But then again, if you know anything about Bryant, maybe it doesn’t.
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Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant moves on Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. But he played well and didn’t miss shots in the fourth quarter (nine points with two three pointers and three from the line), and so everything that Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell and Lou Williams did simply disappeared. Fans bickered with each other about how to behave. But the Celtics didn’t go away. In Kobe Bryant’s final trip to TD Garden, the Lakers pulled out a stunning 112-104 win.
It was both nauseating and nice.
Bryant, however, saved the best for the dramatic finish.
“It was unbelievable”, Bryant said. For my part I chose to smile and remind the kids that it was all meant in good humor and that Kobe understood and had good attitude about it.
That’s classic Bryant, isn’t it?
However, in a report by the Boston Globe, Cowens explained through phone that he said nothing like that to Bryant and added that during that time, they were looking for a big man since they already have guards like Glen Rice, Dell Curry, and Muggsy Bogues. There you go, man. We were in the game.
Maybe Russell’s Boston baptism was successful enough to get his starting spot back. “Their roster was a mixture of young players, veteran players, nasty, tough players”.
Since the 2010-11 season, the Lakers are 7-3 (.700) against the Celtics. “I don’t want to be that guy”. Cowens told me he didn’t want me. “There was a lot of pressure not to let that happen”. “Once I became a Laker, I was never, ever going to look back”. He recalled sitting there with teammates and, believe it or not, laughing.
“The loss led to the win”, he said. “Understanding Boston’s history, the players, many different players, championships won, this place is always special to me”.
So which Finals matchup stands out more for Bryant? In front a sell-out crowd, the Lower Merion High School product buried a three-pointer on the Lakers’ first offensive set.
A similar setting emerged for Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his last game here on December 16, 1988.
Maybe he heard Phil Collins inside his head.
During those series, Bryant fiercely competed against Paul Pierce. The Celtics (18-13) fended off visiting NY 100-91 on Sunday, with Isaiah Thomas scoring eight of his 21 points in the final three minutes and are off to their best start since 2010-11, their last 50-win campaign.
“It’s really just the memory”, he said. I wanted them to be able to see this and experience this.
“The Celtics have done so much for me”, said Bass, who signed a two-year deal last summer with the Lakers.
“It’s always cool when I come here”, he said. Then its like OK, I can’t mess this up. So when the Lakers were doing well, there were actual cheers going up from the stands.
As odd as the night sometimes seemed, as freaky as “Ko-be” chants sounded in Boston, Celtics fans enjoyed having Bryant around.
In another excellent feature, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes highlighted how Boston almost drafted Bryant with the No. 6 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but ultimately passed on him for Kentucky’s Antoine Walker.
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Rivalries only live when they feature worthy competitors. Bryant did not quiet the crowd until he made consecutive layups with 3:32 left in the second quarter.
