The Lakers were in it late against the Grizzlies on Friday, trailing by one with 20 seconds remaining. Memphis had the ball, and while the shot clock wasn’t turned off completely, it was running virtually in sync with the game clock -- meaning that L.A. would need to intentionally foul to stop it, or the game would simply end with the Grizzlies emerging as its victors.
This is Basketball 101, a strategy that’s implemented at the end of any close game, and one that can be seen in the NBA on a nightly basis. But Lin was evidently confused, and simply stood there watching Mike Conley dribble it out.
That’s when Kobe Bryant stepped in.
After yelling at Lin to commit the foul from the baseline, Bryant embarrassed his teammate by sprinting out nearly to half court to commit the foul himself.
Lakers head coach Byron Scott said that was on him afterward, and Lin confirmed Scott was telling him to wait from the sidelines -- even after Lin questioned Scott’s decision more than once.
Bryant, however, knows the game perhaps better than anyone, and made the correct play by taking matters into his own hands.
