The Glass Is Second-Half Full

Is one half of Kobe Bryant better than most players on the whole? That has seemingly been the case in the Lakers’ last five playoff games in which Bryant has averaged 22.6 points and accounted for 40% of the team’s points in the second half. In those five games, Bryant has also averaged more points, rebounds and free throws, fewer turnovers, and shot better from the field in the second half than in the first. All of this from the player who was ninth in the MVP voting:

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MAY 19 AT SAN ANTONIO: LAKERS 104, SPURS 90

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FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Pts % Pts* Reb. T0 First Half 9-17 .529 1-3 .333 19 .373 2 2 Second Half 10-18 .556 5-5 1.000 26 .490 8 2 Game 19-35 .543 6-8 .775 45 .433 10 4

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MAY 13 AT SACRAMENTO: LAKERS 119, KINGS 113

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FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Pts % Pts* Reb. T0 First Half 8-12 .667 4-4 1.000 21 .396 5 2 Second Half 7-17 .412 13-15 .867 27 .409 11 0 Game 15-29 .517 17-19 .894 48 .403 16 2

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MAY 11 AT SACRAMENTO: LAKERS 103, KINGS 81

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FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Pts % Pts* Reb. T0 First Half 3-10 .300 5-5 1.000 11 .234 3 3 Second Half 7-12 .583 11-14 .785 25 .446 4 2 Game 10-22 .455 16-19 .842 36 .350 7 5

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MAY 8 AT LOS ANGELES: LAKERS 96, KINGS 90

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FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Pts % Pts* Reb. T0 First Half 5-12 .417 1-1 1.000 11 .256 8 3 Second Half 4-7 .571 8-9 .889 16 .302 1 1 Game 9-19 .474 9-10 .900 27 .281 9 4

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MAY 6 AT LOS ANGELES: LAKERS 108, KINGS 105

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FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Pts % Pts* Reb. T0 First Half 3-12 .250 4-5 .800 10 .189 2 2 Second Half 7-11 .636 5-6 .833 19 .345 2 3 Game 10-23 .435 9-11 .818 29 .268 4 5

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IN FIVE GAMES

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FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Pts % Pts* Reb. T0 First Half 28-63 .444 15-18 .833 72 .289 20 12 Second Half 35-65 .538 42-49 .857 113 .402 26 8 Totals 63-128 .492 57-67 .851 185 .349 46 20 Per Game Avg. 12.6-25.6 11.5-13.4 37.0 9.2 4.0

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* Percentage of team’s points Bryant has accounted for.