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Basketball Fan
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 Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 4:29 pm Post subject: Kobe: Final game had to be epic or the worst one ever |
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http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/04/12/kobe-bryant-final-game-had-to-be-epic-one-or-the-worst-one-ever/
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Kobe Bryant: Final game had to be ‘epic one or the worst one ever’
The last day of the regular season is like the last day of school. A few people might still have final exams, but others are already finished and ready for the summer. There’s a loose, anything-goes vibe that surrounds a tenseness for a few.
In this context, one of the most extraordinary performances happened last year.
Kobe Bryant, in the final game of his career, scored 60 points on 50 shots in a Lakers win over the Jazz.
Kobe, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to rest up and come out here and have this monster game.'”
The plan, as much as there was one, was to delight some fans while avoiding any more serious injuries. “Give them a couple plays, take them down memory lane a little bit,” Bryant tells ESPN. And that would be that.
“After the first couple minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, s—,'” Bryant says. “It became apparent really, really quickly that this night was not going to go down with me just playing OK. It was either going to have to be an epic one or the worst one ever, because they were just going to keep throwing me the damn ball and the crowd wanted me to shoot every time — almost to the point where I felt bad for my teammates, because if they took a shot, the crowd was ready to boo. So it was like, ‘Oh, s—. I gotta go.'”
Most great players end their careers with a whimper. They set the bar so high in their prime, and by the time they’re ready to retire, they can’t meet the massively high expectations. And careers end with a single game. There’s only one crack at a finale.
But Kobe — who played 20 years; won five championships; won MVP, Finals MVP twice and All-Star MVP four times; made 15 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Star teams — somehow found a way to amaze us once again.
Did the game’s outcome matter? No. Was Utah trying its hardest? No. Was he efficient? No.
But we’ll still remember that game forever, and that’s what makes it incredible. Kobe figured out what was asked of him that night, and he delivered. |
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splashmtn
Star Player
Joined: 30 Aug 2016
Posts: 3961
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:09 pm Post subject: Re: Kobe: Final game had to be epic or the worst one ever |
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| Basketball Fan wrote: | http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/04/12/kobe-bryant-final-game-had-to-be-epic-one-or-the-worst-one-ever/
| Quote: |
Kobe Bryant: Final game had to be ‘epic one or the worst one ever’
The last day of the regular season is like the last day of school. A few people might still have final exams, but others are already finished and ready for the summer. There’s a loose, anything-goes vibe that surrounds a tenseness for a few.
In this context, one of the most extraordinary performances happened last year.
Kobe Bryant, in the final game of his career, scored 60 points on 50 shots in a Lakers win over the Jazz.
Kobe, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to rest up and come out here and have this monster game.'”
The plan, as much as there was one, was to delight some fans while avoiding any more serious injuries. “Give them a couple plays, take them down memory lane a little bit,” Bryant tells ESPN. And that would be that.
“After the first couple minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, s—,'” Bryant says. “It became apparent really, really quickly that this night was not going to go down with me just playing OK. It was either going to have to be an epic one or the worst one ever, because they were just going to keep throwing me the damn ball and the crowd wanted me to shoot every time — almost to the point where I felt bad for my teammates, because if they took a shot, the crowd was ready to boo. So it was like, ‘Oh, s—. I gotta go.'”
Most great players end their careers with a whimper. They set the bar so high in their prime, and by the time they’re ready to retire, they can’t meet the massively high expectations. And careers end with a single game. There’s only one crack at a finale.
But Kobe — who played 20 years; won five championships; won MVP, Finals MVP twice and All-Star MVP four times; made 15 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Star teams — somehow found a way to amaze us once again.
Did the game’s outcome matter? No. Was Utah trying its hardest? No. Was he efficient? No.
But we’ll still remember that game forever, and that’s what makes it incredible. Kobe figured out what was asked of him that night, and he delivered. |
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as i've said many times. kobe bryant is the ultimate professional. This is something you may never witness again. He comes to work rain, sleet, or snow. Hurt, not hurt. doesn't matter. if he can move. he's on the court. and he's not just their. he's going to try his best to give you your money's worth. we have to remember this is all entertainment at the end of the day. yes he wants to win every time out. But he was also a great entertainer. |
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ingle
Starting Rotation
Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 960
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:46 pm Post subject: Re: Kobe: Final game had to be epic or the worst one ever |
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| splashmtn wrote: | | Basketball Fan wrote: | http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/04/12/kobe-bryant-final-game-had-to-be-epic-one-or-the-worst-one-ever/
| Quote: |
Kobe Bryant: Final game had to be ‘epic one or the worst one ever’
The last day of the regular season is like the last day of school. A few people might still have final exams, but others are already finished and ready for the summer. There’s a loose, anything-goes vibe that surrounds a tenseness for a few.
