Man, sometimes you just get stuck in a rut, you know? Was sorting through some old boxes the other day, trying to clear out some space. Found a stack of old sports magazines from years back. And there it was, a cover, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony staring right back at me. Took me back instantly.
It got me thinking about their matchups, those battles they had. Felt like I needed to revisit that, not just remember it, but really look at it again. So, I fired up the computer, planning to just watch some highlights.
Digging into the Tapes
Started pulling up old game footage. Lakers vs. Nuggets, Lakers vs. Knicks later on. Decided I wasn’t just gonna passively watch. I wanted to really break down what I was seeing, like I used to do.
First, I focused completely on Kobe. Watched his footwork on defense, how he’d fight through screens. Then offensively, tracked his movement without the ball. That fadeaway, obviously, but also how he posted up, how he attacked the rim. I actually grabbed a notepad, started jotting down little things. Angles, timing, stuff like that. Felt kinda silly, just sitting there scribbling, but I got into it.
Spent a good hour just on Kobe clips.
Switching Focus to Melo
Then, I switched gears. All Carmelo Anthony. Totally different player, different flow. Watched that jab step series over and over. His spots on the floor – baseline, elbows. How smooth his jumper was. Made notes on how he created space differently than Kobe. More power, more bully ball sometimes, but still finesse in his own way.
- Jab steps
- Catch-and-shoot spots
- Using his body to create space
- Release point on the jumper
Again, just writing down observations. Comparing it in my head to what I just saw from Kobe. Two incredible scorers, but man, they got there in such different ways.
Ended up spending most of the afternoon doing this. Didn’t really plan on it. Just started with finding that old magazine and went down the rabbit hole. It didn’t solve any of my current problems, obviously. But it was… satisfying? Just immersing myself in watching two masters at their craft. Reminded me of the dedication it takes, I guess. Felt good to just focus on something like that for a while, even if it was just watching old basketball games and taking notes nobody else will ever see.
