warriorfan
01-15-2016, 08:22 PM
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/23/sports/sp-olyplaschke23
"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."
The sort of smart players actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.
"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film, talks basketball all the time, knows everything."
He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.
He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong scrum.
And then, he ran the first player off the court, chasing Ginobili to the bench with what appeared to be a sprained ankle less than seven minutes into the game.
Neither Ginobili, nor the Argentine chances, returned.
"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."
It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.
It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring, and that volunteering for anything can only bring embarrassment.
"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."
As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.
IntangiblesBe :applause:
"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."
The sort of smart players actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.
"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film, talks basketball all the time, knows everything."
He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.
He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong scrum.
And then, he ran the first player off the court, chasing Ginobili to the bench with what appeared to be a sprained ankle less than seven minutes into the game.
Neither Ginobili, nor the Argentine chances, returned.
"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."
It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.
It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring, and that volunteering for anything can only bring embarrassment.
"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."
As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.
IntangiblesBe :applause: