The 2009 Western Conference Finals, was one of the most physical matchups in NBA history. The Denver Nuggets, led by a young Carmelo Anthony, were looking to pull off an upset against the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers. Both teams were physical, but a lot of Denver’s aggression was directed towards Kobe, who was already playing with an injured finger.
Advertisement
While recalling events from the 2009 series, Kenyon Martin was asked a serious question recently on The Gil’s Arena Show. The anchor of the show asked,
“Did The Nuggets have a bounty on Kobe?”
Martin would quickly deny the allegations being made against him and his former teammates. According to Martin, the Nuggets didn’t want Kobe to get any open buckets, especially no dunks, or layups. The scouting report for Kobe included the physicality and toughness that Dahntay Jones and Carmelo Anthony displayed on the floor.
Further talking about it, Martin said,
” It’s not like we were paying Dahntay to hurt him or sh*t. No sh*t like that man… it’s just like no layups after a certain point…he is so good and talented. We had to do something to offset it. That didn’t do nothing but piss him off more.”
Though Martin completely denies any such motivation taking fruit, Jones specified that he was losing ‘money’ by playing passively against Kobe. The whole question arose when Dahntay Jones talked about the 2009 series against Kobe, and why he played the way he did.
“We had bounties on him … if he gets a layup, I lose money. I get cussed out.”
While looking back on tapes from that series, it is clear that Kobe had Jones on an island, as the Mamba got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Kobe surprisingly matched the Nuggets in their physicality, as he often even got away with fouling.
The historic 2009 WCF
The 2009 Championship is a special one for Kobe Bean Bryant. The first Championship without Shaq, possibly the one which mattered the most to Kobe. But on his way to the finals, Bryant would have to face off against a ” rough and aggressive”, Denver Nuggets team.
The series would go 6 games, with the Lakers taking the crown, as Kobe would go on to lead all players in points. Recalling his battles with Kobe, Carmelo Anthony was asked about his opinion on the 2009 series. Carmelo said,
” That was the moment where me and Kob became – before that, we went to the Olympics – we became very close…But we became close on some disrespectful s*it….before the series he talked to me, told me it was time for war.”
Kobe and Anthony would duel it out on both ends, with Bryant getting the upper hand on most occasions. During Sam’s interview, Melo even revealed that the duo would guard each other in the fourth quarter cause they knew the referees wouldn’t penalize them for hard defence.
But it wasn’t just Melo who had high praise for Kobe and his abilities, as Kobe had ‘special‘ words for a young Melo. During an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Kobe was asked about who he thought was the toughest match-up for him,
“I’m [180 pounds] soaking wet…..Going up against that bull, it’s fun, but it’s hard.”
The historic series between the two led to Kobe winning, what many consider, the hardest Championship in NBA history. The Nugget’s system of ‘beating Kobe up’ seems pretty similar to the Jordan rules, which just further solidifies the Mamba’s case for being the greatest two-way player of all time
