Let Kobe "get his", or let him pick us apart?

[Chris]

As far as I am concerned, this is the question Doc and Thibodeau need to be asking themselves.  Do they let Kobe "get his", and try to shut down the rest of the team, or do they try to take the ball out of his hand.

I have a feeling a lot of people have a strong feeling about this (Dennis and Callahan were killing me this morning, claiming it was a no brainer that you throw the whole team at Kobe), but I personally don't think it is so cut and dry.

Personally, I don't think you can do either exclusively.  I think the key to this series defensively will not be how we defend Kobe, it will be how he thinks we are defending him.  We need to pull something out of Belichick's playbook, and instead of just trying to smother the Lakers, and take one weapon away (I like to oversimplify it as saying they have two weapons, Kobe, and everyone else), they need to try to confuse Kobe, and keep them guessing.

They need to constantly thrown different looks at them.  Once Kobe feels comfortable, he can absolutely pick a defense apart, whether it is by finding the open man if everyone is concentrating on him, or by breaking down the defense himself, and singlehandedly scoring.

But if he doesn't know what to expect from play to play, let alone game to game, then it will make it much more difficult for him. 

One thing I have noticed with Kobe is that he is a great scorer, and a great playmaker...but he is not great at doing both at the same time.  He is not Chris Paul who can switch gears in a fraction of a second.  He needs time to switch gears.  Generally you will see him pass for a half, or a whole game, and then take the game over for the second half, or the next game.  He rarely changes from play to play.

This series is going to be won in the schemes.  Tom Thibodeau's incredible attention to detail is going to really come into play.  He needs to generate multiple gameplans, and he needs to be able to switch them at the drop of a hat.  The only way to slow this team down is if they don't know where the trap is coming from, or if it is coming at all. 

We need Kobe to become hessitant, because he doesn't know if Perk is going to blitz him, or if he is going to drop back into the passing lane.  We need Kobe to question himself, and not know if he  is being given the lane because there is a second and third level waiting to pick him up, or if they are just waiting to jump his pass.

Kobe may beat us when it is all said and done...but the C's need to make him work for it mentally.

[jaketwice]

                                                                                             FEAR

He is going to come at you. And one on one, he is going to score. The only chance of stopping him is to play amazing team defense. ...Fortunately for us, the Celtics play amazing team defense.  That's why we held him to 16 of 46 shooting in our two meetings with LA this year.

11/23 Link



12/30 Link

[cuckroller]

                                                                                          The only chance of stopping him is to play amazing team defense. ...Fortunately for us, the Celtics play amazing team defense.  That's why we held him to 16 of 46 shooting in our two meetings with LA this year.

Actually, it was 15/46 for only 32%.  You are right.  Kobe has no hope of ever exceeding this low percentage in any of the games of this series.  That is guaranteed...

[jaketwice]

                                                                                          The only chance of stopping him is to play amazing team defense. ...Fortunately for us, the Celtics play amazing team defense.  That's why we held him to 16 of 46 shooting in our two meetings with LA this year.

Actually, it was 15/46 for only 32%.  You are right.  Kobe has no hope of ever exceeding this low percentage in any of the games of this series.  That is guaranteed...

I'm about 32% at maths.  Thanks for the correction. TP.

[cuckroller]

Hi Jake,
I wouldn't want you to think you gave me the point under false pretenses.  I am a Laker fan.  As far as my observation about the continuing bad shooting of Kobe, I was, of course, being facetious, or at least, I hope I was...

[jaketwice]

Hi Jake,
I wouldn't want you to think you gave me the point under false pretenses.  I am a Laker fan.  As far as my observation about the continuing bad shooting of Kobe, I was, of course, being facetious, or at least, I hope I was...

It does say something that I took your point to be in earnest: Bynum is no Gasol, but Kobe still really shot a low percentage against our defense.  And the Lakers are different now - but not that different.  Certainly our defense isn't different.  Moreover, we have a back-up center now who helps make up for the difference between Bynum and Gasol.

Maybe he won't shoot 32% - but he may not crack 40%.  For a guy who shoots more than 20 shots a game, that's pretty significant.

[wdleehi]

I like the idea that the Lakers used on Duncan.


Single coverage (Pierce/Posey) on Kobe for three quarters.  Take away the pass and the other offensive options.


Then in the 4th, bum rush him like they did to Lebron.  Make the guys that have be uninvolved on offense for 3/4th of the game have to suddenly make plays in the 4th.



But in the end, just keep doing what the Celtics did in the regular season against the Lakers.

[cuckroller]

Hi Jake,
I wouldn't want you to think you gave me the point under false pretenses.  I am a Laker fan.  As far as my observation about the continuing bad shooting of Kobe, I was, of course, being facetious, or at least, I hope I was...

