``Everyone had their hands in Kobe's face. My mama had a hand in his face and he still hit it,'' Wells said of Bryant's final shot. ``Kobe is playing at an unbelievable level and hitting big shots. I feel like I am an all right defender and Ruben is an all right defender, and he still made us feel like we were no defenders.''

jacob from URL @ 2/22/2003 03:23:00 AM

This Is The Journal of Lady J KoKo

okay..so this blizzard is really ridiculous...the snow is freakin falling horizontally. what's that about? so this is going to be a long post because i didn't want to go outside so i stayed in all day but luckily this weekend a couple of friends came to visit and are staying over. these friends who are over, we'll call them b, r, and p. well they're just a couple of guy friends from college and it's felt like our apartment has turned into a frat. i don't mind though and, and actually i don't know what it is..but something's coming over me these days. maybe it's the snow or it's because i've been listening to Color Me Badd's "Freak Me Baby" non-stop (remember that classic?) but something's come over me these days. these guys who i didn't think anything of before during college have somehow become alive to me; maybe it's because they've been walking shirtless around the apt or have been doing a lot of stretching exercises around me. i mean don't think i'm a lust monkey or anything..i try to cover my eyes but i sneak a peak or two (you know you do it too) but i want to say that there's a certain something about the male human body. it can be breathtaking at times. i mean okay, i'll be honest, in my head i'm thinking: "It's raining MEN..hallelujah, it's raining men!" You know what i'm talking about ladies! i mean, although it's been cold outside, it's been hot in herre (Nelly knows what i'm talking about). but yeah, the pecs and abs and arms...the veins pulsing..the gluteus..let me say, it is quite maximus....wow..all i can do is just be awed by it all. I know this is all catching everyone off-guard but i'm just being honest, and i debated whether to write about this today but one look at those adonis figures and you have to tell someone. let's be real guys, everyone has wondered what people meant by the term "studmuffin"? Well I'm grinning right now as i write this because I know! I have three of them in my apt right now. So anyways, i thought b, r, and p were all leaving today but there is a God: the winter storm cancelled their flights and it's Hotel Beefcake here one more night.

jacob from URL @ 2/22/2003 12:34:00 AM

Bryant's on a shooting streak
By Ron Higgins
higgins@gomemphis.com
February 16, 2003

Maybe it's his marriage and a new daughter.

Maybe it's because his Lakers, the three-time defending NBA champions, have their backs to the wall after a slow start in the first half of the season.

Maybe it's because he's about to sign a new shoe contract.

Or maybe it's because he's simply in the best shooting zone of his life.

Whatever the case, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is on a streak - eight straight games with 35 points or more - that has only been done before by Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan. He also reached 40 for the fourth straight time.

"It's like a pitcher with a no-hitter coming into the dugout," Lakers teammate Brian Shaw said of Bryant. "You don't want to disturb his rhythm. Don't touch him, don't say anything to him."

In Bryant's eight-game hot zone, in which the Lakers are 7-1, he's averaged 42.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals.

He has shot 50.4 percent from the field (116-of-230), 48.5 percent from three-point range (16-of-33) and 85.7 percent (90-of-105) from the free throw line.

His unstoppable one-on-one ability has led to the inflated free throw numbers. During this stretch, he has made an average 11.3-of-13.2 free throws. He has made double-digit free throws in five of the games, and had double-digit attempts in six of them, including 17-for-21 against the Nuggets one night and 18-for-21 again against the Nuggets when they played the next night.

He has scored 40 or more points six times in this stretch, giving him 12 40-point games for the season, one shy of the Lakers record of 13 set in 1969-1970 by current Grizzlies president Jerry West.

"I'm having a lot of fun," Bryant said, "especially how we're feeding off it as a team."

Even Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, who likes his touches in the post, said that when Bryant "is shooting like he's shooting, we just try and get him the ball."

For the time being, the Lakers' comeback toward a fourth straight title is in Bryant's hands. Before Bryant's hot streak, Lakers coach Phil Jackson had a talk with Bryant and told him that he needed the All-Star to lead and energize the team with his scoring and playmaking.

Jackson has had fun watching Bryant do his thing.

"He finds that moment in a game where he really does things that are quite spectacular," Jackson said.

jacob from URL @ 2/21/2003 05:18:00 PM

Jan. 8, 2003 -- When you're a player as talented as the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, it's difficult to be surprised by anything you accomplish on the court. But even Bryant was taken aback by his record-breaking night against the Sonics Tuesday, when he hit 12 three-pointers to break the all-time NBA record.

Even his coach -- who has seen his fair share of great single-game performances -- was impressed.

"That was perhaps the greatest streak shooting I've ever seen in my life," Phil Jackson told the paper.

Besides connecting for the most three-pointers in a single game, Bryant also broke the record for most consecutive three-pointers made in a game when he hit nine in a row over one stretch.


With 40 points against the Jazz on Wednesday night, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant joined Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to score 35 or more in 11 straight games.
Now Bryant is aiming for some records in the 40-plus range. Heading into tonight's game against Portland (10:30 p.m. ET), Kobe has scored 40 or more in seven-straight games. The all-time record belongs to Chamberlain, who scored 40-plus in 14-straight games twice during the 1961-62 season. Jordan scored 40-plus in nine straight in the 1986-87 season.

