thing is, the losses were just a product of Mike Brown messing with the lineup and trying to see the flaws. He said at the start that he really didn't want to switch to pick and roll "d'antoni style" offense because it would probably get them more wins in the pre-season and early in the season but by mid-seasons that it's such a one dimensional style that the other teams will easily predict it and beat it and in the playoffs they wouldn't have a chance with it because it's so one dimensional (taking a slap at D'antoni's style). So Mike Brown's thought process was that they would struggle early and once they started to get it they'd be a much more complete team down the road winning at a high percentage down the road. He was about to simplify the Princeton down to something triangle related so that players could win some games while he added more advanced things as the season went along, him and Kobe had actually discussed this. The problem was he ran them a practice with a simplified version and they excelled, then they fired him the next day and the Lakers went against the Warriors with that simplified version and blew out the Warriors 101-77 with it. At that point in hindsight you knew the front office made the wrong decision as they were JUST about to get it. But everyone was so blinded cause they thought they'd get Phil they ignored Brown's warnings. Then they got D'antoni who ran the same pick and roll stuff everyone was saying the Lakers should now that they got Nash...and see where it landed them. Right where Brown said it would. In hindsight Brown was completely right, but fans just hated him so much they refused to believe it. But it's too late now.
To everyone saying that kobe was getting blown by this and that, but when kobe wasn't getting blown by he was forcing westbrook to pass it and shoot the ball, and we all know westbrook isn't a shooter his game is based on driving the the hoop which kobe was shutting down
Dude let russ go for 26 5 and 5 on 47% that whole 2011-2012 season including the playoffs. Russ is just inefficient, his % can be low regardless of the defender. I've seen russ shoot 4/21 or someshit against scrub defenders.
while kobe did a pretty good job, you can see how the lakers team as a whole did a great job defending the pick and roll. Look at how the other lakers collapse on russell to cut off driving lanes. Really a team effort.
Bruh, do you understand how old this video is? James Harden (who looks the best and wears his shirt open) is on the Houston Rockets. And as for the Black Mamba, he didn't even play a game this season...
Cory Foster no that's not true. this is the game where world peace gets ejected and harden leaves injured. Why do you think none of them play again? It's on the point of the game where it's 47-48 I believe.
he so much more of a better defender than jordan its crazy if he gambled on steals and faced weak ball handlers like jrodan did he would average 2 steals also
EveryDayIsAGoodDay wade and lebron arent as good. what your watching here is Kobe way past his physical prime and past his prime. Kobe one of tge greatest defenders of all time. yall niggas just dont know how good Kobe was. yall do know Kobe played before 2009 season right? 😂😂😂... yall aint never seen him in his prime, dont even know when was his prime.
Kobe did a great job defending him, I don't understand when people said kobe got help. When the other team is using screens of course you have to help. The slowest guard in the nba can get around you if you set a good screen, let alone one of the most explosive guards in nba history in Westbrook. In the situations when it was 1v1 Westbrook couldn't get around Kobe in this game. He forced him into jump shots and it worked out, because Westbrook can be the best brick layer around.
+Robert Kobe did all the work by sticking with him. No one on that team could have locked down Russell like Kobe did. People like to forget he made like 14 something defensive teams. Help defense is no work you just move up to the player and trap them, the main defender is the one doing all the work. Did you want them to go one on one the entire game just to prove that Kobe could lock him down. Look at what he did to kyrie and kyries handle is way nicer
i almost never see Kobe so concentrate on defense for whole game. It's super exhausting to play this level of defense for entire game especially it's a 2nd ot game. It also accounts for why Kobe didn't shoot well that night
Offense and Defense ALL GAME! Kobe wasn't at his quickest here but he was always going to be a great defender, Westbrook shot the ball quicker than he normally would which made him miss shots.
As a non-Laker fan, I still recognize that Kobe is a great player, one of the greatest of all time in fact. However it's hard for me to appreciate how great he is because so many Laker fans are all over his balls making claims that just aren't true. Westbrook is a spotty shooter, and Kobe had nothing to do with most of his misses. Yes, offensively Kobe was amazing and helped bring them back for the W, but seriously stop drinking the damn Kool Aid. His defense was good in this game, it was not the highlight. It's great to love a legendary player, just stop making love to him.
excellent defensive effort by Vino... man, all these RW discussions are so silly, just watch some coach nick videos about RW, he's made a good share of them over the years and the conclusion is always the same, Russell should play off the ball
With players from Westbrook's rank, it's not about stopping them (he is physically unstoppable) it's about LIMITING him as much as possible. Of course the 3/22 wasn't ALL Kobe effort, it's several factors such as, playing in LA, just having bad luck etc. BUT Kobe did such an amazing job forcing the guy to constantly fight to even get to the ball, fighting to get into the paint, fighting to go to his strong side, it was truly a battle out there and we saw who won it! The great defence is about all of those "small" efforts which you put in every single possession to limit your opponent. Given this and the fact that Kobe hit clutch shots just goes to show you that he is a level above Lebron, and is a 100% mach for Michael Jordan. I think these two are at the top of NBA history in terms of skills, character, determination etc!!!
