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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERSJune 16, 2010Kobe BryantLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q. I know last night you kind of downplayed what Game 7 means and everything like that, but I assume when you were growing up this was kind of the situation you would always want to be in. KOBE BRYANT: Yeah, sure. Q. So the fact that you don't put anything extra on it, is that maybe what helps you play as well as you do in pressure situations, because you don't change your mindset, you don't get caught up in the moment and what it means? KOBE BRYANT: Probably. I don't worry about it too much. I just go out there and play hard. I play hard all the time, so I don't need to do anything different for Game 7. Q. Is there a word that would describe Game 7 for everybody? Game 7 of the NBA Finals? KOBE BRYANT: It's Game 7. No, I don't know what to tell you. Q. Nothing comes to mind? KOBE BRYANT: Uh-uh. Q. I'm not talking about this particular moment, but they talk about big games, great players make big plays. Is there any enjoying the moment? KOBE BRYANT: No, for us it's really just doing what we do. You can't really enjoy the moment when you're in it in terms of what's happening. You've just got a job to do, you go out there and you do it, and then you can look back at it after the fact. But during you've just got to go out there and do your job. Q. If you guys contain Rondo tomorrow and don't let him hurt you guys, do you feel like it's going to be tough for the Celtics to beat you guys, that you have kind of everything else under control? KOBE BRYANT: I mean, it helps. He's a problem. He creates a lot of havoc and gets out in transition and crashes the boards extremely well and gives them second opportunities. He's a problem. If we can do a pretty good job on him, it helps our chances. Q. Why are you so reluctant to plug into the history of this rivalry that goes back 51 years with these two teams, have met more than any other two teams in the history of sport for a championship? KOBE BRYANT: Ain't got nothing to do with me right now. It's got nothing to do with me. I look back, years from now or even when I was a kid, you talk about being in this situation I'd be really excited. But when I'm in the moment right now, I've got to play. I've got to focus on that. I can't focus on the hype about it. Q. Do you have a rival? Do you consider, for example, the Spurs that you've dealt with several times a rival, or is your version of a rival AC Milan-Inter Milan? What's a rival for you? KOBE BRYANT: No, Duke-Carolina, us and San Antonio, Lakers-Celtics. But in order for a rivalry to become official, the other team has to win. We haven't beaten the Celtics yet. Q. Given the expectations of the organization and its history, would anything less than a victory tomorrow night be considered a failure? KOBE BRYANT: Yeah. I mean, I've said the whole season, you don't win a championship, it's a failure. It's as simple as that. Q. Do you think if you were to not win tomorrow night there would be big changes? Do you think this is the kind of organization where if you don't win, stuff just happens? You've seen this in the past. KOBE BRYANT: I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think it's that kind of situation. But it's still life or death. Not that extreme. Q. Could you compare the anticipation of playing a Game 7 for the NBA Championship to the anticipation you felt two years ago in China when you played for a gold medal for your country? KOBE BRYANT: I mean, they're similar, because you're talking about one game. I think this is a little different because I have way more responsibilities with this team than I did on the USA team. But energy around it is similar. Q. As demanding and draining as these Finals are and knowing that you're a real soccer fan, I was just wondering if you've found time to watch some World Cup games? KOBE BRYANT: No. Q. Not one? KOBE BRYANT: Not yet. Q. You haven't felt the need to? KOBE BRYANT: No, not yet. I haven't watched any yet. Q. I don't know if you've seen this stat, but in The Finals you're shooting I think it was 26 percent when Tony Allen is guarding you and 49 percent against everybody else. Is there something he's doing or is that something that's just happened? KOBE BRYANT: He's a great defender. Q. Does he do anything in particular well? KOBE BRYANT: He's just a great defensive player. Q. I was wondering what thoughts were coming into that first Game 7 against Portland and what you took out of that? KOBE BRYANT: I mean, just the experience of it. We had a lot of pressure on us to win the whole thing, and so, you know, that was really like our first pressure situation as a group. Once you kind of deal with that, you look that pressure situation in the face and you come out on top, you've pretty much been through all of that at that point. Q. You have a relationship with Jerry West. I was just wondering over the course of time, in the past, have you and he ever talked about his experiences against Boston in these Game 7s where he experienced such heartbreak and agony? KOBE BRYANT: That's not a topic of conversation that a 17-year-old kid wants to talk to The Logo about. Happier times. Q. You've always been very much in the moment, the next game has been your sole focus. I'm just wondering what are your goals just beyond winning a championship, like when it's two or three years down the line? Is there something you have specific, like I want to have accomplished this, I have this specific goal? KOBE BRYANT: No. Q. Not winning those titles or anything like that? KOBE BRYANT: No. If I can look back at the end of my career and just say that I gave it my all every day, I will be happy with that. Whatever shakes out from that. End of FastScripts |
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