Kobe Bryant Full Series Highlights vs Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Finals

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Every single basket by Kobe in the 2008 Finals against the Boston Celtics. This series was a tough end to the magical season by Kobe and the Lakers, as the Celtics were simply the stronger team. Kobe averaged 25.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, 5.0 assists per game, and 2.7 steals a game. He shot the ball at just 40.5% from the field and 32.1% from 3 against the stifling defense of the Celtics.
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kobe bryant lebron james kevin durant derrick rose chris paul dwight howard dwyane wade carmelo anthony rajon rondo james harden stephen curry tony parker tim duncan blake griffin paul pierce kevin garnett ray allen chris bosh dirk nowitzki steve nash pau gasol andrew bynum paul george roy hibbert zach randolph marc gasol kyrie irving damian lillard vince carter tracy mcgrady yao ming manu ginobili shaq hakeem olajuwon michael jordan charles barkley scottie pippen reggie miller karl malone john stockton gary payton clyde drexler david robinson magic johnson larry bird kareem abdul-jabar james worthy kevin mchale robert parrish julius erving elgin baylor jerry west wilt chamberlain bill russell lakers heat celtics thunder spurs bulls pacers nets warriors nba finals playoffs game 7 basketball espn first take game winner buzzer beater clutch shot dunks alley oops cross-overs fights three pointers 360 windmill between the legs free throw line nike adidas team usa olympics

[@edmichaelalobog8886]

Celtic fans cry about not having Perk for game 7 in 2010, but they always try to neglect the fact that the Lakers didn’t have Bynum or Ariza in ‘08.

[@mitchell7309]

100% agreed. BUT part of Bynum was never being durable. So that reality. That’s part of winning. Toughness. Durability. Gasol was nonexistent in 08 Finals. And Kobe, my second fav ever, didn’t play great. He wasn’t spectacular besides a single 3rd quarter in Boston either in 2010 Finals, but Gasol played better. And Artest played better than Ariza. Boston, particularly KG was 3 years older and KG post injury was 75% of what he used to be. But Rondo was way better. And the rest of the roster was still quality. Bynum was gone for that one too. We were deprived of 3 consecutive Finals between Kobe w/ Gasol’s Lakers vs KG w/ Pierce’s Celtics. Celtics were by far the best team in the league in 2009 by midway point before KG’s career altering injury ended their season’s true potential.

[@rchamp247]

@@mitchell7309Missing Ariza & Bynum the whole series is a much bigger loss than missing Perkins for 1 game, no matter how you spin it. Also can’t make excuses for the Celtics in 2010, because Kobe, who was also older, was crippled with injuries on his hands & legs and couldn’t even walk straight (had a limp). And he was still the most dominant player in that series. The Celtics had a better team on paper & still lost in the end.

[@ayroncarmona]

Kobe Bryant is the best player that I see 1vs 1 in my life

[@nezzwilson7452]

This comment aged well 😌🙏🏿

[@johnkttraining]

Loved it when he wore a sleeve

[@papaproduction]

still does

[@johnkttraining]

This year he brought back the sleeve for first time since 09

[@johnkttraining]

***** I loved it!

[@lilxlillix7819]

Same

[@rchamp247]

Same. Apparently he wore it that season because he sprained his forearm.

[@therandoms2014]

lol almost had a second 3peat damn

[@saopauloparasempre8481]

Who is here after the devastating news? RIP LEGEND.

[@oshmasa4080]

Only Kobe Bryant in this generation can make those tough shots. Just beautiful to watch. Hopefully he can get his 6th ring!

[@John-14-6]

Obviously a lot has happened since then. Covid & Kobe’s passing. Hard to believe 😞🙏

[@wokksipper]

kyrie can makes those tough shots, kobe is better at them tho

[@jatindergill1875]

So much has changed since this comment

[@alexll6801]

@@jatindergill1875on god🥲

[@bigd7722]

Best player i have ever seen

[@irgelreal]

Ever

[@lorenllbj88]

If only they had Bynum...

[@levanesh1]

and ariza

[@JohnSmith-vb7zx]

levanesh1 Ariza was on the team lol

[@CrazyFoo501]

Ariza played in these finals but barely, he was dealing with injuries so Radmanovic and Walton two vastly inferior players got a lot more minutes than him

[@danielcurry4011]

Kobe never forgotten this NBA Finals loss got to him obviously made him stronger and 2 yrs later he would get revenge on Celtics memorable moments.

[@DopeComedian]

When you look back at it.. Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rondo... Seriously a HOF team back then with some really good role players, I'm a die hard Laker fan but I would have been surprised if we beat them that year.

[@edmichaelalobog8886]

Think bout it. No Trevor, no Andrew. That series would go down to game 7 if they have one of those guys atleast.