Kobe is 3 or four inches taller! Meaning he probably has longer arms aslo. This is like LeBron guarding Chris Paul... Show me where Kobe locked down Tmac or somebody his size or BIGGER
Not sure how you can't respect a 34-year Kobe defending one of the most explosive players in the league. You think they hand out 12x All Defense to just anyone? You think its easy guarding Westbrook all game? You're talking about his size? This almost always considered a mismatch; a younger, faster and more explosive player against a guy one decade older than him. When you're older you'll appreciate this performance.
The worst thing that could happen to a bad shooter is to have a good day. The reason westbrook insists on shooting the ball is because he has some good nights, which then collapse into horrendous nights like this. Kobe's defense certainly made matters worse, as westbrook couldnt make his shot. Westbrook is not the best shooter in the world, but by being over confident and by being guarded amazingly well by kobe, westbrook had a terrible night. Thank you kent for posting this vid, it not only proves kobe is underrated when it comes to defense, but it also proves Westbrook is extremely overrated in general +Kent Cho
Lock down defense is about more than one on one most of the time. A lot of the time we can see Kobe is giving him an angle because there is help defense there. Other teams there are screens which were covered pretty well by the Lakers. That said, there were shots from that game which Durant and Westbrook probably make a little bit more often than what they did on this night.
Maybe not lockdown defense but smart defense. Unless Westbrook has a hot hand the best defense is to try to stay infront of him and avoid penetration and that is what Kobe was doing. It so happened that not only did Westbrook not have a hot hand, his hand was frozen.
I would like to point out and address a few things about this video; Kobe Bryant did lockdown Russell Westbrook, that is how I interpreted this game, you are free to watch and download the entire game on your own and determine for yourself whether he did or not, even if most of you already have pre-conceived notions, be you a hater or a fan.
Here is how I saw the game and I will address a few things mentioned in the comments.
"Kobe got blown past a bunch of times". Okay, he did, however, I would also like to point out that many times this is the result of screens set by a big man (often an illegal screen that goes uncalled by Kendrick Perkins)
"This isn't lockdown defense or not a single defensive play on Westbrook" Courtesy of George Astafyev earlier that made me decide to comment. Defense isn't always about the blocks or the steals, that stuff looks fun in the highlight reels, but those usually are two or three times over the course of an entire game. Lockdown defense is not allowing your opponent to catch the ball, denying, forcing him left instead of right (if he's right handed), forcing him to give up the ball, funneling him to the teeth of the defense, or contesting shots.
"This was more team defense rather than individual defense". Basketball is a team sport. And Kobe was the most suited to guard Westbrook this game and did an excellent job, if Bryant decided to have an off day defensively, Ramon Sessions of all people would be the one defending.
"Westbrook just had an off night". Westbrook exploded for 30 points 3 days after this game against the Nuggets. Sure, believe whatever you want to justify your argument.
"Kobe can't guard Westbrook" This comment has occurred numerous times and I scoff at the notion of it. What was this point of the video then?
Overall, I conclude with this.
Russell Westbrook 2011 - 2012 Stats.
FGM / FGA: 8.8 / 19.2
FG%: 45.7%
3PT FG%: 31.6%
TOPG: 3.6
Personal Fouls: 2.2 per game
Points Per Game: 23.6
This game.
FGM / FGA: 3/22
FG%: 13.6%
3PT FG%: 0% (0 for 4 the entire game)
Turnovers: 3
Personal Fouls: 5
Total Points: 14
This is my reasoning for what I perceive to be a lockdown effort by Kobe, you, as fans, are free to interpret it how you want, good or bad.
Cheers
That George guy is a Lebron troll who appears to have never played a game of organized basketball in his entire life. Take what he says with a grain of salt. His mind is already made up.
