Kobe Bryant’s third quarter in game five was truly amazing to watch.  With that being said, I have to agree with Matt Moore who wrote at ProBasketballTalk that this run ruined any chance the Lakers had of winning.  They Lakers played their best basketball and were most competitive when they were passing the ball around and having contributions from all players.  However, where Moore blames Phil Jackson for this run (for essentially allowing Kobe to go off), I want to give the Celtics defense credit.

When you are dealing with a superstar like Kobe you always here of two defensive strategies.  You can double him and force the ball out of his hands and let his teammates beat you, or you can let Kobe get his but not let anyone else go off.  The Boston Celtics decided to go with the latter and it worked for them.  Think about it, during Kobe’s spectacular run, did you see a double team?  No.  In fact, the Celtics didn’t overreact and completely change their defensive strategy:

This is Kobe’s first basket of the third, and it is a pretty good look at the Celtics’ defensive strategy.  Kobe gets the ball in the corner and starts to back Ray Allen down as no double comes (Paul Pierce fakes a double and stays with his man). Kevin Garnett eventually brings a double, but only when it is apparent that Kobe is going to take a shot. They force Kobe Bryant into a tough shot, but he is able to knock it down.

Maybe the only difference in the Celtics’ defensive strategy during this run was against the screen and roll.  Here, Perkins extends his hedge, but Kobe Bryant is still able to knock down the jumper.  That being said, this extension of the pick and roll also played a part in keeping Bryant from distributing the basketball.  Instead of quickly hedging and getting back (which would allow Bryant to get in the lane, force rotation, and dish it to an open man), Perkins extends the hedge and that keeps Bryant on the perimeter.

The above video is after Kobe already scored 10 straight points for the Lakers.  However, when Kobe posts up at the high post to get the ball, there is no deny or overplaying.  The Celtics are basically saying if Kobe is going to get the ball and hit a tough shot so be it.  It is interesting to watch Rondo on the above play, when Kobe makes the catch Rondo is close enough to bring a double however he stays with Derek Fisher.

In their defense, Celtics are basically admitting that Kobe Bryant is going to score no matter what.  Even if the Celtics send a double team, he is going to get his points and maybe more importantly he will be able to find his teammates.  So Doc Rivers had his guys stay home with only one defender on Kobe, that way they can defend the guys who need the open spaces to score (Doc Rivers said something to this effect during a timeout in the third).