The L.A. Lakers, who beat the Boston Celtics in a tight battle Thursday night, look to make it two wins in a row as they visit Madison Square Garden for a showdown with the New York Knicks (8 PM Eastern, ESPN). For Kobe Bryant, it marks a face-off with Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, his boyhood idol of sort, and a man who as the chief of the Phoenix Suns throughout the '00s gave the former MVP some of his toughest challenges.
Lakers Vs. Knicks: Kobe Bryant Dances With OId Foe Mike D’Antoni Again
Once L.A. traded Shaquille O’Neal and D’Antoni took over in Phoenix, it seemed as if the Lakers and Suns met in every postseason. In reality, it only happened twice in D’Antoni’s tenure: 2005-06 and 2006-07. Both of those happened to be memorable series. In 2006, the teams went to seven games. (Kobe is still trying to convince fans he didn’t throw his coach and team under the bus in Game 7.) In 2007, the Suns blazed through the Lakers 4-1, but Kobe averaged nearly 33 points a game and that summer all but demanded a trade.
Kobe spent some of his formative years in Italy, where D'Antoni was a star player. Bryant isn't known as a guy who bestows respect on many of the game's personalities, but he's always been reverential to D'Antoni, no matter how many times the coach told Raja Bell to sic him.
D'Antoni doesn't have a Raja Bell in New York, and given the Knicks' inability to defend, you'd think Kobe will have free reign to score in bunches when the teams face off. Between Bryant and skilled Pau Gasol, burly Andrew Bynum and silky Lamar Odom, D'Antoni needs his Knicks -- not just Amar'e Stoudemire, but the whole roster -- to score efficiently and limit mistakes. The Knicks' offense hasn't been much of a problem this season, though it's worth noting that the Lakers' defense -- excellent last year, above average this season -- did a really strong job on Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and (when Steve Blake wasn't in the game) Rajon Rondo on Thursday.
It’ll take some breaks for D’Antoni to beat Kobe this time. Either way, it should be entertaining.
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