By InsideHoops.com

THis is part of a Kobe Bryant interview recorded tonight in Madison Square Garden. More coming overnight. InsideHoops.com loves you.

Have you ever played better than you've played in the latest stretch of games?

Kobe Bryant: I think I have. Right now, Phil wants me to do more scoring for this club, but I feel like I've played better basketbal, as far as an overall game, but scoring obviously is what we need right now to keep us going, and that's what I try to provide for us.

Talk about what you focus on in games.

Kobe Bryant: I just punch the clock. Whatever he wants me to do, I go out there and try to do it to the best of my ability. If he wants me to grab some rebounds, or defend... that's what I'm going to do. He approached me and said he wanted me to be more aggressive offensively, and I have to respond to that.

What does it mean to you that fans voted you more than anyone else for the All-Star game?

Kobe Bryant: It feels good, it shows fan appreciation for all the hard work I put in. They recognize that, and I'm going to go to Atlanta and try to represent well.

You're having to work very hard to keep this team winning. Do you think it's going to remain this way for the rest of the season, with you scoring this much every night?

Kobe Bryant: I don't know. Whatever he wants to do. It's such a long season, sometimes you have to make changes, and Phil's very good at sensing that out. So if he wants me to make an adjustment, I'm going to be ready to do it.

How much does Phil Jackson set up exactly what you all are going to do in the offense, versus you figuring it out yourself?

Kobe Bryant: It's a combination of both. He opened the offense up for me, and enabled me to penetrate, and get the ball in a position where I can score quickly. And obviously it's me looking to be a little more assertive.

Would you like to continue this way, scoring so much, in the second half of the season?

Kobe Bryant: If that's what we need to do than that's what we're going to do. It doesn't matter, either way, the important thing is to try to find some type of rhythm game in and game out to try to win the game.

Talk about your motivation this season.

Kobe Bryant: For us, all the motivation is just trying to put ourselves in a position where we can try to defend our championship. Not having an opportunity to defend our championship would be... to say it would be an underachievement would be an understatement.

How different does it feel that you're still outside of the playoff picture, looking in, than in the past when the regular season just flowed on by?

Kobe Bryant: It was a point in time where it was kind of... we were upset about it. But right now we've reached the point where it kind of excites us, so we're looking forward to the challenge, we accept the challenge.

Do you find yourself having to work harder than ever before in the regular season?

Kobe Bryant: Every game is kind of like a playoff for us right now, because we're scrapping just to get into the 8th spot. We're preparing for it like the playoffs, we're making adjustments for it like it's the playoffs, so, hopefully when the playoffs come around and we're in the playoffs, we can kind of step our intensity to another level.

Kobe Bryant: I think it was a lesson for a couple of our young players, Kareem Rush and Slava Medvedenko, because, they felt like their roles coming into the fourth quarter weren't going to be as pivotal. Because it was a 34-point lead, or whatever it was. We talked during the game, we talked after the game, and actually, a couple of minutes in the fourth quarter, when you have a huge lead like that, are more critical than any other point in the game, because that's when you come in and try to put the nail in the coffin. In the NBA, these are the best players in the world, you give someone a little momentum, next thing yuo know you're in a dog fight. So I think it was a good learning experience.

Talk about the big dunk you threw down. You know the one.

Kobe Bryant: It's been a long time I had a dunk during a game and the crowd was still buzzing a few plays later. It felt good.

Do you like where this team is now, from where you were?

Kobe Bryant: The way we were playing, we could only go but one way. So, this is good.

Does it mean something to you to finally be over the .500 mark?

Kobe Bryant: Yeah, it does. To be over .500, we were just trying to get to .500, now we're one game over .500, it's better than being below .500. We'll take it.


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