Conquering Villain? Bryant Is Loving It

A player named Bryant had a chance to win a title in Philadelphia once before. His team also had a behemoth center and a two-game lead in the NBA Finals. Problem was, Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant and the 76ers never became champions 24 years ago. They had Darryl Dawkins, George McGinnis, Julius Erving, Doug Collins and no idea how to close out the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977.

Tonight, a championship is ripe for the taking again, and wouldn’t it be something if Kobe Bryant did in Philadelphia what his father couldn’t do? A dreamy ending awaits in Game 5, where the 22-year-old son of an old-school NBA player can erase a bitter family memory. Kobe was born in Philadelphia, raised in the suburbs and may star at First Union Center. He has enough good reasons. For one, he seems due for a breakout performance. For another, the defending champion Lakers are 48 minutes away from forming the foundation of a dynasty.

And lastly: If you’re Bryant, what better place to clinch than here? The hometown fans haven’t been particularly nice, at least not inside the building. The jeers for Bryant are the loudest. This could be construed as a sign of respect, because nobody wastes their vocal chords on a lousy player.

And, yes, Bryant and the Lakers are poised to make Philadelphia a championship-free city for an 18th consecutive year. But there’s also a touch of resentment from a city that believes Bryant was never really rooted here. He’s from the suburbs, say the fans, who chant “silver spoon” whenever Bryant has the ball. He was awfully eager to declare his Philadelphia freedom, they add. He considers himself L.A. now, goes the rap.

“I think coming here to play in the Finals, I wouldn’t have it any other way than to be a so-called villain,” Bryant said. “I wouldn’t want to come down here and get cheered. I want to come here, I want you to boo me, I want to feel the impact of the crowd that the rest of the players feel.”

In that sense, Bryant has become a team player, something that was questionable earlier in the season. Word was Bryant took shots away from Shaquille O’Neal because he badly wanted to be most valuable player. Bryant’s scoring average soared but so did O’Neal’s temperature. The two had some uncomfortable moments and the Lakers stumbled out of the gate.

Well, you might say things are different now.

Bryant has been content to drop the ball inside to O’Neal, who has powered the Lakers to a 3-1 series lead. As long as it works, there’s no reason to try anything else. But in the event of missed free throws or foul trouble by O’Neal, Bryant is willing and ready to assume the responsibility. You might assume that if Bryant selfishly wants to win a title tonight, O’Neal wouldn’t mind a bit. He’d even understand.

To return to Philadelphia as a conquering villain? It sounds too ideal for a child of an NBA player who discovered basketball in this very city.

“My passion started from when I was a little kid, playing basketball with my father, my wanting to be like Dad,” Bryant said.

Bryant has a chance to go a step further than Dad. There was no title for the father. There may be many more in the future, both tonight and beyond, for the son.