[@deric8]

@@edmichaelalobog8886 If we had Ariza and Bynum. Lakers win in Boston in 6. Ariza's length would have given Ray Allen fits in getting off his shot and or switch to affect Rondo's play making ability which would have freed up Kobe defensively to be more of a free safety Bynum would have matched up with Perkins neutralize his impact and freed up Gasol. That's at least 10 more Laker points and 10-15 fewer Celtics points. Lakers win the series.

[@mcdude9578]

We could a easily beat them, that dumb game 4 fucked it up. Series shoulda gone 7 with that game 6 blowout being a game where the starters rested

[@jujurawks]

watch this series back and see how many illegal screens kevin garnett gets away with.

[@fatehfini5856]

If the lakers didn't blow that 24 point lead in game 4 the lakers would've been up 3-2 and they could've close that serious in 6 games and win the championship

[@irgelreal]

Still haunts me till this day.

[@kobesystemyourwelcome8817]

We was getting so many bs calls against us KG was setting illegal picks

[@themamba2495]

if they had bynum & ariza on this series im sure they had a 3pt.

[@DoUEvenLift]

Kobe averaged 26ppg against the legendary '08 Celtics D, which is arguably the greatest defense of all time.

[@Amjbmcg]

He shot disgustingly .. anyone can avg a certain amount of points by taking shots .. efficiency is what matters ... and he didn't even shoot over 80% from the line. This is shit defense too.

[@DoUEvenLift]

***** 1. When you round it up he shot 80% from the line which is pretty good, much better than LeBron ever has lmao so idk why you're hating. The fact you're saying "he didn't even shoot over 80% from the line" just shows how high your standards of Kobes FT shooting are cause you know he's a great FT shooter. 2. He didn't shoot disgustingly, definitely wasn't his most efficient game, but when you literally have all the offensive load on yourself against arguably the greatest defense of all time, you're not gunna have your best shooting season. LeBron shot 35% against this same defense & got knocked out in the 2nd round. 3. If you think this is shit defense you don't know basketball. The '08 Celtics defense had probably the greatest defense of all time. Stats can back that fact up, Kobe's being played well this whole series, game footage and stats show how great the Celtics defense was. You just don't know basketball. If you think the defense was shit that just shows hot great Kobe is, he can make arguably the greatest defense of all time look like shit, so you just complemented him. Cause he averaged the same ppg as LeBron did but shot 5% higher, now what do you have to say LeBron dick rider?

[@Amjbmcg]

DoU EvenLift I said Kobe made the all defensive team. Pippen bricked LAYUPS, no jumpshot .. COULDN'T EVEN SHOOT A FREE THROW .. Shot 40% for the 2nd 3peat .. do you know how bad that is? I wait didn't you say earlier it's not bad because it's something Kobe did too? Horace Grant? Hahahah. Last years title LeBron carried the Heat .. all his Cavs years. Accolades, the very thing that makes people think Kobe is better than Ray? I don't think so ... Kobe = better team, more accolades .. simple .. and dumbass voting. Ray Allen in his prime was better than Kobe offensively and defensively.

[@DoUEvenLift]

***** Check the STATS, you have no argument to back up your claim and I'm 100% sure you don't believe Ray was better than Kobe on either end of the floor you're just trolling, and if you do think Ray is better than Kobe you don't know basketball. At all. It's that simple there's nothing else that needs to be said, it's not even a close debate.

[@Amjbmcg]

DoU EvenLift Ray in his prime was way more efficient despite having way worse teammates (remember to look up eFG%, Ray takes and MAKES 3's) .. Kobe just took more shots. They averaged the same amount of assists and defense takes watching the games :s Ain't nothing I can do to make you do that.

[@aboss8310]

Miss you KOBE!!!!! 💛💜

[@paoerfulone1089]

If they had a healthy Bynum and Ariza, the Lakers win this series in 5.

[@KungaMatata]

Hell yeah, should’ve been a threepeat for LA tbh

[@pookyman12]

Facts

[@AHMAD-2324]

I disagree, even with a Healthy Bynum and Ariza IMO Boston was still better because Pierce was outplaying Kobe. That was the difference in the series...

[@rchamp247]

Lakers beat Boston in 6 if Bynum & Ariza were healthy that year. The other West teams the Lakers faced would also get a meaner beatdown.

[@davewah3]

Pathetic how many all stars the celtics needed to hold down kobe playing with a scrub ass team that wasn't even healthy in 08.

[@sallysharifa6524]

Kobe Bryant was and will always be the best Ever Rrrr

[@dougross5289]

Kobe is a straight killa!

