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NBA FINALS: MAGIC v LAKERS

June 9, 2009

Kobe Bryant

ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Game Three

Los Angeles Lakers - 104
Orlando Magic - 108

Q. Usually you take what the defense gives you. It seemed in that first quarter you were very aggressive and you just kind of went after it and got into a rhythm. Can you talk about that?
KOBE BRYANT: Well, I had some good opportunities and some spots where I could be aggressive. I got a pretty good rhythm going, knocked down a couple shots.

Q. You missed more free throws than you generally do. Is there something going on or just kind of one of those nights?
KOBE BRYANT: My rhythm was off at the free-throw line. I just shot poorly from the free-throw line. It was a bad night.

Q. You've been called the best closer in the game. Is it weird sometimes when you can't close it out, especially at the line or a couple big shots you took at the end?
KOBE BRYANT: It was disappointing. I'm used to coming through in those situations, the team trusts me to come through in those situations, and it just didn't happen tonight.
Just got to bounce back, be ready to go for Game 4.

Q. They shot 63 percent tonight. It seems like they're figuring out where you guys are going to be and they're throwing the ball back the other way and that kind of stuff. Do you feel like they're figuring out how to run an offense against you guys?
KOBE BRYANT: They're doing a great job making adjustments. It's on us to make adjustments, as well. Defensively some of the shots, close-outs were there, they just knocked them down. We ran them off the three-point line, they converted inside the arc. So we've got to do a better job on the close-outs.

Q. This is a little reminiscent last series of what you did to Denver. You'd figure out how to get guys open and they couldn't guard you.
KOBE BRYANT: It's just a series of adjustments, that's all it is. We had a great opportunity here in spite of that to win the game. I missed a lot of free throws, we still put ourselves in position to win. It didn't work out for us. Hopefully next week will be a little better.

Q. Phil said you'll never admit it but he thought you were a little tired at the end. That's why he kept you on the bench for the first half of the fourth quarter. How are you feeling?
KOBE BRYANT: I felt okay (smiling).

Q. So you were wiped out, right?
KOBE BRYANT: I was fine.

Q. What did you think of Lamar tonight? He had a run of successful games but tonight only 11 points. Was he off a little bit?
KOBE BRYANT: No, he played all right. You want to talk about the offensive end, we can talk about that all night long. You can always improve the offensive end. Free throws is a gimme, obviously, you've got to knock down free throws. But we lost this game on the defensive end. We had been playing very good defense, and the team tonight shoots 62 percent from the field, 69 percent the first half. We've got to do a better job defensively. Lamar was fine.

Q. Did they make an adjustment on how they were defending you on the pick-and-roll? And can you describe that play where Pietrus got the steal?
KOBE BRYANT: Howard just made a great play with his hands. Just made a great play with his hands, and came up with the ball. Simple as that.

Q. Can you talk about the execution of the last play, the final seconds?
KOBE BRYANT: Which one?

Q. Where you took the three-pointer. Was that what Coach designed in the time-out?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, that's what we were looking for.

Q. You were looking for a three-pointer?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah. It didn't go down.

Q. Talk about the next game.
KOBE BRYANT: You've just got to bounce back and be ready to go. This one was a tough loss for us, and we feel like we can play much, much better. So tomorrow just make the adjustments and get ready to go.

Q. Forget about it and move on?
KOBE BRYANT: That's all you can do. You just prepare, see things that you can correct and come back ready to go for Game 4.

Q. Some of the national press corps after the first game, 100-75 game, thought this was going to be a one-sided Finals. You cautioned to say otherwise. Now we're three games in and it's 2-1. Can you talk about the Magic versus the Lakers in the series to this point?
KOBE BRYANT: Well, I mean, this is a team that they've been through adverse situations, they went to Boston, won Game 7; went to Cleveland, almost took the first two there. This is a tough team, not a cupcake team. Extremely well coached, execute well, and we've got our work cut out.

Q. The adjustments that Pietrus and Courtney Lee made on you tonight, they didn't have an answer for you in Games 1 and 2 but tonight it seemed like they were able to have a little success against you.
KOBE BRYANT: It's called four more guys. They threw the whole kitchen sink, and they did a great job staying on my body. They brought help from the weak side, simple as that.

Q. Did the crowd play a factor in this game and that guy jumping up and down with the red flag, is that something that the NBA says is okay?
KOBE BRYANT: What guy?

Q. You didn't see him?
KOBE BRYANT: Maybe if I saw him, I would have made some damn free throws. If I saw him, I would have made a shot. I didn't see him.

Q. But did the crowd play a factor?
KOBE BRYANT: I don't think so. I don't think so. We had control of the game most of the first half, they took it over there in the second quarter, we fought back, tied the game up, and they made big plays. Pietrus came in and gave them big production off the bench, Rafer played extremely well, and up to this point we had done a pretty solid job on their bench.

End of FastScripts

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