Owner Real Deal Posted April 21, 2010 Owner Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 LOS ANGELES – The locker-room doors swung open, and Kobe Bryant(notes) marched down the Staples Center corridor wearing big shades and bigger defiance. He ingested the relentless proclamations that his battered body had cut too deeply into his greatness, that his fragile state demanded that for the good of the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship chase he turn them over to Pau Gasol(notes) and Andrew Bynum(notes). Everything balled up inside Bryant and ultimately uncoiled in Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. “After 13 years,” Bryant would tell Yahoo! Sports on his walk to the interview room, “you’d think [bleepers] would know better by now.” Know better than to think that they could keep him down in these Western Conference playoffs. Know better than to think that Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant(notes) could strut into Staples Center and beat Bryant in a fourth-quarter shootout. Most of all, they had to know better than to think Bryant wouldn’t still dictate the terms of engagement. He’s in his 14th season with the Lakers, and maybe they still didn’t know a damn thing about him. Truth be told, no one was underestimating his greatness – perhaps just his resourcefulness. Once more, resistance to his will is futile. These go-go Thunder kept coming for the Lakers, kept threatening, and that gimpy ankle and beat-up knee and broken finger became incidental issues in an epic fourth quarter. They were throwing all those kids at him – Jeff Green(notes) and Kevin Durant, Thabo Sefolosha(notes) and Eric Maynor(notes) – and Bryant turned into this old puppeteer, reaching into his bag for stutter steps and pump fakes, for lean-in jumpers and long, long 3-pointers on the way to his 39 points and a 95-92 victory. “What was it that Mark Twain said?” Phil Jackson sniffed Tuesday night.In his mind, those rules of engagement stay unchanged. To hell with the ankle, the knee and that wrapped, broken finger. To hell with it all. Get him the ball late, and live and die with his choices. Across the past month, the Lakers weren’t so sure they could still live that way. Around L.A., no one was too sure. No one but Bryant. Everything had balled up within him these past few weeks, where he probably been anything but amused and entertained. He was ornery and angry, and he’s always painted his most beautiful basketball pieces that way. After 14 seasons, Kobe Bryant was right: All those (bleepers) should have known better.Read more... Sick article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multi-Billionaire Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 AW writes the best stuff imo... he's also highly reliable with his rumors and latest NBA news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 It wasnt that great a game by Kobe's standards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManOnTheMoon Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 Good article, haters watch out. :glasses: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.