Ruben Patterson, who anointed himself as the “Kobe Stopper”, tries his best to stop a Kobe shot. Patterson raises his arm and is in disbelief after the shot
Cant play much better defense than that. Just an unreal shot
I get the analytics but I miss when stars went at the defenders assigned to them instead of hunting switches to score on the weakest defender
Kobe vs. Kobe stoppers made every possession a battle. everybody knows Giannis can score on Luke Kornet or some shit
Kobe vs Shane Battier was cinema. Neither of them backed down from each other. They always wanted to go head-to-head. Get that switching bullshit outta here and let the hoopers hoop
6 40⁄50 point games against battier. It was fun when kobe took it personel. then showed some love to him in his book which battier enjoyed
Kobe vs Bruce Bowen and Tony Allen as well
Luka and tatum going against Andrew Wiggins was awesome in 2022
Nearly a decade ago but Kawhi taking on Giannis was pretty cool
Why would you not go against weaker defenders lol that makes zero sense. Fight over the screen if you want to guard me that badly, then we can go one on one. If you concede the switch every time, you’re a moron and I win
because they took that shit personal and enjoyed the challenge. I’m gonna cook your best defender and there ain’t shit you can do
just like Jimmy going right at Jrue in 2023 Heat-Bucks series
Taking a great perimeter defender out of the game by forcing him to stand around doing nothing is also under the “getting cooked” umbrella. Your defensive tactics are so predictable that I can take you out of the game without even trying! LOL! Switch up your coverages, it’s not my job as the offense to make your job easier.
Imagine if Steph Curry was like “Instead of involving you in movement screening and off ball actions all game, I’ll just play one on one with you because I am taking it personal” or Jokic was like “No more pick and roll to get a smaller defender in the post. I want to to do hesi cross jumpers against AD because I enjoy the challenge”. Like why would they do that
This comment might have killed what little love I had left for watching the NBA… the game has never been more gone than it is now
Nerds ruined sports.
Entertainment and pride. Almost like their job is playing a fun game.
I agree, but at the same time I think it’s the responsibility of the NBA to manage the rules of the game in a way that makes “winning basketball” the same as “fun basketball”.
If the NBA doesn’t do this, we’ll never even notice the players playing “honorably” because they’ll be missing the playoffs.
At the end of the day it’s a game and supposed to be entertaining.
We want to see the best defenders vs the best shooters and let the best man win
Yeah, which is why it’s the defense’s job to ensure the best defenders stay guarding the best players, since one of the key parts of offense is creating advantages, be that with lineups, matchups, pick and rolls, or exploiting the other team’s tactics (such as knowing they will switch every time you set a pick). The offensive player shouldn’t be like “Yeah man I want to make my life harder for no reason when there is a slower shorter worse defender that I can average 40 on”
You don’t get it and that’s OK. Searching for the easiest path isn’t the goal here. Gotta beat the best to be the best.
So conditioned by current NBA basketball that I looked at that and thought “i can’t believe there wasn’t a whistle”
Believe it or not but calls were more softer back than. This was the last year of the dead ball iso heavy Era and shit was just ugly.
No I don’t think that’s the case. At least I don’t remember that. Do you have anything to help jog my memory?
Yeah I’ve been watching a ton of dead ball era games lately I can link a couple of channels.
https://m.youtube.com/@QWSARetroNBA/videos?ra=m
https://m.youtube.com/@momo.ru-chan/videos?ra=m
https://m.youtube.com/@KobeBryantfullgames?ra=m
An important thing to remember is that teams seldom pressed up on ball handlers at this time because shooting was so poor from three and teams didn’t take them that it was often the shot given up. Travels, especially in the 80s and 90s (pre Iverson) were called more often and while not as bad as like 2018-2024ish in terms of calling every little thing, players would get called for a ton of minor bumps on drive which often lead to retaliation fouls that were much were. Also teams just played in the post more which I think gives the allusion of physical, tough, play but really isn’t. A lot more grabbing happens today.
