Two seasons ago, before Pau Gasol really got acquainted with his new team, the Lakers lost in the finals to the Celtics. Kobe Bryant was getting a lot of attention for a back injury he played through in the conference semis against the Jazz, a series the Lakers won in six games. I called Kobe out for making a big deal of the injury, saying that he was the only one of a group of hurt star players to complain about and publicize his malady. This year Kobe has been lauded for playing through a finger injury sustained three weeks ago against Minnesota. His injury has been termed a broken finger by many but apparently it’s not as bad as it sounds. Check out this video Shoals posted at The Baseline for more info on Bryant’s finger injury — it might make you think twice:
While I applaud Kobe playing through his pinkie injury (at a high level) the past two seasons despite being advised to undergo surgery, I have always felt he had elements of a drama queen in his personality. This video seems to confirm that, though we don’t exactly know what Kobe’s dealing with — we only know what we’re told. So while we keep hearing about Kobe making all these outside shots with a broken finger, keep in mind that he’s knocking them down with a jammed finger. It’s still impressive but not the same as playing with a broken finger on one’s shooting hand, and certainly not as impressive as the media wants you to believe.
