Kobe puts in effort to the end
Kobe scores 34 points against Boston, says it’s been ‘ a joy’ to be part of the rivalry.
There are overtones of 2010 as Bryant plays his f inal game against an old rival.
BOSTON 107 LAKERS 100
It felt like 2010 for the first time in an eternally long period for Lakers fans.
Kobe Bryant was nailing his shots as derogatory Boston chants f loated through Staples Center in an entertaining, boisterous game Sunday between the Lakers and their detested rivals.
It wasn’t long before 2010 morphed into 2016, quite predictably. The playoff- bound Celtics were better down the stretch than the lottery- destined Lakers in a 107- 100 victory
Unlike in many games on his goodbye tour, there were no smiles from Bryant, no joking around with the opponent. Perhaps it was his way of honoring the Celtics in his f inal turn against them.
He was “dead serious,” Lakers Coach Byron Scott said, adding that Bryant “understands this series” while seemingly wishing the younger Lakers could comprehend the importance too.
Scott was particularly down on the Lakers’ perimeter defense. All- Star point guard Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points for the Celtics, more than Jordan Clarkson ( 17 points) and D’Angelo Russell ( eight) combined, as the Lakers fell to an unfathomable 16- 60.
“They’ve got to get a whole lot better defensively… and that’s been a problem all season long,” Scott said. “Both of them are athletic enough and they’re both smart enough. They’ve just got to get to the point where they take a little bit more pride in that end of the f loor.”
Bryant cooled off in the end and f inished with 34 points on 11- for- 28 shooting. His three- point attempt could have cut the Celtics’ lead to two but rimmed out with 17.9 seconds left.
“It’s weird, last time facing that green,” a ref lective Bryant said. “It’s been a joy to be able to go against them, to be part of a rivalry that I watched for so long.”
There was “no question” the Lakers’ 2010 championship was the most important of the f ive Bryant won, he said. The Lakers lost to Boston two years earlier in the NBA Finals, the f inal blow a humiliating 39- point Game 6 loss.
“To lose that one and to be 0- 2 to the Celtics, that is non- negotiable,” Bryant said, alluding to what his career Finals record would have been against Boston if not for a late, emotionally charged Lakers escape in Game 7 in 2010.
The entertainment value for both fan bases was high Sunday.
When Thomas scored, he often looked over at good friend Floyd Mayweather Jr. and celebrated. The boxing champion was sitting courtside. This happened a lot in the first half, after which the Lakers trailed 57- 48.
The Lakers added a bigpicture nod to the rivalry by honoring athletic trainer Gary Vitti at the end of the first quarter. He is retiring after 32 years with the team and received a standing ovation from fans.
“What he’s meant to my career, you can’t really put into words,” said Bryant, in his 20th NBA season.
Julius Randle had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers but Russell struggled with six turnovers and made only four of 14 shots.
Bryant, despite dunking on a second- quarter fastbreak and breaking the 30point barrier, reiterated he would not return next season. “Not a chance,” he said. He was smiling. The game was over. So was his part in Lakers- Celtics lore.