Down 0-2 against the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers will need a vintage effort by one Kobe Bryant in order to get back into this series. In honor of the need of a historic game from Kobe, here are some of Kobe Bryant’s best plays against the Dallas Mavericks from before this series.
10. Posterizing Dampier
Eric Dampier comes over way too late to help the Mavs, but he does help Bryant create a nice poster.
9. Bryant’s Put-back Dunk
After Lamar Odom misses the shot, Bryant works for the inside position. With the shot in the air, Bryant slides behind Gerald Green to box him out, and he makes a powerful put-back slam.
8. Bryant’s Blitzkrieg on Dirk
Kobe’s block on Dirk Nowitzki is fantastic. On the break, Bryant sets up Jumaine Jones, who makes a really weak lay-up attempt, so Kobe has no choice but to flush it down. Bryant’s flush was decent, but his block was brilliant.
7. Bryant Toys with Kidd’s Layup
After Bryant bites on the first one, Jason Kidd thinks he has an open shot. But, Bryant shows he’s still motivated enough to play great defense, especially if it’s against a friend and former teammate on the Olympic squad. After whiffing on the first attempt, Bryant finishes the play with a nice block and with his left hand no less.
6. Taking the “D” out of Dallas
The first dunk is actually ranked #10 on this list. Now, the second dunk in this highlight is a real gem. First, the defense is awful enough to be entertaining. Two things go wrong defensively: (a) Dampier and Nowitzki do not close off the paint; instead, they stick by their “shooters” (Radmanovic and Evans) and (b) Josh Howard fronts like he’s going to double Bryant (with Shawn Marion), but just as quickly, Howard backs off, basically giving Bryant the green light and an open driving lane. And Bryant does not disappoint, finishing this play off with one of his patented reverse 180 degrees dunks.
5. Kobe’s English is too much for the Big German
During Bryant’s career he has made a ton of these shots. It’s a nice, twisting, move, knifing through several players. The English Bryant puts on the ball as he goes between Dirk Nowitzki and James Singleton is awesome. What’s most amazing is that Bryant goes through every single Mavericks defender on this play, something you don’t often see from anyone.
4. Classic Kobe Turnaround
Vintage Kobe. Going against the Steve Nash-Dirk Nowitzki Mavs, Bryant puts an incredible spin move on former teammate Nick Van Exel, rises up and nails the go-ahead basket all net.
3. Message Received
This play highlights the amazing anticipation of Kobe Bryant. As his man runs along the baseline, Bryant leaves him and waits a moment in the key. As soon as Jason Terry makes the pass, Bryant is gone. Before Nowitzki even realizes what’s happening, Bryant picks the pass and sprints down court. Wide open, Bryant decides to send a message with this powerful tomahawk slam.
2. Vintage Jam in Vintage Jerseys
As in the current series, Bryant played this game with a sore ankle. As in the Hornets series, you couldn’t really tell. Watch Jerry Stackhouse just move out of the way to give Bryant the lane. Bryant lets loose with a T-Mac-over-Bradley type jam over Nowitzki.
1. Old School Rim-Rocker
This is perhaps Kobe’s best slam against the Mavs. It’s actually somewhat similar to the dunk he threw down on Nash in the 2006 playoffs. This is a great slam because of the youthful spring in Bryant’s jump, and also because Nowitzki sees him coming down the lane, but can’t do anything about it except get posterized.