[@danielcurry4011]

That being said he would had loved it if Lakers had won this series 6-1 same championship as his idol Michael Jordan. But 5-2 still impressive!

[@a9j252010]

Lakers should've took this series!! #lakernation

[@TORRYNJ4]

we didn't have a good defense

[@T4NKING]

yup, no rim protection because of no Bynum but game 6 was such a horrible feeling

[@TORRYNJ4]

yes mane still remember , they cheated the whole series

[@irgelreal]

The Greatest man RIP brotha 💜💛❤️💯

[@MrOmabeast]

This serious was rigged, honestly the refs were really horrible for game 1 especially game 2, and they wanted some kind of a series so did good game 3 and at game 4 they really ate the lakers up! and the last game the celtics just dominated.

[@Noelair]

It’s true. Lakers were that good to be in the series with bad refs in game 1 and 2. Let Celtics get away with a lot of dirty fouls.

[@rapgodreloaded9259]

That series was clearly rigged for Boston to win it.

[@ArmandoKozomara]

My guy 💜💛🔥🐍

[@BOSSDONMAN]

Damn, if it was LeBron on those drives, guarantee you he gets FT's/And-One calls on them.

[@Pacific-qu7en]

Miss you Kobe

[@boomercoco1]

Game 4 was costly for the Lakers

[@user-mf2od8fn1q]

Kobe rip i miss you

[@1RAMghost]

I hesitated on watching this because this series was so sad

[@kobesystemyourwelcome8817]

Same my lil bro drove the fuck outta me

[@kinglos7840]

them giving away game 4 was crucial

[@FaZerobin67]

Rip

[@igethighhighhigh]

The fact that he didn’t let them win on the lakers court and they were the better team mannn #2 sg and player of all time, easily

[@kinggist1938]

Kobe was fucking Allen up lol

[@addypack1546]

REPENT AND BE READY GOD BLESS

[@dannycooper8253]

Game 4 of this series forever tarnished and stained kobes legacy, they woulda won the series if they won that game and kobe would of had 6 titles and been the best ever, instead they blow the biggest lead in finals history, and one game, two horrible quarters, ends up costing kobe greatness, worst loss ever, goddam those bums for blowing that game, all they had to do was be more patient, maybe let kobe run the offense a little, no instead we got lamar and derek chuckin up shots that went into another dimension, pau didnt know what the hell he was doing or where he was at, and vujacic just froze, the entire team had a meltdown for the ages that i had never seen before, worst game that i had ever watched even worst for someone rooting for them and a long time laker fan, they absolutely quiet, unbelievable, and it costed kobe greatness

[@KungaMatata]

Kobe’s still an all time great though. I personally have him right behind Jordan and Kareem.

[@judahmourneth3211]

Kunga Sagar Kobe’s not a top 10 player.

[@ma.lykajoycuesta1998]

@@judahmourneth3211 kobe is a top 10 player in every book. Youre delusional if kobe is not top 10

[@judahmourneth3211]

Ma. Lyka Joy Cuesta Jordan (no debatable) Bill greatest championship of all time 11 rings Kareem 6x champ 2x FMVP 6MVPs Most points 19 all star, 10x first team ROTY, 2x scoring champ 6x block leader Magic 5x champ, 3x FMVP 3x mvp, 4x assist leader Bird 3x champ, 2x FMVP 3x MVP in a row rookie of the year, 2x 50/40/90 Wilt-(not even debatable) Duncan 5x champ, 3x FMVP, 2x mvp, ROTY. 5-1 in the finals. Better than Kobe in the “Kobe”era Shaq 4x champ, 3x finals in a row. 1 mvp, lead the league in scoring/all star MVP, league mvp and FMVP in the same year Hakeem 2x nba champ, 2x FMVP 1 mvp, 2x DPOTY rookie of the year lead his team to the finals..3x block leader, 2x rebound leader and is the all time block leader. Lebron 3x champ, 3x FMVP 4x MVP, lol pass Kobe in scoring, only player that’s has 30,000/8,000/8,000 most points in playoffs(and counting) 11. Kobe

[@arturozendejas3206]

Yeah that is all on Phil Jackson because the Lakers had momentum and was controlling the pace the last two 7 quarters of the series but that third quarter they went away from rebounding and pushing the pace.

[@DreDaDon16]

Lebron is one of the greatest of All Time but he's no Kobe.

[@BOSSDONMAN]

LeBron is top 5 at best, to think he's the GOAT is straight bullshit. I even think he's a better all-around player than Kobe, but LeBron can't score in half of the ways Kobe can consistently.

[@Axel-ye8tt]

+BOSSDONMAN Lebron only better laser and rebounder but scoring and lockdown defense Kobe is superior

[@irgelreal]

At All Costs he’ll no !!!

