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Phoenix Suns: A Farewell To Kobe Bryant

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant waves to the crowd as he is pulled from the game in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant waves to the crowd as he is pulled from the game in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kobe Bryant
Oct 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) against the Phoenix Suns during the home opener at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Suns’ Hatred For Kobe

In 2010, which served as Nash’s final hurrah with an aging supporting cast of Amar’e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill and Robin Lopez, the Suns won 54 games, earned the third seed in the West, swept the dreaded Spurs in the conference semifinals and met Kobe’s Lakers for the final time in the postseason.

This time around, however, it was the Black Mamba who delivered the death strike. The Lakers won in six games, with Bryant closing out the series in emphatic fashion at US Airways Center, dropping 37 points and an array of spectacular shots that had defensive stalwart Grant Hill shaking his head.

Now, in the home stretch of his farewell tour, Kobe’s hatred of a fallen franchise has dissipated, much like his own love for playing a game that used to consume him has similarly faded.

“At the same time I loved them because they brought the best out of me and my teammates,” Bryant said of those Suns teams. “The relationship is a love-hate relationship because I hated the fact that they were that good and kept us from winning, but at the same time I loved how good they were. I knew we had to be better.”

Kobe may have gotten over his disdain for the Suns, but their fans have not returned the favor.

Wednesday night, the cheers rained down on Bryant. Fans lined up three hours before game time to get into Talking Stick Resort Arena, they crowded the visitor’s tunnel hoping to get something signed if Kobe came out to warm up and they chanted “KO-BE! KO-BE! KO-BE!” after his first basket, his first quarter video tribute and his final check out of the game.

But in a sold-out arena that featured a 60-40 split (at least) in favor of Lakers fans donning purple and gold, those sporting purple and orange were not as keen to voice their support for the biggest Suns villain not named Tim Duncan.

In 64 regular season games against the Suns, Bryant averaged 26.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He’s scored more points against Phoenix than 24 other NBA teams, he’s knocked down game-winners, he’s dropped triple-doubles and he’s had more 30-point games against the Suns (36) than any other NBA player.

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    • “They really pushed us to grow as a team,” Bryant said. “Two years they knocked us out. We just had some unbelievable games here. That was a real rivalry to me. The Sacramento thing, that wasn’t really ’cause we beat them every time. Phoenix, they kicked our butts. So we had to bounce back and overcome them. That’s a true rivalry.”

    Of course, it’s a lot easier for Bryant to relish the glory days of that rivalry since he can rest on the laurels of five championships, a 2010 Western Conference Finals victory over the Suns, a 20-year Hall of Fame career with the same team, 18 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA selections…you get the picture.

    But for the Suns, all that stands out is the 2010 conference finals defeat, the pain of Nash never getting his ring, and the added sting of knowing Kobe got everything they felt Nash deserved.

    Even when he failed, Suns fans couldn’t escape his wrath and the feeling of hostility that followed. In Game 5 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals, with the game (and series) hanging in the balance, Kobe Bryant launched his patented fadeaway jumper with 3.5 seconds remaining in regulation…and air-balled it.

    But Ron Artest was right there to catch the rebound from what should have been a horrible misfire and put it back in for the game-winner. Bryant went on to supply the killing blow in Game 6 and averaged 33.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game on .521/.432/.881 shooting splits for the series.

    In Game 7 of the NBA Finals that year, Suns fans had to watch Bryant secure his fifth championship despite a complete stink bomb of a shooting performance (6-for-24) in the decisive game. But the Celtics couldn’t make the Lakers pay for it, leaving Phoenix to wonder what might have been if Jason Richardson had just boxed Ron Artest out.

    It was easy to make Kobe Public Enemy No. 1, which is why those clad in purple and orange booed in Bryant’s Phoenix farewell Wednesday night, even as they were outnumbered and drowned out by the cheers of Lakers fans.

    Next: The Final Chapter

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