Kobe Bids Farewell: Hawks vs. Lakers

In case you hadn’t heard by now, tonight’s matchup featuring the Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers will be one to remember, as it will be Kobe Bryant’s last trip to Philips Arena in his storied NBA career.

Over the last few days, SDS has payed homage to the basketball greatness that is Kobe Bryant. We’ve discussed his legacy and even taken a trip down memory lane with some of his greatest “Atlanta” moments. Fans have chimed in along with a number of other Atlanta sports columnists and radio hosts. But tonight, once the ball is tossed in the air for the opening tip, all of that is forgotten until the final buzzer sounds as the Hawks will look to get back on track with a win against the lowly Los Angeles Lakers.

The Hawks have been wildly inconsistent this season, and it has been on full display, as the team has traded off wins and losses over the last nine games. They were up as many as 17 against the Raptors on Wednesday night only to see that lead evaporate in the 4th quarter on their way to a 96-86 loss. Kyle Lowry was unstoppable in the fourth and led all scorers with 31 points. Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 14 points, but the team shot just 36% from the floor and was ice cold down the stretch. It was another game that the Hawks should have won, as that phrase “should have” is becoming the new norm for this team and not in a good way.

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The Lakers snapped a seven game losing streak on Wednesday night, as they went on the road and took down the Wizards 108-104, in what was Kobe Bryant’s best game of the season. He scored a season high 31 points and led all scorers, but really wasn’t the best player on the court for the Lake-Show. Julius Randle is quietly coming into his own after missing all but opening night last season with a broken leg. He’s notched three straight double-doubles including a 15 point and career high 19 rebound effort against the Wizards. He now has seven double doubles on the season, and while Kobe is getting all of the love from the media, Randle is developing into the player that Lakers’ management knew he could become when taking him in the lottery two years ago. If they had gone with Okafor (a perfect complement to Randle) over Russell in this year’s draft, they might be doing better this season. But that’s for another day.

This is the first game between these two teams this season. They split the series last year with both teams winning on the road. Kobe scored 28 the last time he visited Philips, and as long as it takes him 25-30 shots to do so, I’d be fine if he put up another 28 again this season.

Keys to the Game:

Make Kobe Shoot Jumpers: It isn’t a secret that Kobe has lost a step or two and he’s not as quick to the basket as he once was.

Dec 2, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) is defended by Toronto Raptors center Lucas Nogueira (92) and forward Terrence Ross (31) during the second half at Philips Arena. The Raptors defeated the Hawks 96-86. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

This season hasn’t been your vintage Kobe, as he’s taking a lot more long jumpers than he has in the past. He’s on pace to shoot over 600 three’s this season which would be the most in his career by nearly 100. And even though he’s only hitting them at a 22% clip, he’s showing no signs of stopping. And why would he? The Lakers are going to be in the lottery no matter what, so why not keep shooting? What’s the worst that could happen? The Lakers keep losing and end up with the #1 overall pick to go along with Randle and Russell? The Hawks need to give Kobe as much space as he wants, as long as he is outside the arc. Let him shoot 20-25 footers all night long. Kobe may drop 30 like he did the other night against the Wiz, but if it takes him 30 shots to do so then that means no one else got into rhythm.

Millsap Tutorial: For as good as Julius Randle has been, he’s going to have a tough time with Mr. Millsap. I expect the Hawks to go at Randle with Millsap from the opening tip. Randle doesn’t have the size or strength to keep Paul out of the lane and off of the glass at this point in their careers. Tonight should be one of those games where Randle looks back and says he learned a lot. Young players learn the most through failure, so hopefully tonight will be the biggest learning experience of Randle’s career. When Millsap is on, so are the Hawks. The Lakers don’t present much in terms of depth on the interior, so I would expect another big night from both Paul and Horford, similar to the outing we saw on Monday against the Thunder.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Atlanta Hawks

PG: Jeff Teague
SG: Kyle Korver
SF: Kent Bazemore
PF: Paul Millsap
C: Al Horford

Notes: Tiago Splitter (hip) will miss Friday’s game against the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers

PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Jordan Clarkson
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Julius Randle
C: Roy Hibbert

Notes: No injuries to report.

Other News & Notes (Kobe Edition):

5 NBA Titles
2008 League MVP
17 Time All-Star
11 Time All-NBA First Team
2 Time Scoring Champion
3rd All Time in Points Scored

Next: SDS Roundtable Discussion: Kobe's Legacy

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