Why was Kobe swept by the Thunder gentleman in his last playoffs? How did he perform?

As one of the greatest superstars in NBA history, although Kobe Bryant's career has been quite legendary, there are still many regrets for his fans. The most regrettable thing is that he has never been able to enter the playoffs again after 2012. You know, Kobe was only 33 years old at that time, but until he retired, he was always fighting against various injuries, which is indeed a pity. In the playoffs that year, the Lakers' performance also disappointed the fans. After all, before the start of the game, everyone thought that even if the Lakers could not defeat the Thunder, they would definitely put some pressure on them, but the result was that the Lakers were eliminated 4:1 by the Thunder. So what happened at that time, why did the Lakers lose so thoroughly, and how did Kobe perform? Let's find out below!

1. Kobe was lost in singles, and the inside double towers were all wrong.

First of all, let's talk about Kobe's performance. Kobe's overall performance this season is still good. Although he is 33 years old, after going to Germany for knee treatment in the offseason, he once again played at the MVP level as he was at his peak, and finally helped the Lakers get the third place in the West. In this round of the series, he averaged 31.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, which is worthy of recognition. But if you look back at this round of the series, you will find an obvious problem, that is, as the series deepens, Kobe is becoming more and more lost in singles. You should know that in the past, the Lakers were able to enter the finals three times and win the championship twice, because Kobe gave up a low post, giving Paul Gasol enough room to play, and then he completed the perfect match between the inside and the outside. But this time, Kobe seemed to have returned to his own team-leading period, and most of the time he relied on his personal ability to score. In fact, this was also what the Thunder coach Brooks did on purpose at that time, constantly letting Saflosa on the wing consume Kobe, and strengthening his defense against him, forcing him to play singles, cutting off his connection with the inside, which is why his assists were only 3.4 times.

And not only that, due to the age and the continuous reliance on singles to score, Kobe's physical fitness problems gradually emerged. The most obvious thing is that in the fourth game, although Kobe scored 38 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, he made only 2 of 10 shots in the fourth quarter, and was finally seized by the Thunder, completing the reversal, and rewrite the big score to 3:1. Of course, there is a reason Kobe is lost in singles. The inside double towers, which were highly anticipated, performed very poorly in this round of the series. Gasol is no longer the top No. 4 position with two consecutive championships. He only contributed 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2.8 assists in the whole series, and his shooting percentage was only 44.4%, making it difficult to share Kobe's offensive pressure. Andrew Bynum, who was selected as the Western Conference All-Star starter, averaged 16.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, but his shooting percentage was also only 43.5%. It can be said that the Twin Towers were completely restricted by Thunder's Sergei Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, which ultimately led to the team's loss.

2. The third young men seized power and completed their explosions.

Compared with the core of the Lakers, the third Thunder performed amazing performances one after another. As the big brother of the three, Kevin Durant can contribute 26.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in the whole round of the series, and his efficiency is amazing. Neither Ron Artest nor Matt Barnes can give him enough restrictions. Even if Kobe switches defense, he cannot stop his hot touch. In the fourth game, Durant scored 31 points and 13 rebounds, including 11 points in the fourth quarter, which was in sharp contrast with Kobe. In the last game, he contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, helping the team successfully eliminate the Lakers. In fact, Durant was already an MVP player that year. He not only won the scoring champion of the season, but also helped the Thunder rank second in the West. In the league at that time, no one could restrict Durant except LeBron James who eventually defeated them to win the championship. Therefore, the Lakers were powerless and were eventually defeated by Durant with repeated shots.

At the same time, the other two later MVPs performed well in this round. Russell Westbrook was already the best point guard at that time. He played very calmly throughout the series, averaged 25.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game, and his shooting percentage was close to 50%. With amazing speed and physical fitness, the 33-year-old Kobe scored 37 points in the fourth game and also scored 28 points in the fifth game. The most classic scene is that after the team made a mistake, Kobe tried his best to defend Kobe, but he still watched the young man complete the fast attack. At that moment, Kobe had a rare confusion in his eyes. James Harden, on the other hand, had 16 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Although his efficiency was average, as the sixth man of the season, he helped the team lead the Lakers many times when the team rotated, which is also one of the disadvantages that the Lakers could not overcome.

3. The lineups of the two teams are very different, and the Lakers team is full of age.

Finally, let’s talk about the performance of the other players. The Lakers have actually experienced a significant decline. Although they have retained the original championship lineup as much as possible, and on this basis, they have upgraded the point guard and traded for Sessions, it has to be said that the Lakers have shown their age this year. Sessions was completely beaten by Westbrook in this round of the series, and he had no contribution to both offensive and defensive ends. Although Arte can contribute 11.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals in the playoffs, he has no limit to Durant, and his shooting percentage has dropped to 36.7% instead.. Although Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Jordan Hill and others have made certain contributions, they are all role players after all. Moreover, the coach of the team that year was replaced by Mike Brown. At that time, Brown did not form his own tactical system. He blindly pursued superstar tactics, which made the Lakers abandon the past triangular offensive system. In addition, the overall lineup was seriously aging, and it was reasonable to lose the game in the end.

, and the Thunder's lineup focuses on becoming younger. Ibaka has grown into one of the best blue-collar workers in the league. He can contribute 9.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and an amazing 3.7 blocks in the regular season. The team can perfectly limit the Lakers' double towers, and he plays an extremely important role. In addition, Sabo Saflosa was the most excellent defensive wing at the time. He strictly implemented the team's tactics on the court, consumed Kobe's physical fitness as much as possible on the defensive end, and seized the opportunity of open positions on the offensive end, helping the team score on the outside. In addition, the Thunder also has veterans such as Nick Collison, Derek Fisher, and Perkins. It can be said that the overall structure of the three generations of old, middle-aged and young people is very reasonable. They are not short of talent, ability, passion and experience, so it is completely expected to defeat the Lakers.