‘Mamba Mentality’ inspires C’s
Mourning Celtics look to bounce back against Heat tonight
MIAMI — The entire NBA moved on to the next city Monday with ongoing regret, and though news of Kobe Bryant’s death made competition on Sunday a half-hearted dirge, the schedule beckons.
Consider the response of Jaylen Brown following the Celtics’ loss in New Orleans. Like teammates, he admitted it was difficult to lace up for that game. But this being the business of basketball, there needs to be room in the midst of mourning for some routine introspection as well.
“Yeah, it was hard to play. It was tough,” said Brown, before attempting to focus back on the floor, and what he considered a sub-par effort by himself.
“I take a lot of the blame, a lot of responsibility, the things that I do well, the things that I do great, I didn’t do great (Sunday),” he said. “It was just one of those games. Definitely look forward to getting it back (Monday), don’t want to let this be something contagious, we gotta shake it off and get ready for the next one. I didn’t do well (Sunday) so I take a lot of the responsibility on me, I gotta be better, gotta hold myself accountable and the rest of our team, we gotta pick each other up. Next game, I’m looking forward to.”
But as the Celtics move on to tonight’s game in Miami, and the conclusion of what stands as a 1-1 road trip, their thoughts will still be on the giant who has moved on from their lives.
“There’s no right or wrong emotion when you are experiencing something like this. The way that I describe it, being a 43-year-old, is Kobe is their (Michael) Jordan,” coach Brad Stevens said of the comparison between Bryant and his own boyhood idol.
Bryant’s death left Brown looking back to his beginnings as a basketball player.
“For me, it was his mentality,” said Brown. “My first game that I ever asked my mom to go to — my favorite player growing up was T-Mac, Tracey McGrady. But when I asked my mom to get me tickets to go to a game, it was a Kobe Bryant game.
“Mentality, his thirst to win, all of that stuff that you saw and felt when he was out there. How he carried himself like a champion in everything he did, and that mindset is still going to remain forever, that Mamba Mentality is going to be around forever. Rest in peace to him and his family, rest in peace to Gigi, prayers up for Vanessa and the rest of those guys. Truly sad day.”
Missing Kanter
Jayson Tatum, in Stevens’ words, is getting close to a return from his strained right groin. But the player the Celtics probably missed just as much was Enes Kanter, who will miss his third straight game in Miami with a bruised hip — the result of diving for a loose ball during last Wednesday’s win over Memphis.
The Celtics were destroyed on the glass by a 54-37 margin, nearly tripled in offensive rebounds by an 18-7 margin, and out-done in second chance points, 16-10.
It’s a benefit to bring your leading rebounder off the bench, where Kanter has averaged 8.2 rebounds, including three offensive boards per game. But with Miami, and the likes of Bam Adebayo, the next team up, the Celtics have no margin for error on the glass.
Playing a tribute
Though players wouldn’t have minded if the NBA had called off Sunday’s games in honor of Bryant, most understood why playing was actually a tribute to the passion of the late Lakers star.
“It wouldn’t have bothered me at all if we didn’t play, I didn’t feel like playing (Sunday). (But) I think he would have wanted everybody to play,” said Gordon Hayward .“I don’t think anybody on either team would have minded if we didn’t.”
Said Kemba Walker: “For me, I looked at it like, I’m pretty sure Kobe would have wanted us to play. That’s the kind of fierce competitor he was. He just had so much respect around this league, from players around the world, from fans around the world. We love Kobe.”