It does say something that I took your point to be in earnest: Bynum is no Gasol, but Kobe still really shot a low percentage against our defense.  And the Lakers are different now - but not that different.  Certainly our defense isn't different.  Moreover, we have a back-up center now who helps make up for the difference between Bynum and Gasol.

Maybe he won't shoot 32% - but he may not crack 40%.  For a guy who shoots more than 20 shots a game, that's pretty significant.

Well Bynum is out of the question.  He did not acquit himself very well in the two meetings with Boston this year anyway.  Honestly, I don't know how much of the two meetings in the regular season will influence.  Certainly, the Celtics defense is as hermetic inside as it has been all season.  The Lakers offensive sets have now changed quite a bit since then, but who knows if it will be enough - letting my own doubts show through here.  The team is much less dependant on Kobe respect to the start of the season.  All in all, I guess I am just as excited as anybody, and probably as everyone, even the Celtics, I have little idea what will really happen once these teams take the floor again.

[wdleehi]

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-32-261/When-the-Celtics-Played-the-Lakers.html

Tom Thibodeau vs. Kobe Bryant

Boston is also blessed with a handful of perimeter players -- James Posey, Tony Allen, Rajon Rondo -- who have certain defensive gifts.

So, surely the Celtics must have been using their best defenders against Bryant, to get those kinds of results, right? That's the only way to slow the game's most potent offensive weapon, isn't it?

That's what I expected to see. A steady diet of James Posey. But as is often the case, the video tells a different story.

Instead, let me tell you that, in all those possessions, the Celtics almost never played great individual perimeter defense against Bryant. They only doubled him hard a handful of times, and even then mostly for shock value late in games. They went under nearly all picks, or simply got stuck on them. Even the weakest screen was more than enough to force a switch or get Bryant wide open.Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen

Bryant's most common defender by far was Ray Allen who -- I'm telling you -- simply can not stay with Bryant. Oh, yes, he tried. And as you can see, in the photo, sometimes he managed to be in the neighborhood when Bryant got the shot off. But this was far from textbook one-on-one defense.

Yes, Tony Allen guarded Bryant some, when Ray Allen was out of the game.

When Ray Allen had foul trouble, Paul Pierce handled some possessions. He looks creaky on defense, and usually didn't even bother to meet Bryant until he got to the free-throw line.

Eddie House and Kendrick Perkins got their hands on Kobe solo in broken plays and scramble situations, for instance when the Lakers got offensive rebounds.

But it worked.

Through it all, most of the time, the rest of the Celtics' defense stayed in position to protect the rim and stymie the one thing Bryant can do that can kill you -- get in the lane, make easy shots, and draw fouls.

The hope, apparently, was to keep Bryant off the line, and on the perimeter. Sticking Bryant out there on the perimeter, alone against one of Boston's weakest defenders in Ray Allen (and a player who had, himself, been making Bryant look bad at the other end), was just the mother of all dares for Bryant. Triangle be [dang]ed. Bryant fired away.

This is the Jedi mind trick that Tom Thibodeau is playing on Bryant, who is a very confident long-distance shooter. You're leaving me, all alone, out here, with him?

The only reason Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau might pause, is that San Antonio essentially just tried this same thing in the Western Conference finals -- with an even better defender, Bruce Bowen -- yet Bryant shot very well as the Lakers rolled.

For that reason, ESPN's David Thorpe imagines the Celtics probably are at least considering plan B.

"If you're Gregg Popovich right now, you're thinking that you executed your plan about as well as possible. You kept Kobe Bryant off the free-throw line. You shaded off of him, and forced him to make a shot, instead of getting to the line," explains Thorpe. "But now that the Lakers beat you, you might be wondering if maybe you should have tried beating him up all series long. Putting bodies on him again and again and hitting him hard. Sure he kills you at the line in the early going, but what happens in the fourth quarter, or in Games 2, 3, and 4? As the series grinds on, that tactic could make you look better and better. It might not work, but at least you don't have to deal with Kobe Bryant look fresh as a daisy in the fourth quarter of every game, which happened against San Antonio."

[Discoflux]

                                                                                             FEAR

He is going to come at you. And one on one, he is going to score. The only chance of stopping him is to play amazing team defense. ...Fortunately for us, the Celtics play amazing team defense.  That's why we held him to 16 of 46 shooting in our two meetings with LA this year.

11/23 Link

12/30 Link

Yep, simply put you gotta play great team defense.
Kobe is a little like Tom Brady.  He is efficient and makes the perfect decision 95% of the time. 
The only way to beat him is to take away all his options, which means outstanding overall team D.
Stop the ball, block the passing lanes, hand in the face, body up, move the feet, stay aggressive, keep good rotations and energy up with the right personnel on the court (Doc)... etc. 

