He remembered sitting in the locker room as Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” bumped through the speakers and said he still gets a cold sweat when he hears the TD Garden’s favorite songs.
Advertisement
So which Finals matchup stands out more for Bryant?
But at the end of the day, the Lakers fans bought tickets and are able to show up and cheer if they want.
Los Angeles Lakers guard (24) drives to the hoop against Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green (back) during the second half at TD Garden. My kids are just now old enough to understand and enjoy the whole game (and stay up late enough for it).
But those warm and fuzzy moments soon faded. He missed his first eight shots before making a driving layup with 3:57 left in the second quarter. His final three points coming at 1:40 in the 4th quarter is what sealed the victory for the Lakers as they improved to 6-27 on the season.
Shortly after Kobe took questions from the media about the Celtics/Lakers rivalry and about the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals matchup. Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 24 points and seven assists.
After 12 years with the Lakers, during which L.A. beat Boston twice from the National Basketball Association championship, Worthy now pulls double-duty with the franchise.
A similar setting emerged for Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his last game here on December 16, 1988.
Before the game, Bryant rose from the bench, according to SB Nation, and Celtics fans pitched into his farewell tour by giving him a standing ovation.
“I was excited, but not really”, Bryant said.
“I remember my daughter was having a hard time with softball in a semifinal game, striking out”, Bryant said.
“I can play whatever, man. You can put me at point guard”.
Unlike Abdul-Jabbar, Bryant has not received any public displays of gifts at his request.
“I’m not used to the applause”.
“The loss”, Bryant said. “I’ve always loved it. It’s a little weird, isn’t it?”
This is one of those rare venues for Bryant.
Nick Young has played a prominent role for the Lakers this season as Bryant’s primary backup, so thrusting him into the starting rotation won’t be a big adjustment for head coach Byron Scott while they wait for Bryant to return.
“Absolutely will”, Bryant said.
“I can’t believe this is the last time I’m going to be here”.
“Just tried to cherish it as much as possible”, he said.
“Your next step in your next career is going to be something that I’m pretty sure you’re going to have to figure out”.
Like Jordan, Bryant relished facing hostile crowds.
After 20 years of representing the Celtics’ greatest rivals, Kobe Bryant was honored by them during private ceremony before his final game in Boston on Wednesday. Then, Bryant listened to the songs endlessly as motivation before winning back-to-back championships against Orlando (2009) and Boston (2010).
“I’ve known Paul since he was in Kansas”, he said.
Added Bryant: “I’ll gaze up a lot”. He then had a big rebound and finally added a free throw with 25.8 seconds left.
Advertisement
Boston had Kobe Bryant fever on Wednesday. Bryant then waved to the crowd before clasping his hands and bowing down in appreciation.
