Overconfident? Elbow Pass?

[Lakers 2:3 Knicks]

The Knicks immediately answered with a three-pointer.

The entire Lakers squad remained calm.

They still had Paul bring the ball up. At the top of the key, he faked a handoff to Kobe, then accelerated past on the right, catching the Knicks off guard.

George and Tony Allen scrambled after him a beat too late.

Paul smiled faintly. He had been waiting for the two of them to close in. The moment they were right on him, he made a no-look behind-the-head pass, flinging the ball back over his head to Kobe at the left elbow.

The opening appeared instantly.

"Great pass!"

Kobe caught the ball from the low arc and rose for another jumper.

Many people criticized Kobe for his low scoring percentage and inefficient offense.

In truth, Kobe was an accurate shooter. It was just that he was often forced to attack through two, three, or even four defenders. How could his efficiency possibly stay high?

On top of that, Kobe in his younger days really did love isolation plays. He liked shouldering the responsibility of winning entirely by himself, liked fighting alone against everyone.

That kind of Kobe would naturally be targeted.

The difficulty of each shot he took grew greater than the last, so of course his efficiency could not always be guaranteed.

Now, he had matured. He understood how to play more reasonably, and he had better teammates around him.

He could now attack and shoot from far more comfortable positions, so his efficiency naturally shot up.

Swish!

That one went in as well.

Kobe opened the game by finding his touch with two mid-range jumpers.

Paul continued controlling the game, still in no rush to score.

On the next possession, he once again used the threat of his drive and his