Good luck!  You guys MUST hold court and go up 2-0 or its gonna get ugly.

[WedmanIsMyHero]

Here is some empirical evidence from the regular season meetings:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-32-261/When-the-Celtics-Played-the-Lakers.html

It looks like the Celtics backed off Kobe, put Allen on him, and tried to concentrate on making him take jump shots instead of driving the lane.  There is a bunch of data suggesting more Kobe shots do not necessarily improve the probability the Lakers will win, and the strategy worked pretty well.  Obviously many differences, given that Kobe is playing at a ridiculously high level now and Paul Gasol is a big presence.

However, what do people think of using the regular season strategy in the post-season?

EDIT: It is important to consider that San Antonio essentially just tried this.  From the article. .

"That means Bryant ought to be getting plenty of good opportunities to score from the perimeter. His ability to hit those shots, or to turn the space he can create for himself into opportunities for his teammates like Pau Gasol, could decide the series.

The only reason Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau might pause, is that San Antonio essentially just tried this same thing in the Western Conference finals -- with an even better defender, Bruce Bowen -- yet Bryant shot very well as the Lakers rolled.

For that reason, ESPN's David Thorpe imagines the Celtics probably are at least considering plan B.

"If you're Gregg Popovich right now, you're thinking that you executed your plan about as well as possible. You kept Kobe Bryant off the free-throw line. You shaded off of him, and forced him to make a shot, instead of getting to the line," explains Thorpe. "But now that the Lakers beat you, you might be wondering if maybe you should have tried beating him up all series long. Putting bodies on him again and again and hitting him hard. Sure he kills you at the line in the early going, but what happens in the fourth quarter, or in Games 2, 3, and 4? As the series grinds on, that tactic could make you look better and better. It might not work, but at least you don't have to deal with Kobe Bryant look fresh as a daisy in the fourth quarter of every game, which happened against San Antonio."

Will the Celtics let Bryant fire away from long-range, and if so, will Bryant convert?

If the regular season is any guide, there's a championship in the balance."

[Hoops]

The only reason Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau might pause, is that San Antonio essentially just tried this same thing in the Western Conference finals -- with an even better defender, Bruce Bowen -- yet Bryant shot very well as the Lakers rolled.

For that reason, ESPN's David Thorpe imagines the Celtics probably are at least considering plan B.

"If you're Gregg Popovich right now, you're thinking that you executed your plan about as well as possible. You kept Kobe Bryant off the free-throw line. You shaded off of him, and forced him to make a shot, instead of getting to the line," explains Thorpe. "But now that the Lakers beat you, you might be wondering if maybe you should have tried beating him up all series long. Putting bodies on him again and again and hitting him hard. Sure he kills you at the line in the early going, but what happens in the fourth quarter, or in Games 2, 3, and 4? As the series grinds on, that tactic could make you look better and better. It might not work, but at least you don't have to deal with Kobe Bryant look fresh as a daisy in the fourth quarter of every game, which happened against San Antonio."

Thorpe must have been speaking specifically about the SA series here and he may have been right that beating up Kobe would eventually wear him out in that series. However, in this series, there is so much time between games that Kobe would have plenty of time to bounce back and that strategy would fail IMO.

That said, I say the best strategy is any strategy that prevents Kobe from being the facilitator for his teammates. If Kobe tries to beat us on his own, Lakers lose. If we smother Kobe to the point that his teammates have to beat us on their own, Lakers lose. But if Kobe is able to pick and choose his spots and facilitate his teammates in the process (i.e., lead a balanced attack), that's when the Lakers could be dangerous.

[oneofthesedays]

The strategy SAS employed would have worked if they could have scored enough points to keep up with the Lakers.  If the Celtics run into the same scoring droughts that they did they will lose for the same reasons.

If you can keep LAL to around 90-100 pts you're golden, but you also need to be able to score that many points to win.

[fan33]

I do like the OPs suggestion on mixing it up, rather than exclusively playing off him and allowing him the longer jumpshot. i say let him bring it inside some for the hard fouls, going the wear him out strategy, hell he may even reinjure his weak back or other accumulated injurys with this strategy. It also makes him prove his previously stated 95% decision making skills which I don't for a second believe would be the case against us!

Yep, show him Ray, PP, Poze as well as Rondo, IMO...

[Mr October]

For the most part keep Kobe guessing, switch up defenders, make him a scorer that really has to work. And then go at him on the other end. He can't do everything.

Only double when he drives into the paint. I really don't want to see him flipping the ball to teammates for open 3s all game long... I'd rather see Kobe average 45 a game AND have his teammates struggle in man to man coverage.