Kobe Bryant Came Quotations

I think this was our best game this season. We played very well at both ends of the court consistently. We did a great job containing our energy and when we went to our bench they came in and maintained our energy. We had guys step up consistently and make big plays. That is what we have to do. If we can keep this rolling, we will make a lot of noise.

It doesn't really seem like we're overly jumping for joy, but it is a great accomplishment for us. We came from last season when we didn't make it. This season nobody expected us to make it and here we are.

Weird things happen in the NBA, and tonight was one of them. We had a chance to win the game and just didn't close it out. They made some big shots down the stretch and came away with the victory. Even though (Odom) made a mistake, as a team, defense down the stretch cost us the ballgame.

That was a great class. A lot of great players came out of that draft. I don't think people are fully aware of the talent that came out of that draft.

This decision came only after reviewing all the evidence -- testimonial evidence and physical evidence. The standards are the same in this case as in any other case,

I'm proud of us. We came back and played hard. We got into a big hole in the first quarter but we were able to fight back. Late in the fourth quarter, we were able to make a push and give ourselves an opportunity to win the game. Both teams played hard, it's a shame somebody had to lose.

They did a good job defensively. They were just crowding me and trapping me every time I came off a pick-and-roll or when I was in transition. We were playing so well as a team. Everybody was contributing. We had a nice lead. There was really no reason for me to push it or force shots.

It was just a special moment. We're honored to be a part of it, really. This is truly a historical event and we felt like we came out here and gave them a good show.

They came out and they zoned up and they trapped and they doubled, and we just continued to move the ball. It took me three quarters to kind of get the rhythm down on what they were trying to do defensively so I could go into attack mode in the fourth quarter, where I was able to start attacking the basket a little bit and get something going.

He's such a quiet kid. That was the most emotion we've seen out of him all year. I think he was waiting for this moment to go in and compete against Shaquille. I had the same thing when I first came into the league (in 1996) and competed against Michael (Jordan).

They came out and played a lot harder than we did. After the last showing they had on their home floor, I think they took it upon themselves and played with more effort and more heart. And they did it.

It is what it is. We came out, gave a good effort. They executed better, knocked down more shots and won the game.