On the other hand, great analysis. I just noted the same thing. Kobe did an excellent job of funneling RW into Bynum or Hill when he did drive past him. There were some times where Westbrook did get past Kobe, but that's going to happen during a game where the player you're guarding is 10 years younger and is often cited as the most athletic guard in the game.
This is what I consider lock down defense. He forced bad shots, funneled RW into taller teammates, and GOT IN HIS HEAD to force mental errors. Even when he passed Kobe, Kobe was still shadowing him tightly. Kobe's 1st team defenses weren't just given to him. He is a defensive stopper when need be.
Kareem Shaibi you shouldnt even need to explain that kobe gets blown by RW Since no one in the league can legit stay in front of the elit pgs like russell, derrick, wall, cp3 and damian lillard. These guys are just unguardable and you just have to hope they miss or send someone longer than them to bother them.
I really like Kobe but this is not a lockdown defense. There are obvious boxout issues, too much cushion given regardless of Westbrook's speed, not shirt-tailing as often, etc. Despite the mentioned, it was still good defending.
underrated defender
Well said bro!
Kobe does take plays off from time to time to conserve energy (the man has played over 40,000 minutes in his career...let's give him a break sometimes?). It's important to note though, in this video, at least, he not only locks up Westbrook and forces him to catch the ball further out or take rushed/second-thought shots (makes him change his mind often), but he also grabs boards, fights for the 50/50 balls, and then goes down on the offensive end and gets the W with clutch shot after clutch shot. I watched this game live but did not remember the trouble he gave Westbrook on defense, so thanks for the upload/mix.
People are always trying to discredit Kobe. They don't like it when he is successful.
Kobe is the best player I have ever seen in the NBA. I don't care what anybody say. sometimes you gotta read between the line
Disagree
@@AaronDaTalented1 dont care
Agree
6 years later, I'm still with you 🙏
@@sportskid9017cared enough to @ him
look at this legend.. guarding point guards when hes old af. this is why kobe is kobe. Kobe loves challenges man.. LEBRON on the other hand doesnt.. he wouldn't gaurd a point gaurd because hes afraid of getting crossed or looking bad
seriously? What about D-rose, rondo, Westbrook, kyrie, etc. LBJ has guarded all of them and defended them well.
Ricox33
Please don't bring that up. I still get nightmares from what LBJ did to D Rose.
@@AhmadPhilips All he did was force him to the help defense by using his length. Y'all get caught up in that media hype shit to much.
@@AHMAD-2324 Exactly. Bron can defend all positions, but he can't defend the more athletic and dominant players like Rose or Howard. He may be able to defend Gasol brothers, but that's it. Hell, Melo blew him on the perimeter regularly.
LeBron is the GOAT. Kobe can’t even tie his shoes no matter how hard he trained, he still comes up short. Plus, Kobe not LeBron has the most missed field goals in the history of the game.
The greatest thing about Kobe's defense is that he doesn't even have to do anything anymore. Once he switches onto an offensive player, they suddenly turn passive. Players can't beat Kobe psychologically.
TL N I'm not even talking about this game. I'm just speaking in general from watching Kobe over the last 5 years. I've seen him switch onto guys and do nothing and they're immediately intimidated, usually from the younger generation that grew up watching him.
I remember clearly in 2008 where Kobe effectively held Wade to an extremely low field goal percentage and high turnovers in the 2008 season. As for Westbrook having great games against Kobe, he doesn't. This video provides a fine example. Durant? Kobe doesn't guard Durant, that was Ron Artests task when they match up. Paul Pierce? Kobe guards Rondo during the championship years runs they had. Tony Parker is a PG, and Kobe would usually get matched up with a Manu Ginobli or Bruce Bowen on cross matchups. So to rebuttal your point, yes, Kobe ain't a lockdown defender, he doesn't do that on a consistent basis. Why? Ever since his knee surgery in 2005, his defense has been sporadic mainly because he has to save his legs for offense. He is capable of playing great defense, look at LeBrons career averages against the Lakers and compare them with his actual averages, so don't knock on them just because his athleticism hasn't slipped recently
wongalvin213 lol from what I see this video has nothing to do with kobe I haven't seen any lock down D this is just a kobe fan posting a video about a bunch of missed wide open shots
emeterio maldonado Which shots were 'wide open'? Nearly all of them, minus the blown dunk were contested well.
TL N You're not much of a ball fan if you don't remember times Kobe has locked down those guys.
