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LA Daily News: Kobe goes off on air in Lakers win
By Howard Beck
Staff Writer
Kobe Bryant did not concern himself with shots or shot selection, the preferences of teammates or coaches, the perceptions of an antsy fan base or the consequences of another exaggerated swing in the pendulum that guides his offensive posture.
Too much, too little, just right? Wherever those definitions fall, Bryant paid them no regard Tuesday night. He assumed control of the Lakers' fate, and his own public image, delivered his highest-scoring game of the season and delivered some sort of message to the world.
His meaning wasn't entirely clear, but the results were unambiguous. Bryant scored 45 points behind an angry glare and pulled the Lakers to a 109-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors, delighting a supportive Staples Center crowd and preserving the Lakers' drive for the No. 2 seed in the West.
With one game left to play, they are tied atop the Pacific Division with Sacramento, but the Kings own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Lakers can win the division, and the No. 2 seed, with a victory over Portland tonight combined with a Kings loss at Golden State.
"We kept hope alive tonight," coach Phil Jackson said.
A Sacramento victory tonight leaves the Lakers no better than third, and victories by both Sacramento and San Antonio (home against Denver) would drop the Lakers to fourth.
With all of those scenarios still in play, Bryant made the night his own.
Two days earlier, he had looked reluctant to shoot for an entire half in Sacramento, alarming teammates and coaches, and inspiring speculation he had gone passive to prove a point.
If, as teammates believe, that muted performance was a response to the criticism Bryant took for shooting 72 times in the prior three games, then Tuesday night's effort was an unabashed, unbridled, deafening shout back, an anger-driven swing back to the other extreme.
He shot 29 times, converted on 14 of them, and every dunk was thrown down twice as hard as usual, providing a string of exclamation points to line the box score.
His final statement also was nonverbal. Bryant -- enraged by media accounts of the Sacramento game -- left without speaking to reporters, a policy that might continue through the rest of the season, according to team officials.
His game, however, spoke loudly.
"Kobe was bound and determined to show you guys what," Jackson, with a wry grin and a chuckle, told reporters. "Uh-huh. So there. "
Despite Bryant's scoring show, the Lakers trailed the lottery-bound Warriors by 13 points in the second quarter and by 16 early in the second half. Up and down a subdued Lakers bench, no one seemed to be enjoying the offensive fireworks.
"It's like a broken record. We try to outscore people, we get our (butt) kicked," Karl Malone said. "We play defense, we get back in the game and have a chance to win. There's no secret. No, we can't be (happy)."
His thoughts on Bryant's game: "Nothing."
Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half, was the only other Laker to find any shots, and he had little to say of Bryant's performance.
"He was Kobe," O'Neal said.
In a rare admission, Jackson said some of his players seemed "a little disgruntled."
"I think there were some guys who felt they were not involved in the game," he said, adding, "I didn't think anybody else was going to get a shot for a while."
Asked if Bryant's inspired game was productive, Jackson said, "I don't think it was counterproductive."
An unusual evening began with an unprecedented public-relations move, as Bryant requested air time on the Lakers' pregame show on KLAC-570 AM.
"I'll take full responsibility, I'll take the blame as far as us losing the (Sacramento) game," Bryant said. "But sabotaging the game? That's ridiculous. I would never do that. If my teammates would have knocked down their shots, I'd have had 10 or 15 assists."
Those who saw and spoke to Bryant earlier Tuesday said he was furious over news stories about his play, and particularly outraged by an anonymous quote, attributed to a teammate, that appeared in one newspaper.
At the morning shootaround, Bryant individually queried every teammate to determine who made the comment. None admitted to saying it, leaving Bryant just one place to direct his anger: the media.
According to a team official, Bryant will continue to do controlled interviews with radio and TV outlets that are contracted to carry Lakers games. But it is possible he no longer will engage in the daily, open-ended group interviews after games and practices.