I disagree. I just think the game is just called differently. Defenders were allowed to be more physical and redirect ball handlers. The freedom-of-movement enforcement wasn’t new rules, but changes in officiating interpretation and enforcement.
Before, the rules were tighter on ball handling, screens, and shooting fouls with contact to the arm. Nowadays, calls are tighter on shooting fouls with body contact and landing space. I also think the excessive increase in flopping has made fouls look even more softer. I also feel like officiating makes post game dead for the most part. Little guys swarm and hack big players, and big players easily pick up charges if they reciprocate. It used to be the other way around.
Fr, his hand was right in Kobe’s face. Some shots are just unguardable no matter how good the D is.
kobe stopper” sounds like a title someone picked up at a backyard game
Kobe just never cared if you wanted him to score or not.
You have to post the game winner from the same game. Another RIDICULOUS 3 by Kobe in OT. For the record, that clinched the division in the last game of the season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSrUPHVi44c
Thanks for the trip down memory lane with the link, fantastic shot.
Np! On the game winner, Theo Ratliff fouls Kobe clear as day too.
high 5 rule, not a foul
Hmm, on re-watching, you’re right. I’ve been convinced in the 22 years since that shot that it should have been a 4 point play until today 😄!
Hahahahaaa that announcer was so salty
they knew it was going in the moment the ball touched his hand
Steve “Snapper” Jones, one of the all-time greats.
I remember this game clear as day. Next day at school a friend described the game as Kobe stabbing us in the chest, pulling out the knife, and stabbing us again.
That’s my favorite Kobe game-winning shot. An absolute BEAUTY of a rainbow shot over Theo-fucking-Ratliff. You can’t defend that shot any better and yet Kobe netted that thing *perfectly*.
Still the prettiest fadeaway shot I’ve ever seen in my life.
Love the commentator reaction ahaha
The blazers announcers going quiet on this will always be my favorite detail (the longer video of this makes the context better)
iirc, ruben asked Kobe for for his shoes or something after that game.
Not much else you can do about that defensively.
well right now they’d just foul as Kobe didn’t shoot right away and took a few dribbles. Then Lakers foul Pirtland back, then Portland fouls Lakers back.
There should be a rule against intentionally fouling in the last 24 seconds of a game if you’re in the lead and in the bonus. It should be a FT + ball for the opposing team.
Make these teams play defense in the clutch again. We’re getting robbed of moments like this.
I think intentionally fouling should be a technical free throw and the ball back. Intentional fouls and free throws to end the game are so lame.
If we at least made it so that a team could decide if they wanted freethrows or an inbound, we could prevent intentional fouls to stop the clock at the ends of games and hack-a-whoever strats.
in general it is (or at least was when i was a ref) under fiba rules. which you could see when a player who came to play basketball because of watching nba would make the classic “put two hands on the attacking player” intentional foul to stop the clock to then being baffled that this is two free throws plus ball. players who are aware would just very aggressively try to make a steal and aimlessly whack in the general direction of the ball. which then is a normal foul, gets 2 normal free throws, but usually hurts the attacking player way more than a soft intentional foul…
If there was a rule against intentionally fouling, then the leading team would “unintentionally” foul
Nah, that would be way too risky. You never wanna leave it in the ref’s hands.
It’s the same principle as take fouls, we see it has worked there so there’s a precedent.
yeah lol my lil cuz does it to me whenever hes up in 2k and it pisses me off cuz im trynna do a game winner
It’s boring for fan because of the stoppage in play, but as a player, would not want a rule change.
It’s such a specific situation that it shouldn’t demand a change, and we’ve seen it backfire. It becomes a game of nerves and can go either way.
For real. Sometimes the offense just wins no matter how perfect your defense is. Kobe had a lot of nights like that.
No foul baiting bullshit. Love it. Went up for the shot and drilled it
Why didn’t he simply jump 2 feet directly sideways like our modern “MVP”
Because he isn’t a biiiiiiiitch
8 seconds on the shot clock. Give it to kobe. Clear out for a miracle heave. Beautiful basketball
Expected salt from a raptors fan
Facts. Kobe didn’t need to flail his arms or do that weird head snap thing, just straight up hooped on him.