In this context, one of the most extraordinary performances happened last year.
Kobe Bryant, in the final game of his career, scored 60 points on 50 shots in a Lakers win over the Jazz.
Kobe, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to rest up and come out here and have this monster game.'”
The plan, as much as there was one, was to delight some fans while avoiding any more serious injuries. “Give them a couple plays, take them down memory lane a little bit,” Bryant tells ESPN. And that would be that.
“After the first couple minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, s—,'” Bryant says. “It became apparent really, really quickly that this night was not going to go down with me just playing OK. It was either going to have to be an epic one or the worst one ever, because they were just going to keep throwing me the damn ball and the crowd wanted me to shoot every time — almost to the point where I felt bad for my teammates, because if they took a shot, the crowd was ready to boo. So it was like, ‘Oh, s—. I gotta go.'”
Most great players end their careers with a whimper. They set the bar so high in their prime, and by the time they’re ready to retire, they can’t meet the massively high expectations. And careers end with a single game. There’s only one crack at a finale.
But Kobe — who played 20 years; won five championships; won MVP, Finals MVP twice and All-Star MVP four times; made 15 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Star teams — somehow found a way to amaze us once again.
Did the game’s outcome matter? No. Was Utah trying its hardest? No. Was he efficient? No.
But we’ll still remember that game forever, and that’s what makes it incredible. Kobe figured out what was asked of him that night, and he delivered. |
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as i've said many times. kobe bryant is the ultimate professional. This is something you may never witness again. He comes to work rain, sleet, or snow. Hurt, not hurt. doesn't matter. if he can move. he's on the court. and he's not just their. he's going to try his best to give you your money's worth. we have to remember this is all entertainment at the end of the day. yes he wants to win every time out. But he was also a great entertainer. |
I agree mostly, Kobe was one of a kind and my favorite Laker all time.
But I felt he took too many games off in what was a farewell tour, a lot of fans paid good money/travelled great distances to watch him play and even 10 minutes a game every game would have been better than what he did. |
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Omar Little
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Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 90307
Location: Formerly Known As 24
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:48 pm Post subject: Re: Kobe: Final game had to be epic or the worst one ever |
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| ingle wrote: | | splashmtn wrote: | | Basketball Fan wrote: | http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/04/12/kobe-bryant-final-game-had-to-be-epic-one-or-the-worst-one-ever/
| Quote: |
Kobe Bryant: Final game had to be ‘epic one or the worst one ever’
The last day of the regular season is like the last day of school. A few people might still have final exams, but others are already finished and ready for the summer. There’s a loose, anything-goes vibe that surrounds a tenseness for a few.
In this context, one of the most extraordinary performances happened last year.
Kobe Bryant, in the final game of his career, scored 60 points on 50 shots in a Lakers win over the Jazz.
Kobe, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to rest up and come out here and have this monster game.'”
The plan, as much as there was one, was to delight some fans while avoiding any more serious injuries. “Give them a couple plays, take them down memory lane a little bit,” Bryant tells ESPN. And that would be that.
“After the first couple minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, s—,'” Bryant says. “It became apparent really, really quickly that this night was not going to go down with me just playing OK. It was either going to have to be an epic one or the worst one ever, because they were just going to keep throwing me the damn ball and the crowd wanted me to shoot every time — almost to the point where I felt bad for my teammates, because if they took a shot, the crowd was ready to boo. So it was like, ‘Oh, s—. I gotta go.'”
Most great players end their careers with a whimper. They set the bar so high in their prime, and by the time they’re ready to retire, they can’t meet the massively high expectations. And careers end with a single game. There’s only one crack at a finale.
But Kobe — who played 20 years; won five championships; won MVP, Finals MVP twice and All-Star MVP four times; made 15 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Star teams — somehow found a way to amaze us once again.
Did the game’s outcome matter? No. Was Utah trying its hardest? No. Was he efficient? No.
But we’ll still remember that game forever, and that’s what makes it incredible. Kobe figured out what was asked of him that night, and he delivered. |
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as i've said many times. kobe bryant is the ultimate professional. This is something you may never witness again. He comes to work rain, sleet, or snow. Hurt, not hurt. doesn't matter. if he can move. he's on the court. and he's not just their. he's going to try his best to give you your money's worth. we have to remember this is all entertainment at the end of the day. yes he wants to win every time out. But he was also a great entertainer. |
I agree mostly, Kobe was one of a kind and my favorite Laker all time.
