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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v LAKERS

May 23, 2010

Kobe Bryant

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game Three

Suns Â– 118
Lakers - 109

Q. Kobe, first quarter looked the same as Games 1 and 2, 32 points, 58 percent shooting. They went to the zone a little bit in the second and then carried down through the second half. Could you talk about the zone and the difference tonight between Games 1 and 2?
KOBE BRYANT: It was an adjustment for us in terms of how to attack it consistently. I don't think our ball movement was particularly good in terms of how to attack. It was just staying on the perimeter. But they did a good job at that.

Q. Talk about Amar'e's overall game and in specific his aggressiveness from the start?
KOBE BRYANT: What did you think was going to happen? He's a great player. He's had a couple of tough games.
I mean, he wasn't going to come out here and roll over. I saw this coming. Still, in all we could have done a much better job keeping them off the free throw. Shot 18 free throws. They made 37. That's way too many.
So even though Amar'e had an explosive game, we feel like we gave them way too many easy points at the free-throw line.

Q. Offensively, you came out on fire that first quarter to hit your first six shots or eight of your first ten. Then you tried to get the other guys involved. Was that more on purpose, just to try to get the other guys involved in the second quarter or take what they gave you?
KOBE BRYANT: If they let me I would have went for 60. Because I'm taking what they give me.
If they're playing me straight up, I got shots, I'm going to take them. If I have lanes, I'm going to take them. If they close it down, I'm going to make the right pass.
You know, we did okay. Offensively we did a good job. Like I said, defensively we let them attack us. Let them get to the free-throw line.
And we gotta do a much better job next game.

Q. (Question off microphone)?
KOBE BRYANT: No, not at all.

Q. (Question off microphone)?
KOBE BRYANT: It happens. You win some, you loose some.

Q. Phil said a lot of them were unforced on the road. Is that a recipe for disaster?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, some of them were bobbled balls and dribbling with your toe on the line. Silly stuff. And other ones came from their defense in the zone, and not reading lanes correctly. Them getting hands on balls.

Q. Were you surprised they stayed in, played the zone as much as they did? Seemed like about 80 percent of the second half?
KOBE BRYANT: Not at all.

Q. Is your team normally stronger at adjusting in games? They had a lot of one-looks in this game.
KOBE BRYANT: We adjusted okay. Offensively we adjusted okay. Defense we couldn't get the stops when we needed to. They stepped up. Made big plays. Lopez made big, big plays. So you have to tip your hats to them for that.

Q. Amar'e had that explosive game but you're pretty much there in that fourth quarter. Do you feel the Suns have to get that type of game out of somebody to beat you guys in this series?
KOBE BRYANT: I mean, they can get it in different forms. There's no accident that they're here. Amar'e can have a big game. Steve can have a big scoring game as well. Their bench can step up and play extremely well. They did play well tonight, but you expect them to have a breakout game at some point in the series. So they can get a lot of contributions from different players.

Q. Your guys' 3-point defense has been about the best in the league and their 3-point shooting has been about the best in the league. Are you surprised that maybe they're not taking as many shots, or you're not giving it to them like you said on the other end, you're taking what they give you?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, I mean, we're doing a good job staying on the shooters, and contesting shots. And I think tonight their adjustment was to attack us. And that's what they did. They attacked us. They got to the basket. Got to the free-throw line and hurt us.

Q. It was really clear that the Suns were more aggressive tonight. Foul trouble, what are you going to do to avoid foul trouble?
KOBE BRYANT: Stop hacking. Simple as that. Play fundamentally sound, make them take tough shots.

Q. Phil mentioned Andrew, he's not sure if he's going to play in Game 4. If he doesn't, do you have to make a more cognizant effort to get the ball down low and keep your focus on playing your game, or do you adjust more?
KOBE BRYANT: We adjust. We've been adjusting more. If that happens we have to adjust to it.

Q. Talk about Andrew and just his fight to play through this injury and struggles at the same time?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, I mean, this series is probably showing a little bit more than the previous series, because of how much they get up and down and how much they run. Andrew will be fine.
This is a tough series for him to play in because of how much they run. He's capable of running and keeping up with these guys when he's healthy.
Right now it's a little tough for him, but he'll be fine.

End of FastScripts

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