He did fall on the floor after the shot, but probably was more momentum
That and the later OT GW one had shots that would’ve been called shooting fouls in today’s NBA. Wild.
He did used to do that too
Honestly, he did look like he knew all his moves
But it never matters
That’s the thing with Kobe though. You could know exactly what he was gonna do and he’d still find a way to get his shot off over you. Just pure skill.
Kobe probably knew all his moves too
This game won them the division iirc.
I remember watching this game at my aunts house. My whole family are laker fans and i was around 9 years old at the time. I remember my dad telling me why the game was significant and it made the whole experience so much fun.
i can only remember up until the conference finals in 2004
Ooof
Man that’s wild, one shot basically decided the whole division race. Crazy how much weight that one possession carried.
He did everything he could. Kobe just put up one of the most BS shots ever imaginable lol
“that’s a bad shot”
Especially given how wide open his teammate was. That really should’ve been a pass. It was bad basketball we’re celebrating because of the audacity of the make.
“Issok we hav Rubin Pattern now he is Kobe stoper”
“Pls stop”
“No”
Welcome back spooderman
fuck fouling up 3. shits so lame. we get robbed of shots like this
One of the many shit i hate about the modern game and how I miss watching basketball like this growing up in the mid/late 2000s
Fuck analytics
It’s stupid too because even the analytics don’t really support it, espn has a article on it and it’s a 92% win rate either way
Bruh I was enjoying my day why are you showing me this
haha if you were enjoying your day it wasn’t cause of the Trailblazers to begin with so just go back to whatever you were doing lol
Actually I thought this was that playoff game where he did the same shit to beat us.
Turns out it was just a regular season game
no snapping his head back, no flailing, no expectation of a whistle when he falls
compare SGA to this man. seriously Gen Z just doesn’t know
Kobe
You should see the shot after.
I mean, that shot is just bananas. He stepped through with his left, turned his hips all the way to the right, then leapt off his left and swiveled his hips back toward the basket in midair to get the shot off. I’m a Kobe hater and still think he’s insanely overrated, but that basket is unreal.
You’re the only basketball knower in this entire thread lmao
I remember watching this live on TV
If only Ruben Patterson stopped himself from raping his nanny
Two of the worst people in the league.
This got the Lakers a higher seed (2 seed) and bump the Kings down to the 4 seed. I was so pissed
I still remember watching this game live on TV and was in disbelief at Kobe’s heroics. 2 of the craziest and most clutch shots I’ve ever seen.
Just when you think the basketball gods can’t get any crueler.
Then it gets crueler in 2OT lol
That’s a foul today
The 60 point game he was going to retire I was on my way from uni to home was trying to pull the impossible. With sleepy eyes I saw he dropped 60 on his retirement game. Was in awe the whole ride.
Genuinely perfect defence
I mean, it wasn’t a typical shot. But Kobe worked himself pretty free of Patterson’s contest to get a good look. He still has any angle to maneuver and launch his shooting arm with. He can still get momentum towards the rim, or at least neutral.
That was in no way a good look. Off balance, fading excessively to the right.
I like this agenda!!
One of my favorite shots from him, along with the one over Ratliff in overtime.
Thats a bad shot. -Podcast P.
Damn i miss Kobe
Is this Steve “Snapper” Jones on commentary, i miss him, such a nostalgic voice to me
There won’t ever be another Kobe
Sky Pilot!
Kobe was player 2 on NES Double Dribble
Shawn Kemp, while Ruben has his feet iced inside a jug:
Kobe stopper, Kobe stopper, Kobe stopper, Kobe stopper, Kobe stopper, Kobe stopper, AHHHHHH
When not baiting for a foul actually works
Painful then and painful now seeing The Glove in a Lakers jersey
he was washed but seeing him makes me miss the Sonics days
Those 90s Sonics teams were so fun to watch
Sonic Boom Kemp and Gary
Gaaahmfffiiinndaaaahhhhmmm
That was amazing defense.