Kobe, best all-around player. His very smart, very high basketball I.Q. Works harder than anybody in the league even though his already so talented. Some players play for the money, and that's all right; but Kobe plays for the win, always.
fpr the love of the game
***** no mj
You are so wrong man. Firstly you don't know if Kobe actually does train harder than anybody/everybody else. Don't judge anybody's situation, because you don't know their way of upbringing. And secondly, If Kobe really does it for the win then he shouldn't be hustling the Lakers organisation for their money. I mean 30mil salary for a fcuking season ? at least give up a fraction of that to enlarge the salary cap for good players to improve the team. what's he gonna do with all that money ? better have a big foundation he's sponsoring.
Esera Timu It was 49 mil for 2s btw.
Esera Timu
kobe is getting paid 24 mil a year for the next 2 years. The lakers have all the money they need to bring a championship team. Kobe is a smart business man and if he comes back like he played in the 2013 season, people pay to see him in other arena's. He's not stupid, the lakers will probably make 100 million off him in those 2 years. Oh and kobe is known for his work ethic, he's known to show up 2 hours early before a game just to shoot. He's known to push his body to the limit and trainers tell him to stop, their is not many players in the NBA like that. I dont think ive ever seen a superstar show up 2 hours early at a game just to practice. In the 2010 finals he showed up to the Boston arena on the teams day off to practice. A lot of people were saying the Celtics shouldn't have let him do that. So don't start talking shit because Kobe has been known to be the hardest working man in basketball for a long time now.
People keep talking about Kobe taking plays off. What do you expect? The guy was one of the best perimeter defenders for years before he hit 32, 33 years. When Kobe was 23 years to 31 years, he did not take a single defensive play off. He locked his man down all the time, go and check the stats. When you hit 32 - 33 years old, you can take plays off and conserve your energy for the right moments. Even Jordan did that. But Jordan had the luxury of having as a team mate, Scottie Pippen, who was the best perimeter defender of that era. The best perimeter defender Kobe has had is Ron Artest but Artest was already 31 years by the time he joined Kobe and they could only get 1 championship ring together. Partner Kobe with an elite perimeter defender like Andre Iguodala or Luol Deng or just a an elite perimeter player such as Carmelo Anthony to put pressure on the other teams defense, and Kobe and the Lakers will win another ring.
Kobe isn't done yet. I think he will come back from the injuries and still be a formidable scorer and create plays for his team. He might not run faster or jump higher (we don't know yet) but he will still score and average about 28 points per game if the Lakers surround him with top players so he doesn't have to do everything himself. Kobe at his age shouldn't have to be guarding a young, explosive point guard like Russell Westbrook who is supposed to be Steve Nash's (or whoever the Lakers point guard is) defensive assignment
true but I consider westbrook a SG forced to play PG! All the lakers have to do now is someone to slow down durant! like a loul deng like you mentioned!
Steve Nash is 40. I wouldn't put one of the fastest players in the NBA against one of the oldest. Also Nash is a passer while Westbrook has a tendency to show boat, take the game in his hands, and take risky shots.
Kobe locks his players down? Well as AI ,Gilbert Arenas and TMAC why they used give Kobe the bidniss!!
achozenfew lol AI Arenas and Tmac are GREAT scorers who are unstopable when theyre on a zone. You cant fault kobe if he cant lock these guys down. Even the best of defenders get lit up by scorers (like pippen)
Metta and Kobe got 2 rings together
for those saying westbrook was blowing by kobe you must not play ball, if you are defending someone who is nearly ungardable you should play up on em as much as possible and force them into help d when they drive. I'm a huge westbrook and kobe fan, but kobe executed perfect defense. also nice to see how westbrook has all around improved his game since then.
The thing is, if I give Kobe a complement for his performance here in comment section, a bunch of assholes here are going to start an argument with me, say a lot of bullshit about how terrible player Kobe is, and will start throw out past events, all the negatives about Kobe will be tossed out, stats, games, everything. That's why you can't even complement a player a their highlight videos, even on LeBron videos, Durant videos everything. Because if you complement these players, that means you just started an argument (about how good/bad they are as a player). Smh
yea, so keep it to yourself.
Darude-Sandstorm Awesome display-picture, brah. What an alpha
KObE HAS THE GREATEST HIGHLIGHTS IN THE NbA EVER!
Bro please make more !! I love these !
