Since Steve Nash has been the starting point guard for the Suns (2004), the Lakers have never beaten them in a playoff series.  Kobe Bryant is 0-2 against Nash in the playoffs.  In fact, the Lakers have not beaten the Suns since Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway were their starting backcourt.  Bryant and the Lakers have been waiting several years for this playoff rematch.

The last few losses should be particularly bitter for this Lakers team.

After going up 3-1 against the Suns in 2006, the Lakers collapsed in the series and in a game 7 rout, 121-90, to the victorious Suns.

2006:

After losing 4-1 to the Suns the following season, Kobe Bryant, I think rightfully so, demanded that the Lakers either build a contender or trade him to one.

2007:

Before and after that time, the Suns have been battling the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs.  Since obtaining Nash, the Suns have not lost to the Lakers in the playoffs, but neither have they beaten the Spurs in the playoffs.  The Suns lost to the Spurs in ’03, ’05, ’07, and ’08 before finally getting that monkey off their back with a 4-0 sweep this season in ‘10.

Likewise, the Lakers, and in particular Kobe Bryant, have waited for a chance at redemption against the Suns.

Why this should mean more to Bryant is simple.  This is redemption not just for back-to-back playoff exits at the hand of the Suns, but for MVP awards.  You know how when people speak of Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, and Reggie Miller, you hear things like “man, if it wasn’t for Jordan, they would have each gotten rings.  Or, if it weren’t for Jordan, Olajuwon would have won five.”  You know you’ve heard somebody say something like that.  I feel the same way about Nash and Kobe.  If it were not Nash’s brilliance, Bryant would probably have three MVP awards, instead of just one.

You may rightly ask, were his ’06 or ’07 seasons MVP worthy?

Bryant

Compared to ’09 where he did in the award, it looks they might have been.  Besides, I still think Bryant should have won it in ’06 if for nothing more than his 81-point game.

Game 1 Revenge

When we heard that Kobe had his sore right knee drained before game 1 of the Western Conference Finals (WCF), it did not seem surprising that Kobe looked hurt at first.

After stumbling and falling down on his first couple of drives, Kobe regained his form on a nice driving floater.  From then on, Kobe was Kobe.  He even capitalized on a buzzer beater at the end of the 1^st quarter.  The Suns started hot, up 7-2, but the Lakers finished strong, including a 16-1 run in that quarter.

In the first half, Lamar Odom and Bryant were dominant.  Bryant made great shots, while Odom was just unstoppable.  He got second-chance buckets for the Lakers.  Odom, who scored 15 of his 19 in the first half, made virtually uncontested drives on Amar’e Stoudemire in the opening half.  Lakers led at the half 62-55.  The purple and gold had the lead, but the Suns were in a prime position to make a comeback.

Bryant dominated the third quarter, scoring a career-high 21 points in a quarter of the WCF.  Early in the third, Kobe made a sweet Washington Wizards-MJ-like-scoop shot after dribbling between two defenders and dodging one or two more on his way to the basket.  He followed that up with a three, and his stroke looked pure, especially in that quarter.

The defining moment of that game came in the third quarter with 5:10 left.  Steve Nash knifed into the lane, drew some attention and dished it to Stoudemire for what should have been a clear bucket, if not a dunk.  Instead, Stoudemire up-faked, and spun to his right.  He also spun right into Kobe Bryant who promptly stripped the ball and recovered it.  On the other end of that play, Bryant put in another tough fade-away jumper over Jared Dudley and Jason Richardson.

But, it was not really until the start of the fourth, with Nash on the bench and the Lakers’ starters in the game that the Lakers, with the coaching wisdom of Phil Jackson, were able to put the game out of reach.  Looking back, it was one of those moments.  It was one of those moments where, sorry Alvin Gentry, but a more experienced coach like the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich would have observed Jackson’s lineup.  Then, he would have probably left his starters in too, to match the Lakers punch-for-punch.

The differences in the game were points in the paint and the Lakers’ bench.

Of course, Kobe went off, scoring his 11^th 40-point game in the playoffs.  But, he was helped in no small part by Lamar Odom’s 19 points and 19 boards.

Game 1 of the WCF:

After the game when Steve Nash was asked about a possible hangover effect of the Lakers’ game one 128-107 victory, he said “we’ll see” (“Lakers Live”).  Throughout the series, we’ll also see just how much the Lakers remember and what they learned from losing to the Suns in the playoffs in years past.

R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.