Houston Rockets: Kobe Bryant Thinks Rockets ‘Soft’ In The Middle
By jasaad
Just when fans were getting ready to turn off their TVs in the midst of Houston’s blowout over Los Angeles, the climax of the game hit its peak: Kobe Bryant engaged in a scintillating scuffle with Dwight Howard.
After a missed shot attempt by Carlos Boozer (get used to it, Lakers fans), Howard corralled the rebound and Kobe bodied Dwight in an attempt to pressure him in the back court. Howard proceeded to swing his elbows in Kobe’s face several times in order to create space; the second swing (which appeared to be done intentionally) caught Bryant right in the chops.
Howard’s thrown elbows didn’t sit well with Bryant, and the two fired words back and forth. Kobe sternly dared Howard to “try [him]” numerous times, and later he called the big man “soft.” The two received technical fouls, and Howard was also hit with a flagrant-1 for thrusting his elbow into Kobe’s jaw. Perhaps the fracas was a manifestation of Bryant’s frustration toward his former teammate. The fact that he didn’t even acknowledge Howard’s existence before the start of the game helps validate this point.
Kobe hugged James Harden, said hi to ex-teammate Trevor Ariza but didn't even look Dwight Howard's direction before the tip.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) October 29, 2014
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After the game, Bryant expressed how he and Dwight never saw eye to eye as teammates, and Kobe’s “soft” remarks may be in reference to Howard’s mindset rather than his play on the court. It doesn’t take a basketball insider to figure out that Howard doesn’t have the thickest skin in the world, and he has shown a tendency to shrink under scrutiny.
No, this isn’t a made-up narrative; in fact, Howard expressed his shaky morale to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith in an interview where he admitted that he worries too much about what people think of him. It’s why he was notoriously fickle in the prolonged saga he created in Orlando, and why he constantly aims to project himself to the public as a good guy with “poor me” quotes.
Contrarily, Kobe doesn’t require people’s acceptance and support to thrive as a player; when he failed to coddle Howard such as he was accustomed in Orlando, the two stars clashed — which eventually led to Howard’s bolt to Houston.
Overtly, Bryant is a very demanding player who sets high expectations for his teammates. When Howard joined the Lakers a couple seasons ago, he expected to immediately become the center of attraction, and Kobe was reluctant to hastily yield such a lofty position to the big man.
Rather, it was the battle-tested Pau Gasol who Kobe had trusted to astutely create plays offensively, just as he had during the Lakers’ consecutive championship runs.
Nonetheless, Howard griped to both the media and to his teammates about his lack of touches, despite the fact that the Lakers’ offense flowed noticeably smoother when Pau was on the floor and Howard wasn’t, per the candid Steve Nash and statistics.
Needless to say, Howard’s anxious narcissism produced a similar discord to the one that has seemingly followed him all throughout his drama-stricken career.
Perhaps Kobe wanted to make known how he really felt about his former teammate during the Lakers’ nationally televised game on opening night. He’s certainly portrayed apathy toward Howard’s decision to take his evanescent athleticism and all of the silliness that comes with it elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Howard will likely strive to prove his capability of winning a championship as the focal part of his team on both ends of the floor. Either that or he’ll let one rip when he enters Bryant’s vicinity as he appears to be doing in the featured image above.
One thing that remains certain, though, is that the next match up between Los Angeles and Houston on Nov. 19 promises to be a spectacle. Make sure to grab a large bowl of popcorn and enjoy the show.