This coming from a Nate Robinson fan, Kobe Bryant did not try to much, and he stuck to the fundamentals. The only time I saw Russell Westbrook blow by him was when he had screens, and that is not even blowing by. Kobe Bryant also knows to force someone to your help side; that is what your teammates are for.When defending one of the most explosive point guards right now, and probably ever, he forced him to shoot long contested 2's, and stopped his penetration. On top of that, he was scoring the whole game, and dove in the stands for a loose ball. Kobe did all of that while guarding Russell Westbrook. Russell is a beast. You can tell that Russell Westbrook was frustrated the whole game because Kobe mentally got into his head. When was the last time you saw someone as explosive as Russell miss a dunk? When you are used to having your way on offense, and someone is forcing you into tough predicaments, you start to get a little frustrated. Kobe set the mark on Defense for his team. KOBE DID NOT LOCK WESTBROOK DOWN, BUT HE FORCED HIM INTO TOUGH SITUATIONS. There is no way to shutdown a complete scorer. That is all you can do when you are guarding a scorer as great as westbrook. Force him into tough situations
James McNeill so what do you call that 😂
Look at Kobe's defensive posture compared to the rest of his team... the ENTIRE game. Insane.
We're gonna miss u Kobe Ur were a big inspiration to all us kids👌
Love this shit, he clearly had Westbrook frustrated with the clamps all night, R.I.P. Legend 🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
Kobe's a legend, just pure grit and determination. Westbrook gets away with a lot of offensive fouls by pushing his man off, esp at the rim
If you can make Westbrook settle for jump shots and force him to make out of control plays, then you've won. He is mostly about driving layups and dunks, not the best shooter out there.
hes improved his jumper. Today letting Russ take a midrange jumper is like leaving Curry wide open for 3.
+Russell The Narrorator Westbrook Curry had Westbrook's midrange game as a rookie, you act like he's MJ from midrange.
sonofaballer96 "Nobody said anything about Currys game or his midrange or Jordan so stfu. All I said was Russ is improving his midrange to a point there needs to be a game plan to stop it. Why tf does that matter hating ass nigga."
+collin russell Now Westbrook is gonna drive on you regardless. He bullies centers in the paint.
8:57 Dude ditched his girl to sit on that guy's lap xD
kobe was one of the best perimeter defender when he decided it, and he defended westbrook so good in this game (4 period+ 2 OT, damn), no doubt about it. But 3/22 is not all about kobe's defence, it's also about westbrook's bad day of shooting. we all know westbrook, especially in this years, his mentality was on thin ice and kobe knows how to get into a player's' mind.
People don't forget Kobe was the youngest (21 years old) to ever be named to the first all-defensive team. That is a major accomplishment due to the fact young players are more concerned with their offensive game rather their defense. Will we ever see someone match that accomplishment? Who knows, but I doubt it.
Kobe is hands down my favorite of all times.
1A - MJ
1B - Kobe
02 - D Wade
03 - Westbrook
04 - A healthy D Rose, Penny Hardaway, T Mac
Guarding The Opposing Best Player(defense)
Then Scoring All through out.
Kobe Bean Bryant Only Does It.
kobe's defense is so underrated
Man, Props to Ibaka and Kobe for that 9:03 hustle. Can appreciate that. Defense is so unrewarding. People see Kobe's stat line in this game and think he played like shit when in reality he had a great game on the defensive end. You look at a James Harden stat line and it looks like he played an amazing game and no one even considers that defensively he might have been garbage.
Kobe can play defense when he wants to. I'm sure he "got up" to play defense on Westbrook that night. That's just age coming up to get him now. He's been a solid defender on the perimeter the majority of his career..
KOBE such a great defender but underrated 🏀💪💜💛💜💛
Westbrook plays the exactly the same since the OKC days🤣🤣🤣
Great video. He knew exactly what he had to do to make Russell play like that. Forcing him to give up the ball on wild passes and when he didn't have anyone to pass to, he would end up slashing right into two big men. That's just superior smart defence. And as for the whole getting blown by comment, obviously that guy never played before.
shutting down westbrook isn't hard. westbrook makes a lot of bad plays on offense anyway (randomly shooting the ball, driving the lane and losing the ball).
shutting durant down is the real problem.
o it isnt hard? can you do it?
drumslanga352 that's a fucking stupid question.
If it were easy to shut him down there would be no need for help defense on him. Kobe had help on 50% of these plays.
if u watch westbrook play, yes he is capable of being a great slasher to the hoop and shoot the perimeter shot well. but he's also very indecisive and out of control at times. so many times, he's randomly taken bad shots when the shot clock is at 15 or randomly tried to draw a foul by throwing himself into the paint. that results in a lot of turnovers and bad shooting percentage. also, he's not a true point guard so he cant run the offense well. most possessions, he tries to do it himself or gives the ball to durant to isolate or do some pick and roll crap.
it's easy to defend westbrook because he makes a lot of mistakes naturally. when you have an semi-elite defender in kobe, it's easy to knock him off his game.
