Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryantis an American retired professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the league's all-time regular season scoring and...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth23 August 1978
CityPhiladelphia, PA
CountryUnited States of America
When we all walked in, you could feel their spirits being uplifted, like they felt very encouraged and happy that we were there. It was just real cool to see that. To be able to go back (to New Orleans), play a game there and be able to uplift them again, that's special.
We wanted to win the game, the game was in the bag, it was in the refrigerator. There was no reason for me to go back in.
It is a physical game and especially in the playoffs it steps up to another degree. It is fun to be a part of those types of games. It is nothing personal.
I think this was our best game this season. We played very well at both ends of the court consistently. We did a great job containing our energy and when we went to our bench they came in and maintained our energy. We had guys step up consistently and make big plays. That is what we have to do. If we can keep this rolling, we will make a lot of noise.
Weird things happen in the NBA, and tonight was one of them. We had a chance to win the game and just didn't close it out. They made some big shots down the stretch and came away with the victory. Even though (Odom) made a mistake, as a team, defense down the stretch cost us the ballgame.
We are a young team and we played extremely well tonight. We just take it game by game and we are starting to see more success.
We played hard tonight. Even the last two games that we lost on the road, we played hard. We just did not come through down the stretch of the game. Tonight was no different. We are a physical team and we got after them a little bit. All around, it was a good victory.
Not when we're winning ballgames. We have to keep that in perspective. The most important thing is winning. That's why I go out there and I do what I do. I sense the moment. I see if we need me to take over the game and that's when I do it.
I have played a lot of playoff basketball and I have never had a game quite like this, with our backs against the wall, seemingly out of it, and us just battling back and getting this win. We matured about 10 to 15 years today.
It was a big game for us, ... We are a young team and we had to battle back to get the win.
That's not what we play for. That's not what it's about. It's not to score 70 points. We wanted to win the game, and the game was in the bag. It was in the refrigerator.
It's an encouraging game, ... The fact that I can shoot the ball horrendously and we can still have an opportunity to win the game is encouraging.
It's definitely the best scoring game I've ever had.
This weekend is smooth for me. I'm looking forward to competing with these guys, getting out there on the floor and competing and trying to raise the game for all of us.