Howard Beck, (818) 713-3607 [email protected]
By Howard Beck
Staff Writer
Kobe Bryant did not concern himself with shots or shot selection, the preferences of teammates or coaches, the perceptions of an antsy fan base or the consequences of another exaggerated swing in the pendulum that guides his offensive posture.
Too much, too little, just right? Wherever those definitions fall, Bryant paid them no regard Tuesday night. He assumed control of the Lakers' fate, and his own public image, delivered his highest-scoring game of the season and delivered some sort of message to the world.
His meaning wasn't entirely clear, but the results were unambiguous. Bryant scored 45 points behind an angry glare and pulled the Lakers to a 109-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors, delighting a supportive Staples Center crowd and preserving the Lakers' drive for the No. 2 seed in the West.
With one game left to play, they are tied atop the Pacific Division with Sacramento, but the Kings own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Lakers can win the division, and the No. 2 seed, with a victory over Portland tonight combined with a Kings loss at Golden State.
"We kept hope alive tonight," coach Phil Jackson said.
A Sacramento victory tonight leaves the Lakers no better than third, and victories by both Sacramento and San Antonio (home against Denver) would drop the Lakers to fourth.
With all of those scenarios still in play, Bryant made the night his own.
Two days earlier, he had looked reluctant to shoot for an entire half in Sacramento, alarming teammates and coaches, and inspiring speculation he had gone passive to prove a point.
If, as teammates believe, that muted performance was a response to the criticism Bryant took for shooting 72 times in the prior three games, then Tuesday night's effort was an unabashed, unbridled, deafening shout back, an anger-driven swing back to the other extreme.
He shot 29 times, converted on 14 of them, and every dunk was thrown down twice as hard as usual, providing a string of exclamation points to line the box score.
His final statement also was nonverbal. Bryant -- enraged by media accounts of the Sacramento game -- left without speaking to reporters, a policy that might continue through the rest of the season, according to team officials.
His game, however, spoke loudly.
"Kobe was bound and determined to show you guys what," Jackson, with a wry grin and a chuckle, told reporters. "Uh-huh. So there. "
Despite Bryant's scoring show, the Lakers trailed the lottery-bound Warriors by 13 points in the second quarter and by 16 early in the second half. Up and down a subdued Lakers bench, no one seemed to be enjoying the offensive fireworks.
"It's like a broken record. We try to outscore people, we get our (butt) kicked," Karl Malone said. "We play defense, we get back in the game and have a chance to win. There's no secret. No, we can't be (happy)."
His thoughts on Bryant's game: "Nothing."
Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half, was the only other Laker to find any shots, and he had little to say of Bryant's performance.
"He was Kobe," O'Neal said.
In a rare admission, Jackson said some of his players seemed "a little disgruntled."
"I think there were some guys who felt they were not involved in the game," he said, adding, "I didn't think anybody else was going to get a shot for a while."
Asked if Bryant's inspired game was productive, Jackson said, "I don't think it was counterproductive."
An unusual evening began with an unprecedented public-relations move, as Bryant requested air time on the Lakers' pregame show on KLAC-570 AM.
"I'll take full responsibility, I'll take the blame as far as us losing the (Sacramento) game," Bryant said. "But sabotaging the game? That's ridiculous. I would never do that. If my teammates would have knocked down their shots, I'd have had 10 or 15 assists."
Those who saw and spoke to Bryant earlier Tuesday said he was furious over news stories about his play, and particularly outraged by an anonymous quote, attributed to a teammate, that appeared in one newspaper.
At the morning shootaround, Bryant individually queried every teammate to determine who made the comment. None admitted to saying it, leaving Bryant just one place to direct his anger: the media.
According to a team official, Bryant will continue to do controlled interviews with radio and TV outlets that are contracted to carry Lakers games. But it is possible he no longer will engage in the daily, open-ended group interviews after games and practices.
Howard Beck, (818) 713-3607 [email protected]
