Did Kobe Bryant have a Celtics spy?

A. Isaac Senior Editor

mike propocio 296x214 Did Kobe Bryant have a Celtics spy?

The difference between the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA finals was just 4 points. Maybe with a healthy Kendrick Perkins and a few made shots here or there, and we’re calling the Boston Celtics the 2010 NBA champions. Thus is the case with any series that goes 7 games.

But what if one team had a considerable edge over the other? What if one team had a spy? We’ve heard of corporate espionage, but sports espionage? This is a first.

Meet Mike Procopio, the man who continually delivered personal scouting reports by email and phone to Kobe Bryant.

Procopio, who joined the Celtics as a scout, still ingests more Celtics basketball than nearly anyone, although his loyalty can be debated. He spent the postseason watching, editing and analyzing game footage with Kobe Bryant. Throughout the postseason and particularly in the finals, Procopio delivered Bryant scouting reports through meetings, late-night e-mail messages and phone calls.

“He’s my Jack Bauer,” he said after clinching his fifth title in the Lakers’ Game 7 victory over Boston. “He gave me all the edits and scouting reports and wrote defensive rotations of the Celtics. He was my eyes and ears, so when I played the game, I’d use all the scouting reports and all the information, and it was huge for me.”

More or less, it seems that Procopio wasn’t really a spy but an assistant coach on Kobe’s payroll. It’s truly a wonder why more teams don’t have a Procopio already on staff. Although, studying tendencies via video analysis should be the job of an assistant coach, something most NBA teams have three of.

As for Procopio’s personal life, being a native Bostonian and helping out the evil Lakers has cast a bit of a shadow on his familial life. He hopes to be in their good graces sometime soon.

In Defeating Celtics, Bryant Relied on a Son of Boston {NY Times}

H/t to Guyism reader Lydia

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