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NBA FINALS: LAKERS v CELTICSJune 11, 2008Kobe BryantLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q. What does winning the first game of the series do for your team's confidence? KOBE BRYANT: I don't know if it's so much about confidence at this point, just about winning. We're a pretty confident bunch as it is, but like I said, at this point it's not about that. It's just about doing what we've got to do to win the game. Q. Do you feel like it changes the momentum of the series at all? KOBE BRYANT: No. Q. If Tim Donaghy, what he said was true yesterday, you had some help -- basically your 2002 title was helped by a conspiracy, as an athlete when you hear that, how do you respond? KOBE BRYANT: I don't. Q. Do you feel at all like people might listen to that and feel like something you accomplished is discredited at all? KOBE BRYANT: Maybe. Q. As a player -- this came out last year and ruined your first day of USA Basketball when the story broke. Now it comes back when you're in The Finals. Are players getting tired of this at all? KOBE BRYANT: We don't think about it too much. I'm sorry to be Belichick-y, but we don't think about it too much, to be honest with you. It's not something we focus on as players. I think it's more talked about outside of our circles more than it is inside. We know whatever legal proceedings they have going on they'll get to the bottom of the situation, and for us as players, all we can do is play. Q. Could you talk a bit about the pressure of the NBA Finals, if there's anything in your experience that compares with that pressure, and how you help your teammates deal with it? KOBE BRYANT: Well, the thing I tell them is just focus on doing the things that we've been taught. It's no different playing in the NBA Finals than it is October 31st, no difference. You just go out there and you play, you do the things you've been taught to do and trained to do and control the things that you can control. Outside of that, don't worry about it. Q. Pierce and Garnett had really poor shooting nights last night, and yet the game still came down to the final minutes. What concerned you about that? What do you take out of that, and what do you think the Celtics take out of that? KOBE BRYANT: I don't think we take anything from it. In this kind of series, I don't think there's any particular game that will carry over to the next. Every game is its own isolated thing. So whether or not they shoot well the next game or shoot poorly the next game, I don't know. We struggled, as well. Pau didn't play too well, Lamar didn't play too well, and I missed seven free throws. It just depends how you want to look at it. Q. 15 in a row at home, can you talk about especially in the 2-3-2 format the importance of having to take care of business at home? KOBE BRYANT: Well, it's critical. You have home court advantage for a reason. You want to try to lock it down at home as much as you possibly can and take care of business. Q. Just your reaction to Curt Schilling's blog where he sort of painted you in an unflattering light screaming at your teammates and some of them rolling their eyes. Are you disappointed that he would write that sitting behind the bench? KOBE BRYANT: You're asking for my response to it? Go Yankees (laughter). I mean, look, I know my team. We almost pulled off -- after the time of all those bleeps, we almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history. It seemed to motivate them pretty well. Q. What were your first impressions of The Machine, and can you just talk about Sasha's development and maturity? KOBE BRYANT: My first impressions of him like when he first got here? Q. Yeah. KOBE BRYANT: I was wondering if he could ever grow facial hair (laughter). I know he's developed into a big asset for us, and he has a lot of confidence. He plays hard at both ends of the floor, and that comes from all the work that he's put in in the gym. He works extremely hard. He's a gym rat. He's in there all the time, and he's been a valuable asset for us all season long. Q. Do you worry sometimes -- sometimes you're hard on teammates at times. Do you worry that he takes that the wrong way, or are you confident that he understands what you're after? KOBE BRYANT: No, they're used to it, and we all have thick skin around here on the team. That's just how we -- we're brutally honest with each other. Our team is built for that. We all love it. Q. Can you guys win this series with Pau and Lamar playing the way they are now, or do they need to elevate their game a little bit? KOBE BRYANT: They'll be fine. They'll be fine. Q. Is that just because you've seen them in the course of the season, or you just have confidence? KOBE BRYANT: We're playing a great defensive team. It's not like it's going to be easy for them. It's a matter of them figuring out where those spots are going to be attacking them. They're both very smart, intelligent basketball players and they'll be fine. Lamar was playing okay yesterday, he just couldn't seem to stay on the floor. Q. Phil was just saying that you guys haven't looked like the Lakers on offense. You've been trying to crack this defense four games basically. What is it that you guys aren't doing that you're talking about doing? KOBE BRYANT: Just keeping it simple, just moving the basketball. We did some things today to build some of our rhythm a little bit and use some of their pressure against them. If we just move the ball, knock down shots, and we'll be all right. End of FastScripts |
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