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Friday, August 10, 2012

Olympic Basketball Highlights 2012: Kobe Bryant by the Numbers - Bleacher Report

The Black Mamba had been lying in the weeds, ready to claim its first victim…

Kobe Bryant, aka the Black Mamba, had been anything but the assassin we have come to love (or hate) over the years thus far in 2012 Olympic Basketball.

We had been privy to only fleeting instances of the cold-blooded scorer through the first five games of the tournament.

Small minutes, low shooting percentages, unnecessary fouls, otherwise disappearing from the box scoresâ€"well, all that changed in a certain second half against a certain country down under.

Kobe emerged from the cover of the proverbial weeds with a showing of pure force on Wednesday’s matchup against Australia.

After scoring in only the personal foul and turnover department, and producing an all but invisible 0-for-3 shooting performance in the first half, Kobe went off in post-halftime play.

But before we get to his breakout game, let’s review his numbers in the previous five games of 2012 Olympic Basketball.

France vs. United States â€" July 29, 2012

Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant battle it out.
Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant battle it out.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Kobe had a quiet outing in Team USA’s matchup against France back in July.

Despite being the third-leading scorer, he played the third-fewest minutes and took the fifth-fewest shots.

To clarify, this was no Carmelo Anthony 37 points in 14 minutes type of performance. Rather, it was an unmemorable 10-point, three-personal foul exhibition in just 12 minutes of play.

It was a relatively easy win, even when the Americans did not shoot the ball entirely well throughout the game.

However, it just seemed that Kobe was a complete non-factor. It didn’t suit his persona.

Then again, it was only the first game…

United States vs. Tunisia â€" July 31, 2012

Kobe Bryant (No. 10)
Kobe Bryant (No. 10)
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

To be fair, the United States could have put on a collective blindfold and still pulled out a victory in this game.

Still, playing in fewer than 10 minutes and notching single digits in all categories but personal fouls in the box score?

I realize that Kobe is getting a little long in the tooth and can pick and choose when he wants to strike.

However, Kobe Bryant scoring the second-fewest points (4) just doesn’t feel rightâ€"it doesn’t look right.

Then again, it is the Olympics and perhaps there are simply too many prolific scorers on the floor…

Nigeria vs. United States â€" August 2, 2012

Kobe can literally fly.
Kobe can literally fly.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

There’s not a whole lot I can say about this particular record-breaking matchup.

156 points, 83-point margin of victory, 41 assists, 29 3P-M vs. Nigeria’s 28 total FG-M

Kobe did his part in the limited minutes he registered before Coach K benched the starting-five (which happened to do nothing towards limiting this epic blowout). 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting was a fine performance.

This game, though, was a different breed.

There wasn’t any need to play half the guys on the roster. With Team USA shooting so lights out and Nigeria playing nonexistent defense, the coaching staff could have ran on to the floor and put up decent numbers.

Clutch play from superstars at crucial moments wasn’t what the game called for.

Kobe was great, but he didn’t have to be. Let’s move on.

United States vs. Lithuania â€" August 4, 2012

Serious difficulties for Kobe in this matchup.
Serious difficulties for Kobe in this matchup.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

In the most tightly-contested matchup by far in 2012 Olympic Basketball, someone had to be great.

It just wasn’t Kobe.

Within the first minute and a half of the game, Kobe got hit with two quick fouls, essentially preventing any positive contributions from him in the opening frame.

He wasn’t any better in the second, going 1-for-3 from the floor as Lithuania pulled within four points at halftime. With just five points and a steal in the first half, would the Black Mamba emerge to put the kibosh on an upset bid by the underdog?

Not quite.

Kobe added just a single point the remainder of the game. His 20 minutes on the court were by far his most yet, but were as productive as if he hadn’t been playing at all.

Team USA pulled out a close 99-94 victory in the end. But it wasn’t any thanks to Kobe.

United States vs. Argentina â€" August 6, 2012

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Kobe Bryant #10 of United States handles the ball against Carlos Delfino #10 of Argentina during the Men's Basketball Preliminary Round match on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Basketball Arena on August 6, 201
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

What amounted to a blowout at game’s end provided zero indication of such a development at halftime.

The Argentines went toe-to-toe with Team USA, pulling within a single point as time expired in the second quarter.

Kobe came out firing in the first, contributing seven points and an assist.

And just when we thought he might have turned the corner, Kobe went cold in the second quarter, as he shot 1-for-5 from the field.

LeBron and Durant went berserk in the pivotal moments at the start of the third. They scored 14 of Team USA’s first 17 points and effectively put the game out of reach.

Kobe added two free throws in the early goings, but wasn’t part of the game-changing action. Perhaps it was LeBron and KD’s time to shine. Anyone who watched the game or simply read the play-by-play could attest to that.

But where was the world’s best closer? Would we not see that version of Kobe Bryant in the 2012 Olympics?

Australia vs. United States â€" August 8, 2012

Mills and the rest of the Aussies couldn't do anything to stop the Kobe onslaught.
Mills and the rest of the Aussies couldn't do anything to stop the Kobe onslaught.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

We might have resigned ourselves to the idea that Kobe the Closer was off in some faraway land if we used the first half as evidence to that assertion.

It’s a damn good thing that there are two halves in the game of basketball.

The Black Mamba earned every ounce of that fabled moniker in the concluding frames against the Aussies.

After hitting an early three and two free throws, Kobe went 5-for-5 from distance, putting the United States up 105-80. He absolutely went out of his mind in the fourth, knocking down four consecutive three’s in all of 66 seconds.

(He also scored all of his 20 points in the second half.)

Team USA was up fairly big before that stretch. Yet, it was the type of merciless, dagger-in-the-heart behavior by Kobe Bryant that reinforced our memories of him as the game’s most lethal closer.

It took a few games, but Kobe is backâ€"back just in time for the semifinals against Argentina on Friday, and presumably the finals against Spain.

It’s fair to say that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Silly us for ever doubting him.

Add me on Twitter @jlevitt16

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