“I am a little out of my weight class, but I'll give it my best shot” - Kobe Bryant relished his duel with Carmelo Anthony in Game 1 of the 2009 WCF
The 2009 Western Conference Finals featured a showdown between two of the deadliest scorers ever, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony. The Los Angeles Lakers legend drew first blood, scoring 40 points to help his squad take the Game 1 win. Anthony fell just one point short of tying Bryant's output as the Denver Nuggets lost by two, 105-103.
After the contest, Kobe offered high praise for his Team USA teammate before sending a warning shot to Anthony and the Nuggets.
"It was a lot of fun," he said. "He's a bull down there. I am a little out of my weight class, but I'll give it my best shot."
Willing the Lakers to win
Denver reached the Conference Finals for the first time in 24 years, but it didn't seem like it as soon as the ball was tipped off. The No. 2 seed raced to a 31-23 lead in the first quarter against the host, but Los Angeles, which was coming off a seven-game series in the previous round, came alive in the second period.
It was a see-saw battle until the last buzzer, and Bryant took care of business as usual in crunch time. The 2008 NBA MVP scored 15 points in the final 6:48 to offset Anthony's total 39 points on 14-for-20 shooting.
Throughout the game, the stars sometimes found themselves covering the other on defense. And despite Kobe giving up almost 20 pounds in weight, he didn't back down and got the last laugh.
Giving his best shot
Melo got some payback in the following meeting, outscoring Bryant 34 to 32 to lift the Nuggets to a Game 2 victory. The contest was something of a reversal, as the opening period saw Los Angeles pull ahead 31-23. Ultimately, though, Denver won by a single-possession margin, with Derek Fisher's potential game-tying 3-pointer getting blocked by Nene Hilario.
It was all Lake Show from thereon, as the Purple and Gold took three of the following four games to eliminate the Nuggets from contention. Anthony struggled from the field mightily the rest of the series, converting just 31.9% of his shots.
Bryant averaged 34.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per contest in the series, shooting 48.0%. Clearly, he went home the victor after waging war against his good friend, although the triumph seemed to have come with battle scars.
Of course, it proved worth it in the end for the 18-time All-Star because he finally became a champion again at the end of that season after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the Finals.