If it is not hard, why does he average 20ppg? I agree, he profites from his atheticism, not from shooting, but it is very hard to guard him, especially through Perkins screens
my favorite player, i never thought this day would come #kb20
I know right? I can't even imagine the NBA without Kobe. He's the best best player I've ever seen to play to this game.
+Duke Jaan yeah man the greatest performer to ever lace up his shoes 💯
I like how Westbrook doesn't shy away from attacking even though the game isn't going well for him. Good stuff.
2010 NBA Playoffs game 5 vs Thunder. Kobe got on Westbrook & changed that series. Scott Brooks postgame: "Kobe took over the game defensively." Shut down Iverson for a whole half. I mean I've never seen anyone have to match up with Pierce, Allen, & then guard Rondo. Plus get his offense. Of course he'll never get the credit he's due cause people hate him.
Now I know why KD left
Even at 2/17 he’s still holding the ball in his hand and refuse to give in
People only talk about his buzzer beater, fade away 3s.. highlight plays. But he is such a great all around player, they just dont see it
Kobe's always been a great on-ball defender but: 1) he does have to conserve energy for all of those tough shots he takes in the offense and 2) he can't do this every night ( no one can )
Tell that to Scottie Pippen...
ForeverBrosTK Scottie Pippen, great as he is, didn't carry the bulk of the load on offense. MJ did, as you know. MJ and Scottie were both great defenders and offensive players, so they shared the work effectively I'd say.
***** Yup, you are right but he was talking about defense only. MJ was never the defensive player Pippen was and Pippen was never the offensive player MJ was. And that's why there were the best duo to ever play the game.
Musa kusa Exactly! I get tired of people saying Jordan was the best defender on their team! Even Jordan was quoted saying "Pippen sets the tone defensively for us." Phil Jackson is quoted saying "Pippen is a one-man-wrecking crew."
People don't give Kobe enough credit for his defense: 9-time defensive 1st team awards. That's saying something..
He went under all those screens to start and towards the end of the game and OT he went over to push him to Jordan hill. He have him tons of space too. He is the goat.
A true legend
Look at all these bullshit screens by the OKC Big Men. The worst one is at 11:38
For me Kobe is A beast in the court.👍
much respect for bryant;s D and leadership as well
4:59 russ upset with sefalosha for not shooting an opening 3 😂😂😂
I wish kobe gave me a hug like that at 8:53...:(
ディフェンスが素晴らし過ぎる…CFでのカーメロとのマッチアップも最高だったなあ
This is not just great individual defense but also great team defense. Team defense is key in professional and college ball.
Shouldn't be surprised. He was 1st defensive team in multiple years.
Also shows how much better of a defensive team we were under Brown if you see the rotations and team defense and how we defended.
Problem was people were so snowblinded by the absense Phil they didn't see a good coach when they had one. Took D'antoni to get them to open their eyes that maybe they didn't have it so bad under Brown.
I think it was more the 8 Straight losses in the offseason + the 4 in the start of the actual season was what scared people. It was more about trying to please Howard, but then we went and made a Bonehead mistake in getting D'antoni...
luis fragoso the thing is, the losses were just a product of Mike Brown messing with the lineup and trying to see the flaws.
He said at the start that he really didn't want to switch to pick and roll "d'antoni style" offense because it would probably get them more wins in the pre-season and early in the season but by mid-seasons that it's such a one dimensional style that the other teams will easily predict it and beat it and in the playoffs they wouldn't have a chance with it because it's so one dimensional (taking a slap at D'antoni's style).
So Mike Brown's thought process was that they would struggle early and once they started to get it they'd be a much more complete team down the road winning at a high percentage down the road.
He was about to simplify the Princeton down to something triangle related so that players could win some games while he added more advanced things as the season went along, him and Kobe had actually discussed this.
The problem was he ran them a practice with a simplified version and they excelled, then they fired him the next day and the Lakers went against the Warriors with that simplified version and blew out the Warriors 101-77 with it. At that point in hindsight you knew the front office made the wrong decision as they were JUST about to get it. But everyone was so blinded cause they thought they'd get Phil they ignored Brown's warnings.
