BREAKING: Jalen Brunson of the Knicks shares his crazy strategy for stopping Kobe Bryant.
The New York Knicks‘ dominant defense, which ranked tenth in the league with a defensive rating of 113.4, was a contributing factor in their success in the previous campaign. Coach Tom Thibodeau’s specialty is defense, and his players have all embraced this defensive mindset, so it’s not shocking. But they also argued that superb offense wins out over excellent defense, and Knicks player Jalen Brunson concurred. Perhaps no player epitomized this adage more than the late Kobe Bryant.
While viewing the Mamba’s 81-point performance on NBA TV in 2006, Brunson disclosed his particular strategy for taking on Bryant. “If I were the coach, I would put someone else on him and call a timeout,” Brunson stated. “I’m aware of my limitations,”
Kobe’s historic night against the Knicks
Kobe Bryant was no stranger to blowing up the Knicks, as were many other teams. When the Lakers were preparing for their championship run on February 2, 2009, they defeated the Knicks 126-117, and Kobe scored 61 points, setting a new record for the most points scored in Madison Square Garden. Kobe demonstrated why he was the best player in the league at the time by outscoring every opponent.
Given that Kobe Bryant was known for mashing up the greatest defenders teams had to offer, it makes sense for Jalen Brunson to feel that way. His 2004 buzzer-beating game-winning basket against “Kobe Stopper” Ruben Patterson in Portland had previously been witnessed by everybody. Bryant may have been most bothered by Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs, but the Mamba averaged 26.3 points against him. In the same way, the Spurs’ postseason record against the Lakers is 1-0.
However, one would wonder how the defenses of the present NBA, which many fans believe have gotten weaker since the hand-checking days, would match up with prime Kobe. As teams would largely be focused on making threes and layups, Kobe would have the mid-range, his preferred shot, all to himself. Bryant would have shot even more threes if he had adopted the contemporary shooting technique, even though his average from three was still a respectable 32.9%.