“That’s a bad shot” - Paul George
were all the cameramen drunk?
I remember watching this live with my buddies and we all had the same reaction of “What are you d…. No way!”
This should trigger Redditors
The Nanny Stopper
The sound and the way Kobe’s shots hit the rim is really satisfying.
Lubin’ Ruben, haven’t seen that name in a minute
Crazy shot. What year is this?
2004 I believe
Slava just wide open for three. Kob doesn’t even look at him. I miss those days
Never heard of Ruben Patterson before
University of Cincinnati legend
I love Kobe, but look at how wide open Slava was 😂
that might be the stupidest shot ive ever seen
Different era. Kobe was the only person on that team who averaged more than 1 3PM lol. The wide open guy on the wing was 0/3 in the entire year, and it’s a lot harder to go for a quick two when there’s multiple people standing around the basket.
Pretty good example of how the league being “more skilled than ever” today has actually made the game easier for the top players.
It’s such an embarrassment for the NBA how bad footage looks from 20-30 years ago.
Oh yeah? But what was Kobe’s ts% in this game?
Two R*pists going at it. What a time
You made me wiki Ruben Patterson. Wow…I knew he was one of the prominent members of the Jailblazers, but even then, he had lots of issues
People today talk about the Jailblazers like it was the fault of the city that they were hated and bring up the Stoudamire/Sheed weed stuff. The fact that the team had a literal sex offender and guy soon convicted of running a dog fighting ring out in the suburbs (Qyntel Woods) is conveniently left out.
Oh, I remember thinking Qyntel Woods was the absolute worst of the bunch because of the dog fighting ring. Sheed is probably the most memorable to casual fans because most of his antics took place on the court.
Yeah that Portland GM Bob Whitsitt had a hard on for guys with bad character, one of the many reasons why that early Portland team didn’t get over that hump after blowing that lead in game 7. And I’m not referring to Rasheed or Damon even though the Rasheed techs were insane
Really bad shot if it doesn’t go in.
There was a site a while back that tracked clutch situation shots of that era and Kobe was actually kinda terrible. He bricked more of them than anyone and even someone like Melo was significantly more clutch, but the thing is because Kobe tried to be a hero at every opportunity, he inevitably made a couple (like this one) and those are the only ones fans remember.
Just say you didn’t actually watch Kobe play bruh
just say you only watched the highlights and/or were just a child who didn’t know any better and missed the fact that he was really terrible in clutch situations compared to his peers.
Playoff Games (Final 2 minutes, tied or taking the lead): 17 for 50 (34%)
Playoff Games (Final 15 seconds): 6 for 24 (25%)
Playoff Games (Final 5 seconds): 4 for 18 (22%)
Game-Tying/Go-Ahead Field Goals (Under 10 seconds in the postseason): 5 for 22 (23%)
An ESPN analysis looked at Kobe’s entire career up to 2011 and found that in the final 24 seconds, when the Lakers were tied or trailing by 2 or fewer points, Kobe shot 36-for-115 (31.3%).
A separate study from 82games found Kobe had:
That same analysis cited players such as:
Thing is, Kobe took more of those shots than anyone so he had a greater volume of attempts and a greater volume of makes so you kids just remember the hero ball shots that went in.
The problem with “clutch” shot tracking is that there isn’t a commonly accepted definition of when clutch time actually is. This means you can cherry pick data against literally any player and it will make them seem like they’re bad in the clutch.
For example, one could also argue that statistically Lebron has actually been one of the worst clutch scorers in NBA finals history by the NBA’s definition of clutch (last 5 minutes of a game). He has splits of 34/29/77 which are objectively terrible and also has gone 0/7 on go ahead or tying shots. Now, we have watched Lebron’s career so we know that overall he actually has been a clutch performer regardless of these stats which are highly situational. Kobe was the same.
yes and all of the “clutch” shot tracking variations all showed Kobe was dogshit in clutch situations compared to his peers. He just played hero ball at every opportunity and you only remember the ones he made. Factually Jayson Tatum is significantly better in clutch situations than Kobe ever was.
Link them.