Then they got D'antoni who ran the same pick and roll stuff everyone was saying the Lakers should now that they got Nash...and see where it landed them. Right where Brown said it would.
In hindsight Brown was completely right, but fans just hated him so much they refused to believe it.
But it's too late now.
that's what you call a tight individual defense, which we rarely see in an NBA regular season game...
To everyone saying that kobe was getting blown by this and that, but when kobe wasn't getting blown by he was forcing westbrook to pass it and shoot the ball, and we all know westbrook isn't a shooter his game is based on driving the the hoop which kobe was shutting down
yep but now he'll be harder to guard him cause he's massively upgrading his midrange game
Dude let russ go for 26 5 and 5 on 47% that whole 2011-2012 season including the playoffs. Russ is just inefficient, his % can be low regardless of the defender. I've seen russ shoot 4/21 or someshit against scrub defenders.
Kobe on Russell - Artest on Durant
both pretty much locked
Wow what a game and performance
while kobe did a pretty good job, you can see how the lakers team as a whole did a great job defending the pick and roll. Look at how the other lakers collapse on russell to cut off driving lanes. Really a team effort.
Courtesy of coach Mike Brown
That's basketball Kobe forced into a trap defense so Westbrook either shoot or get Smithered
@1:44 is an obvious charge on Westbrook that wasn't called. Kobe moving laterally to stay in front, Westbrook dips the shoulder and barrels him over.
@cheema0113 how many times westbrook beat the kobe in the playoffs to advance? I'LL WAIT...........................................
Kobe beat the thunder in 2010 lol fuck outta here
How many rings Westbrook got? I'll wait
Ok count with me : 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .
how many times has Kobe passed?
he is ranked very high on all time assists. He ranks 2nd among non point guard players all time.. Lebron is 1st
What an incredible game
As always good job Kobe.
That type of defense is a regular occurrence during Kobe's prime. Of course as he got old, he chose his battles like this one
Thunder need a new fucking coach. How the hell didn't we see James Harden most of the game
Bruh, do you understand how old this video is? James Harden (who looks the best and wears his shirt open) is on the Houston Rockets. And as for the Black Mamba, he didn't even play a game this season...
thebeanerballer1 What are you talking about? Seriously?
Nima ! No that didn't happen till the very end of the season. I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd to last game.
Cory Foster no that's not true. this is the game where world peace gets ejected and harden leaves injured. Why do you think none of them play again? It's on the point of the game where it's 47-48 I believe.
Kobe is the best of all time he do so much than any other player in the NBA
1:25 *shakes head slowly* Posting him? really....
Kobe is a beast.
This video would have been much better by showing Kobe's 2 clutch 3 pointers. But still awesome
KOBE is the Best, Maaannnn..!!!!!
he so much more of a better defender than jordan its crazy if he gambled on steals and faced weak ball handlers like jrodan did he would average 2 steals also
Wait we had Jordan Hill in the same team with Sessions? Damn.. some Laker fan I am
LAUGHED MY FUCKIN' ASS OUT @ 5:37 (Westbrook Fail) AHAHAHAHAHA
I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone defend the ball as well as Kobe. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Patrick Beverley
+Avi Gindratt
My girlfriend.
Tony Allen,Scottie pippen,dennis rodman,kawhi leonard,Ron artest...
EveryDayIsAGoodDay wade and lebron arent as good. what your watching here is Kobe way past his physical prime and past his prime. Kobe one of tge greatest defenders of all time. yall niggas just dont know how good Kobe was. yall do know Kobe played before 2009 season right? 😂😂😂... yall aint never seen him in his prime, dont even know when was his prime.
If you pause at 0:10 you will see what the ref missed. That is a Shaqtinafool
Kobe did a great job defending him, I don't understand when people said kobe got help. When the other team is using screens of course you have to help. The slowest guard in the nba can get around you if you set a good screen, let alone one of the most explosive guards in nba history in Westbrook. In the situations when it was 1v1 Westbrook couldn't get around Kobe in this game. He forced him into jump shots and it worked out, because Westbrook can be the best brick layer around.
+Robert Kobe did all the work by sticking with him. No one on that team could have locked down Russell like Kobe did. People like to forget he made like 14 something defensive teams. Help defense is no work you just move up to the player and trap them, the main defender is the one doing all the work. Did you want them to go one on one the entire game just to prove that Kobe could lock him down. Look at what he did to kyrie and kyries handle is way nicer
i almost never see Kobe so concentrate on defense for whole game. It's super exhausting to play this level of defense for entire game especially it's a 2nd ot game. It also accounts for why Kobe didn't shoot well that night
what even is that picture on the bottom left
Offense and Defense ALL GAME! Kobe wasn't at his quickest here but he was always going to be a great defender, Westbrook shot the ball quicker than he normally would which made him miss shots.