But I felt he took too many games off in what was a farewell tour, a lot of fans paid good money/travelled great distances to watch him play and even 10 minutes a game every game would have been better than what he did. |
Dude did what hebcould tonstay on the court for as many games as he could, and prioritized trying to play in eachbarena and then as many home games as possible.
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel |
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pio2u
Retired Number
Joined: 26 Dec 2012
Posts: 54624
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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There will never be another BLACK MAMBA!  |
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kobeandgary
Star Player
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 6339
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 2:25 am Post subject: Re: Kobe: Final game had to be epic or the worst one ever |
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| ingle wrote: | | splashmtn wrote: | | Basketball Fan wrote: | http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/04/12/kobe-bryant-final-game-had-to-be-epic-one-or-the-worst-one-ever/
| Quote: |
Kobe Bryant: Final game had to be ‘epic one or the worst one ever’
The last day of the regular season is like the last day of school. A few people might still have final exams, but others are already finished and ready for the summer. There’s a loose, anything-goes vibe that surrounds a tenseness for a few.
In this context, one of the most extraordinary performances happened last year.
Kobe Bryant, in the final game of his career, scored 60 points on 50 shots in a Lakers win over the Jazz.
Kobe, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to rest up and come out here and have this monster game.'”
The plan, as much as there was one, was to delight some fans while avoiding any more serious injuries. “Give them a couple plays, take them down memory lane a little bit,” Bryant tells ESPN. And that would be that.
“After the first couple minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, s—,'” Bryant says. “It became apparent really, really quickly that this night was not going to go down with me just playing OK. It was either going to have to be an epic one or the worst one ever, because they were just going to keep throwing me the damn ball and the crowd wanted me to shoot every time — almost to the point where I felt bad for my teammates, because if they took a shot, the crowd was ready to boo. So it was like, ‘Oh, s—. I gotta go.'”
Most great players end their careers with a whimper. They set the bar so high in their prime, and by the time they’re ready to retire, they can’t meet the massively high expectations. And careers end with a single game. There’s only one crack at a finale.
But Kobe — who played 20 years; won five championships; won MVP, Finals MVP twice and All-Star MVP four times; made 15 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Star teams — somehow found a way to amaze us once again.
Did the game’s outcome matter? No. Was Utah trying its hardest? No. Was he efficient? No.
But we’ll still remember that game forever, and that’s what makes it incredible. Kobe figured out what was asked of him that night, and he delivered. |
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as i've said many times. kobe bryant is the ultimate professional. This is something you may never witness again. He comes to work rain, sleet, or snow. Hurt, not hurt. doesn't matter. if he can move. he's on the court. and he's not just their. he's going to try his best to give you your money's worth. we have to remember this is all entertainment at the end of the day. yes he wants to win every time out. But he was also a great entertainer. |
I agree mostly, Kobe was one of a kind and my favorite Laker all time.
But I felt he took too many games off in what was a farewell tour, a lot of fans paid good money/travelled great distances to watch him play and even 10 minutes a game every game would have been better than what he did. |
He did his best to play everywhere, his body could not hold up to an 82 game season. |
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governator
Retired Number
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 25092
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 7:24 am Post subject: |
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I thought he was efficient in that game, 45%FG or something
There's no quit in that dude, the man kept playing with a dislocated shoulder shooting left handed, shot 2 FT... i mean made 2 FT then walked off unassisted with a torn achilles (TORN ACHILLES), i could list more injuries but y'all got the point |
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Vin
Star Player
Joined: 03 Jan 2013
Posts: 6005
Location: France
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 7:33 am Post subject: |
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| It felt like the final scene of a 90's movie where a broken up guy give his all one last time. The shots he made at the end were surreal. |
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nash
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Joined: 23 Oct 2001
Posts: 8194
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Love Mamba, but Frobe is one of my favorite players ever. A still young number 8 with that fro destroying the Spurs almost by himself in San Antonio in a playoff series is something I will never forget. Shaq would take care of the home games, but away home it was Kobe ruling the world. Mamba was almost a sith lord with his mind tricks while number 8 was the pure force of the nature in its full splendor.
