Kobe misses needless 3-pointer at the buzzer, Cavs beat Lakers 96-95

Kobe never misses a chance to try to shine, even if it may cost his team the game. Why did he need to take a 3-pointer with 2 defenders on him when the Lakers were only down by 1 point with 3.4 seconds left? Wouldn't it had made more sense to drive and get fouled, or to take a higher percentage shot? Or perhaps to swallow your pride and pass the ball to someone else, since everyone in the Cavs arena was expecting Kobe to take the last shot? Just look at what the Cavs did when they were tied 95-95: Flip Murray drove to the basket and got fouled (by Kobe, by the way), got one of his free throws and secured the victory for the Cavs.

Kobe, as well Smush Parker and Lamar Odom, had a great first half. The team as whole shot amazingly well (70+%), Kobe was 10-for-15, and it seemed like the Cavs had already lost the game. But, Kobe reverted to his old self in the second half, taking a number of crazy shots. He was 4-for-15 during the second half before making his first 3-pointer of the game with 1:33 left. Then, with the teams tied and 8.6 seconds remaining, Kobe attempted another unnecessary 3-pointer that didn't even come close to going in.

Oh, and Kobe finally gets a technical foul for throwing a hissy fit while double teamed by Eric Snow and Flip Murray, trying to grab a rebound off LeBron's missed lay up. He, like other star players, get preferential treatment from the refs (like when Kobe hurled the ball at two Kings after missing a free throw in the game against Sacramento last week), but this one didn't slide past them.

Who can Kobe blame for this loss? No one but himself.