[@benjaminharrison218]

@@BOSSDONMAN think again my dude

[@luka5465]

Lebron is the best to ever play

[@lioninthesun]

If Kobe would have played with a great defensive wing like pippen that would have taken a lot of pressure off him. He shouldn't be chasing Allen on defense. Ariza was good but not like pippen and neither was artest the next year, Artest wasn't the same guy. Kawhi and Paul George are going to benefit a lot by them both being great defenders and by having patbev and trez

[@RTR9]

Boston won it in game 4. We dont choke we win game 5 go up 3-2

[@kingguero9371]

You don't choke? Lmao you choked in game 6 and 7 in the 2010 finals!

[@xTnT87]

King Guero rofl

[@richbreath_]

King Guero you're stupid, he's suggesting a hypothetical in which the Lakers won game 4 and then subsequently game 5 and possibly six to win in 2008. But it obviously didn't happen that way...

[@kingguero9371]

Įncognîto S He said we dont choke we win game 5.. Celtics won game 5 not the Lakers, so how am I dumb?

[@themankoosky]

King Guero He obviously meant to say "[If] we don't choke, we win Game 5 [and thereby] go up 3-2 [that year]." The sentence structure may be incomplete, but enough people understood it that it seems like the missing elements are nothing more than semantic placeholders. Do you really think he'd set himself up for epic embarrassment by citing how his supposed team in the Celtics went up 3-2 in 2010 and "didn't choke?" Lol.

[@K1NGCED]

6:27 I'm still trying to learn how to do that move.

[@wizzjo1nt5]

That's Kobe Bryant.

[@KobeConfidence]

Kobe would have been G.O.A.T if he would have passed more. Teams never played Kobe the way they do Lebron and to a lesser extent Jordan. Teams consistently dare Lebron to shoot jumpers. Even Jordan sometimes received that treatment like in the 92 finals. The best defensive teams like the Celtics always have a primary defender crowding him and have help defense waiting. The problem is Kobe would often times force the issue. By the time he was 34 in 2012-13 the second half of the season he was at the tail end of his prime. Obviously he was amazing but I can only imagine what he would have been like if he played the second half of the 2012-13 season and onward during his prime.

[@Cisco661Barber]

KobeConfidence RIP to a GOAT.

[@Brandon-vy6uw]

The win game 4 they win the series. Missed opportunities

[@themankoosky]

Įncognîto S Had it not been for the Game 2-officiating and historic collapse in Game 4, the Lakers should have won that series in five; that's what stings the most in retrosepct. That was the more plausible chance of stringing together a three-peat than defeating the Mavericks in 2011, as the Lakers lethargized in '11 after three finals runs, Kobe started to exit his prime in addition to fatigue + his knee injury, and Phil Jackson had more trouble lighting a fire under players with his lame-duck status as a coach (see: Pau Gasol in the 2011 playoffs.) A Kobe-led three-peat would have done wonders for his legacy, but I can't lament too much about it, as they ended up winning two more championships--the highest reward attainable that can never be taken for granted.

[@christopherwetherspoon5844]

+themankoosky what about how the celtics were cheated in 2012 game 7. Lakers were getting so many calls. look both teams are good, but boston is better if you ask me. their defense is smothering

[@rchamp247]

Horrible officiating against the Lakers in Games 1 & 2. Blown lead in Game 4. No Bynum & Ariza. As great as the Celtics were, the Lakers could have won this series in so many ways

[@ryandubon6183]

yeah lakers

[@yanraitv9215]

3 solid allstar vs kobe and 1 soft allstar with Gasol. No disrespect for Pau

[@Floodmusic]

At 12:52 you'll notice Posey hitting Kobe's left Achilles !

[@theliltfamily5372]

12:52

[@LittleBoy08]

LOL! Forming a big three just to beat Kobe. This could've been a Three peat

[@samuel2pac72]

Agree #Lakerfan

[@garybennetsamuel4941]

Dude, lakers was trash without kobe. They wouldn't even reach a playoff without him

[@legioncartier5822]

Try to name one guy on that lakers bench that's still in the NBA

[@nocturnalchild9075]

Trevor Ariza

[@PearlBastard1]

i'm a rookie basketball fan so can anyone tell me if that at 1:25 was a travel?

[@MikeP-gr5vq]

No travel

[@davidxxdiamond9321]

9:21

[@kingbeckford1256]

Bro the refs in boston were really cheating

[@falcule]

WTF??? The Celtics were just the better team. As simple as that.

[@b.7811]

His role players absolutely did nothing for him smh. Should've been more competitive.

[@meatball8992]

*a willing passer* lol

[@waynecewhw]

Miss you Kobe