Here's a closer look at Kobe's current 40-plus streak:

GAME 1

Feb. 6 -- Lakers 114, Knicks 109 | Box score
Line: 46 pts., 6 reb., 3 asst., 17-27 FG's, 4-4 3P's, 8-11 FT's, +39 Eff.
Skinny: Kobe and Shaq combine for 79; hold off late Knicks rally in NY
Quotable: "He was in a zone. We couldn't contain him. We tried to keep two on him, just to keep him from penetrating. He was splitting us and going by us. We were very reluctant to really challenge him."
--Knicks coach Don Chaney
Highlights: Dunk of the year? Reverse at the Garden



GAME 2

Feb. 11 -- Lakers 121, Nuggets 93 | Box score
Line: 42 pts., 2 reb., 5 asst., 4 stl., 12-20 FG's, 1-3 3P's, 17-21 FT's, +40 Eff.
Skinny: Kobe makes as many FT's as Nuggets attempt; Lakers cruise
Quotable: "Kobe did what Kobe's been doing, he's feeling it. If I knew (how to stop him), then he wouldn't have had 40 points or whatever he had tonight. He's a great player and he's in a great rhythm right now."
--Nuggets guard Chris Whitney
Highlights: Amazing around-the-back reverse on the break



GAME 3

Feb. 12 -- Lakers 113, Nuggets 102 | Box score
Line: 51 pts., 3 reb., 2 asst., 15-28 FG's, 3-8 3P's, 18-20 FT's, +43 Eff.
Skinny: Kobe scores 51 in just 31 minutes; Lakers cruise at home
Quotable: "He goes about his business. He does not talk out there. We tried different things on him tonight, but he was so hot that it was hard to contain him."
--Nuggets rookie Vincent Yarbrough
Highlights: Kobe says flair comes from mom in interview



GAME 4

Feb. 14 -- Spurs 103, Lakers 95 | Box score
Line: 44 pts., 6 reb., 4 asst., 4 stl., 19-41 FG's, 2-3 3P's, 4-6 FT's, +29 Eff.
Skinny: Kobe's 44 isn't enough to top red-hot Spurs
Quotable: "If I had to pick somebody, I would have to say Kobe is my MVP, the way he is playing right now. Bruce (Bowen) did a great job on him, made him take a lot of tough shots and just stayed with him and took the challenge."
--Spurs swingman Stephen Jackson



GAME 5

Feb. 16 -- Knicks 117, Lakers 110 | Box score
Line: 40 pts., 4 reb., 5 asst., 14-31 FG's, 3-5 3P's, 9-10 FT's, +30 Eff.
Skinny: Kobe has 40, but Houston's 53 leads N.Y. over Shaq-less Lakers
Quotable: "There's no stopping Kobe. We felt like we played pretty good defense but he still got 40 down the stretch. The way he's shooting the ball, he's just incredible."
--Knicks forward Latrell Sprewell



GAME 6

Feb. 18 -- Lakers 106, Rockets 99 | Box score
Line: 52 pts., 8 reb., 7 asst., 3 blk., 19-38 FG's, 3-9 3P's, 11-11 FT's, +46 Eff.
Skinny: No Shaq-Yao II, but Kobe crushes in double-OT classic
Quotable: "He's phenomenal. We tried a lot of different things on him. He was just phenomenal. He's been doing it all along. He's playing so good, it's sickening."
--Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Houston Chronicle
Highlights: One "big" dunk over Yao



GAME 7

Feb. 19 -- Lakers 93, Jazz 87 | Box score
Line: 40 pts., 6 reb., 1 asst., 15-29 FG's, 4-6 3P's, 6-9 FT's, +29 Eff.
Skinny: Kobe matches combined output of Stockton, Malone
Quotable: "When you get in tough situations, he knows how to make tough shots. He's a terrific shooter. This guy is as good as there is in the game right now on the short clock."
--Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Deseret News



THE BOTTOM LINE:
• Kobe's averages over the last seven games: 45.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.1 spg, .519 FG%, .526 3P%, .830 FT%, +36.4 Efficiency Rating
• Kobe needs to extend his 40-plus streak to 15 games to move into first place on the all-time list (Chamberlain reached 14 games twice during the 1961-62 season)
• Kobe needs to extend his 40-plus streak to 11 games to move into third place on the all-time list (Chamberlain reached 10 games during the 1962-63 season)
• Kobe needs to extend his 40-plus streak to 10 games to move into fourth place on the all-time list (Jordan reached nine games in 1986)

jacob from URL @ 2/21/2003 05:13:00 PM

"It's pretty remarkable what he's doing out there. He takes the challenge of winning very seriously,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Bryant. "He's going to fight his way out of a paper bag. He has a knack for overcoming obstacles.''

"He's the best player in the game right now. He's playing as good of basketball as I've seen in my career,'' Jazz guard Mark Jackson said.

"Kobe was Kobe. He carried the load for two superstars tonight,'' said Rick Fox

jacob from URL @ 2/20/2003 01:54:00 PM

john mayer, your body is a wonderland

jae ko: valentine's day stud

jacob from URL @ 2/18/2003 07:15:00 PM

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