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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 13, 2010

Kobe Bryant

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game Five

Los Angeles Lakers 86
Boston Celtics 92

Q. Phil mentioned something happened to your ankle. What was that exactly? He said you had to have it retaped.
KOBE BRYANT: No, I just tweaked it a little bit, just retaped it, and it felt a lot better.

Q. What did you think of Pau tonight? He was the only guy who scored in double figures besides you, but he kind of struggled with his shot.
KOBE BRYANT: He's been consistent for us for a while now, so he can afford to have a bad game every once in a while.

Q. You're obviously such a great competitor. Do you look at a game like this, I did all I can do, or do you look at it as if only I had done this or done this, it could have been opposite result?
KOBE BRYANT: I've forgotten about it.

Q. You've just put it behind you, you're that focused?
KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, I mean, you just go into the next game. We have a challenge obviously down 3-2. We let a couple opportunities slip away. But it is what it is. Now you go home, you've got two games at home that you need to win, and you pull your boots up and get to work.

Q. Was there a part tonight in the game where you thought you guys let the game slip away?
KOBE BRYANT: I mean, we're knocking at the door there a couple times and just couldn't get through. Again tonight they got all the hustle points in terms of loose balls and offensive rebounds down the stretch. We didn't convert.

Q. How confident are you in yourself of your ability to win two games back to back on your home court?
KOBE BRYANT: I'm not very confident at all (laughing).

Q. First eight minutes of the third quarter, I think they scored on 12 of 13 possessions. The one they didn't was a turnover. And I think they rebounded -- four of them were second-chance shots. You went eight minutes and didn't touch a rebound. Was that effort to some extent? And if so, how can that be?
KOBE BRYANT: They just got to every ball. Again, they played with more tenacity than we did in that stretch, and we have to do a much better job Game 6.

Q. You guys had 12 assists tonight. How do you explain you guys' performance? Was that the Celtics' defense smothering you guys or do you need to look for your open man more?
KOBE BRYANT: They do a great job defensively. We're normally good at moving the ball. We missed a lot of shots. We shot 30 something percent. That's a testament to their defense, as well. So there's some adjustments we have to make for the next game.

Q. You did your thing, but the total lack of an inside game, Bynum 3 for 6, one rebound the first six minutes, added nothing the rest of the game. Artest had a tough game on the inside. How much did the lack of any inside game hurt your chances tonight to win this game?
KOBE BRYANT: You know, to be honest with you, the offensive part of the game kind of comes and goes. He does a great job giving us great production most nights. I just thought defensively were weren't very good at all. Last game it was the fourth quarter, this game it was the third quarter. We didn't get any stops. They got lay-up after lay-up after lay-up, and you can't survive a team that shots 56 percent. We're normally a great defensive team.

Q. There's been a lot of guys on the team who have talked openly about how much this means to them because of what happened in 2008. How much do you talk with guys about not letting it get too personal or getting too consumed?
KOBE BRYANT: Just man up and play. What the hell is the big deal? I don't see it as a big deal. If I have to say something to them, then we don't deserve to be champions. We're down 3-2, go home, win one game, go into the next one. Simple as that.

End of FastScripts

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