Only Bryant Could Get Second-Guessed After 62

My favorite moment following Kobe Bryant’s 62-point scoring binge was hearing the fans, many who consider him a ball hog who shoots too much, raising the question, “Why didn’t Bryant play the fourth quarter and score more?�

So now they want Kobe to be more selfish?

I also liked those sympathizers who said Kobe turned the corner Tuesday night, the mature player now electing not to play the fourth quarter -- when in truth, Phil Jackson asked Bryant if he wanted to continue, and instead of immediately saying, “No, it’s not the right thing to do,� Bryant left it to Jackson to decide.

“It’s a 30-point ballgame,� Jackson told Bryant, giving Bryant the opportunity to sound all grown up later when reporters came by, Bryant telling them it wouldn’t have been proper for him to re-enter the lopsided game.

I also liked the guy who works in The Times’ sports department who took notice of Kobe’s 62 points, thereby giving him one more than the 61 scored by Shaquille O’Neal as a Laker, and so of course there was no reason for him to play any more against Dallas.

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THE CONCLUSION: Kobe Bryant can’t win, and it has nothing to do with the stiffs he’s stuck with these days.

If he shoots, he’s selfish. If he’s the facilitator -- passing the ball to Chris Mihm or Devean George -- what is he, nuts?

If he shoots all the time because the Lakers lack talent, we’re told by some, it’s what he wanted when he “drove� Shaq out of town. If he limits himself, the Lakers stumble, as they did against Houston.

If he shoots, it’s like the youngster throwing up a bomb and his coach screaming off to the side, “No, no, don’t -- oh yes, great shot.�

And when he doesn’t shoot, wake me when the game is over.

The ball hog took 31 shots against the Mavericks in 33 minutes of play, and in all that time he was unable to record a single assist, which is my favorite kind of Kobe Bryant game.

Tell me you watch a Laker game hoping Kobe gets the ball to Kwame Brown for a layup and an assist?

And yet by the sound of criticism on those 31-shot nights when the ball doesn’t go into the net with the regularity it did against Dallas, we’re led to believe that some people would prefer Kobe Bryant to be the team player.

In fact I didn’t read it anywhere Wednesday morning, but I listened to Jackson’s news conference on TV after the game and on the night that Bryant went wild for 62 points, Jackson still slipped in some criticism. He said he took Kobe out of the game in the second quarter because Kobe was starting to emphasize individual play.

If Jackson said that on a night when half of Bryant’s shots didn’t fall, it would have been one of the first quotes used by reporters in their coverage the next day.

Apparently if the ball goes in a lot, Kobe is a stud; if it doesn’t, he’s the guy who will never understand the importance of teamwork. That’s a fine line to walk, especially when the option many times is to pass the ball to players who can’t score.

Now I’ve been advocating for some time that Bryant take every shot, liking his chances of bringing the fans to their feet better than anyone else in a Laker uniform. I prefer entertainment over teamwork, defense or any of those other little things that threaten to limit greatness at work.

It’s no different from the feeling I had watching Michael Jordan years ago, counting his first-quarter points in the hopes it might lead to another monster night, dreading those games when Jordan decided to get his teammates more involved.

So I would’ve had Kobe playing in the fourth quarter, gunning for Elgin Baylor’s team mark of 71 points, , and the ball hog making the ultimate statement before a howling crowd that when he shoots, it’s the Lakers’ best chance of being successful.

For one night at least, being selfish would be a great thing.

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IN THIS holiday season, we’re reminded how generous some baseball teams can be, the Phillies, Yankees, Pirates, Cubs, Giants, White Sox and Indians -- each enjoying the incredible talent of Kenny Lofton at various times in the last five years, but every one of them refusing to hold on to him so that another team, like the Dodgers, might understand what it’s like to have him in the clubhouse.

There’s no question it’s an upgrade for the Dodgers with Lofton posting a career batting average of .211 in Dodger Stadium.

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THE ANGELS shipped Steve Finley to the Giants, which now makes him eligible to join the Dodgers.

The Dodgers, running out of Red Sox players to sign now that the Yankees somehow outbid the Dodgers for Johnny Damon, added another former Giant in pitcher Brett Tomko, who was 8-15 competing in the weakest division in baseball last season.

To be fair, though, and aren’t we always here, Tomko is 4-2 in Dodger Stadium with a 2.93 earned-run average pitching against the Dodgers, which makes you wonder why he wasn’t 6-0 with six shutouts.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Jeffrey Brown:

“Your column on (Nomar Garciaparra) is a joke. I know you’re a jerk, but you haven’t seen one Dodger game with this team and you’ve already written off this season. Pretty soon you’ll be on Page 8 next to the horse raising results.�

Why do I get the feeling you’re not a big horse raising reader?

T.J. Simers can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.