The toughest part for me going though the development of this young core is that I became a fan when Magic was a rookie, I had the privilege to follow Kobe since his first summer league game, those guys are all time greats, old timer Lakers fans have the bar set way to high. When we draft high I'm unreasonable expecting a Karl Anthony Town  |
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venturalakersfan
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Joined: 14 Apr 2001
Posts: 144474
Location: The Gold Coast
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 9:17 am Post subject: |
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It was kind of both. Lots of scoring on lots of shots
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RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023. |
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Deathstroke
Star Player
Joined: 10 Dec 2015
Posts: 2131
Location: OC
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 10:05 am Post subject: |
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| One of the most exciting and surreal sports games Ive ever witnessed. I had goosebumps the entire 4th |
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Hector the Pup
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Joined: 25 Jul 2002
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Location: L.A.
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| venturalakersfan wrote: | | It was kind of both. Lots of scoring on lots of shots |
It was the most Kobe last game of a career there could have been. He always said he would go out with no bullets left and in that game not only did he use up all of his bullets, he was taking everyone else's too. |
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City_Dawg
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Joined: 14 Jul 2006
Posts: 46878
Location: Coming soon and striking at your borders.
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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Can't believe its been a year
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*sighs*
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Cutheon
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Joined: 10 Jul 2009
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Location: Bay Area
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Hector the Pup wrote: | | venturalakersfan wrote: | | It was kind of both. Lots of scoring on lots of shots |
It was the most Kobe last game of a career there could have been. He always said he would go out with no bullets left and in that game not only did he use up all of his bullets, he was taking everyone else's too. |
It truly was the perfect Kobe game. Two things in particular jump out in support of that (beyond the shooting, clutchness, etc): his last points were just like his first (free throws); and his final stat recorded was, in the most paradoxical Kobe way, an assist. |
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Treble Clef
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Joined: 20 Nov 2012
Posts: 23913
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: Kobe: Final game had to be epic or the worst one ever |
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| ingle wrote: | | splashmtn wrote: | | Basketball Fan wrote: | http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/04/12/kobe-bryant-final-game-had-to-be-epic-one-or-the-worst-one-ever/
| Quote: |
Kobe Bryant: Final game had to be ‘epic one or the worst one ever’
The last day of the regular season is like the last day of school. A few people might still have final exams, but others are already finished and ready for the summer. There’s a loose, anything-goes vibe that surrounds a tenseness for a few.
In this context, one of the most extraordinary performances happened last year.
Kobe Bryant, in the final game of his career, scored 60 points on 50 shots in a Lakers win over the Jazz.
Kobe, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to rest up and come out here and have this monster game.'”
The plan, as much as there was one, was to delight some fans while avoiding any more serious injuries. “Give them a couple plays, take them down memory lane a little bit,” Bryant tells ESPN. And that would be that.
“After the first couple minutes, I was like, ‘Oh, s—,'” Bryant says. “It became apparent really, really quickly that this night was not going to go down with me just playing OK. It was either going to have to be an epic one or the worst one ever, because they were just going to keep throwing me the damn ball and the crowd wanted me to shoot every time — almost to the point where I felt bad for my teammates, because if they took a shot, the crowd was ready to boo. So it was like, ‘Oh, s—. I gotta go.'”
Most great players end their careers with a whimper. They set the bar so high in their prime, and by the time they’re ready to retire, they can’t meet the massively high expectations. And careers end with a single game. There’s only one crack at a finale.
But Kobe — who played 20 years; won five championships; won MVP, Finals MVP twice and All-Star MVP four times; made 15 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Star teams — somehow found a way to amaze us once again.
Did the game’s outcome matter? No. Was Utah trying its hardest? No. Was he efficient? No.
But we’ll still remember that game forever, and that’s what makes it incredible. Kobe figured out what was asked of him that night, and he delivered. |
|
as i've said many times. kobe bryant is the ultimate professional. This is something you may never witness again. He comes to work rain, sleet, or snow. Hurt, not hurt. doesn't matter. if he can move. he's on the court. and he's not just their. he's going to try his best to give you your money's worth. we have to remember this is all entertainment at the end of the day. yes he wants to win every time out. But he was also a great entertainer. |
I agree mostly, Kobe was one of a kind and my favorite Laker all time.
But I felt he took too many games off in what was a farewell tour, a lot of fans paid good money/travelled great distances to watch him play and even 10 minutes a game every game would have been better than what he did. |
He played more games than I thought he would. I think he should have at least came out and sat on the bench when he wasn't playing so people could see him. If he wasn't playing that night, it was like he wasn't even on the team. |
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