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NBA FINALS: LAKERS v CELTICS

June 15, 2008

Kobe Bryant

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Five

Q. What do you think about the -- can you explain the game of Pau Gasol today, his aggressive way of playing compared to the rest of the Finals up to this point? And also, the second question is you did a great play in the third game to finish the game with your scoring, and today with your steals. Can you speak about that, also?
KOBE BRYANT: Pau was terrific. He was aggressive. I think at both ends of the floor he did a great job. He had a big block at the end of the game, which was big momentum turner for us.
As far as myself, I just tried to react to the basketball, just tried to take advantage of what was in front of me, and I was able to get my hands on it.

Q. Have you talked about the fact that -- I know you've heard all these statistics that it's impossible to come back from 3-1 and nobody has ever done it and blah, blah, blah. But you win two games and you win the championship. Do you guys talk about that or allow yourselves to think that two games and you've got it?
KOBE BRYANT: We just think about the next game, that's all. That's all we do. You can't help but think obviously two, but to put it in more realistic terms, in training camp if you told us we'll give you two games that you have to win to win a world championship, we would have took it in a heartbeat. This is a great opportunity for us.

Q. I know you already had a lot of respect for Paul and his game before this, but can you just talk about what he did tonight, kind of getting them back in it in the second quarter?
KOBE BRYANT: Paul is one of my favorite players in the league. He's tough. There's not a lot of players that have a well-rounded offensive game. What I mean by that, he's got a good mid-range game, long ball, pull up to the hoop, pull up left, pull up right. He has the whole package.
I enjoy watching him play, I enjoy playing against him, and he's fantastic. As far as tonight, he did what a great player does. He attacked and saw opportunities to keep his team in the ballgame, and that's what he did.

Q. Can you talk about the help that you got from the rest of the starters this evening?
KOBE BRYANT: Well, I mean, I think that was big. Lamar obviously did a terrific job tonight and I think everybody defensively played extremely well. But that's what we're going to need. A lot of people say, Kobe, you have to go out for 40 or 50, but that's not how we play. That's not what's going to win us championships. We've got to stick together, ride this out as a unit, and that's what we're going to do.

Q. Did you know that after the Boston against Detroit that David Ortiz had on a Kobe jersey?
KOBE BRYANT: Really?

Q. Yeah.
KOBE BRYANT: Go Red Sox (laughter). Things change in two days.
I'm obviously joking. I'm a die-hard Yankees fan.

Q. You just said you don't need to have a 45, 50-point game. Is it out there? Is it possible? Or does this team just defend you too well that even if it came to that, maybe it's not possible with the way this team defends?
KOBE BRYANT: Well, you know, Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Rockets, and I know when we played them, their philosophy was anybody but. They're going to throw the whole kitchen sink at me. Could I force myself to get 40? Yeah. But is that better for our ballclub? No. We've got guys open, I'm going to move the ball and do what I need to do.
I think it was important tonight, though, for me to get off to a quick start just so my team could feed off that energy. Once I did that, it was important for me to step back and bring the other guys along as opposed to staying hot or continuing to go with it. That's what's been successful for us.

Q. Can you describe what happened on the play where you pulled the ball away from Pierce and went for the dunk? How big is it to have what seems like a breaking play? Is that what you guys needed at that point?
KOBE BRYANT: Well, we needed that because we needed to get an easy hoop. Their defense was tightening on us and it was important for us to get out in transition. Paul is such a big body and he protects the ball extremely well. As soon as I noticed that the ball was exposed just a little bit, it was important for me to go after it.

Q. Could you analyze your game a little bit more? 15 points in the first but only a total of three in the second and third.
KOBE BRYANT: I had a bad game (smiling). You know, you're not going to shoot the ball too well against this team because they're going to throw everybody at you. But the important thing for me is to push the buttons at the right time. You know, that's the key is setting the tone if we're going through a drought, when is it time to make the correct play and generate energy for our ballclub. That's really become my role now more so than in the past where it was 35, 40 points.

Q. Forget about basketball, let's talk fatherhood. How important was it for you to win tonight this game?
KOBE BRYANT: They don't care about wins or losses. They love Daddy regardless, and I think it's important for us athletes to understand that because -- at least me. I go out and play pressure-free, I'm loose, just because I know I have the support of my family and they're going to love you whether you win or whether you all think we absolutely stink. When you have that support, it makes playing basketball a lot easier.

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