One of the few people to stop russ it sad that he retire wish he had some more years in the nba
Really good help D and Russ getting locked down by Bynum at the rim
As a non-Laker fan, I still recognize that Kobe is a great player, one of the greatest of all time in fact. However it's hard for me to appreciate how great he is because so many Laker fans are all over his balls making claims that just aren't true. Westbrook is a spotty shooter, and Kobe had nothing to do with most of his misses. Yes, offensively Kobe was amazing and helped bring them back for the W, but seriously stop drinking the damn Kool Aid. His defense was good in this game, it was not the highlight. It's great to love a legendary player, just stop making love to him.
Did any of you guys see Serge Ibaka's 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks? Just saying... he played fantastically well.
you know you're lockin someone up when they consistently need a pick to get you off of them
Kobe was just different ... One of a kind!
Ne nee defense ! I love this song
Kobe a REAL 1
Great team defense
TOO bADD KObE CAN'T DO IT LIKE THAT ANYMORE, HE'S THE GREATEST pLAYER OF AWWWWWWWWWW TIME!!!!! GONNA MISS HIM AFTER THIS YEAR!
Same
for all of you saying he got blown by everytime, remember kobe was like 35 years old here, and he still locked him down pretty good.
excellent defensive effort by Vino... man, all these RW discussions are so silly, just watch some coach nick videos about RW, he's made a good share of them over the years and the conclusion is always the same, Russell should play off the ball
With players from Westbrook's rank, it's not about stopping them (he is physically unstoppable) it's about LIMITING him as much as possible. Of course the 3/22 wasn't ALL Kobe effort, it's several factors such as, playing in LA, just having bad luck etc. BUT Kobe did such an amazing job forcing the guy to constantly fight to even get to the ball, fighting to get into the paint, fighting to go to his strong side, it was truly a battle out there and we saw who won it! The great defence is about all of those "small" efforts which you put in every single possession to limit your opponent. Given this and the fact that Kobe hit clutch shots just goes to show you that he is a level above Lebron, and is a 100% mach for Michael Jordan. I think these two are at the top of NBA history in terms of skills, character, determination etc!!!
Kobe is 3 or four inches taller! Meaning he probably has longer arms aslo.
This is like LeBron guarding Chris Paul...
Show me where Kobe locked down Tmac or somebody his size or BIGGER
Not sure how you can't respect a 34-year Kobe defending one of the most explosive players in the league. You think they hand out 12x All Defense to just anyone? You think its easy guarding Westbrook all game? You're talking about his size? This almost always considered a mismatch; a younger, faster and more explosive player against a guy one decade older than him. When you're older you'll appreciate this performance.
Damn Kendrick, back at it with the illegal screens
The worst thing that could happen to a bad shooter is to have a good day. The reason westbrook insists on shooting the ball is because he has some good nights, which then collapse into horrendous nights like this. Kobe's defense certainly made matters worse, as westbrook couldnt make his shot. Westbrook is not the best shooter in the world, but by being over confident and by being guarded amazingly well by kobe, westbrook had a terrible night. Thank you kent for posting this vid, it not only proves kobe is underrated when it comes to defense, but it also proves Westbrook is extremely overrated in general +Kent Cho
A 33 year old Kobe, locked in defensively
what sucks is after he retires it is going to be hard for any player replace him. LA is his home
Rw has improved a lot
where is King describe Kobe Bryant the best offensive player in the league next to Magic Johnson
Lock down defense is about more than one on one most of the time. A lot of the time we can see Kobe is giving him an angle because there is help defense there. Other teams there are screens which were covered pretty well by the Lakers.
That said, there were shots from that game which Durant and Westbrook probably make a little bit more often than what they did on this night.
Damn with that many brick russell look like he was tryna build a house
Watching this shows me how much Westbrook has improved holy shit.
15:55-15:58 Kobe Bryant looks Nate Robinson small
Maybe not lockdown defense but smart defense. Unless Westbrook has a hot hand the best defense is to try to stay infront of him and avoid penetration and that is what Kobe was doing. It so happened that not only did Westbrook not have a hot hand, his hand was frozen.
His chest wasn't big enough to hold the heart inside! RIP KOBE.
R.I.P Kobe