For the sake of winning, Kobe Bryant
willingly took a back seat to his scoring. But for the sake of his competitive
streak, Bryant couldn't help but take issue with Nuggets Coach George Karl.
So after the Lakers' 96-87 Game 7 victory
Saturday over the Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant didn't just approach Denver's
coach to rub it in that the purple and gold were advancing. He also questioned
why the Nuggets double-teamed him, leading him to focus less on scoring (17
points on seven-of-16 shooting) and more on facilitating (eight
assists).
"All I said to him is, 'You don't have to
double-team me that much,' " Bryant said. "I'm too old. I can't score the ball
anymore."
Of course, that's hardly the case. The
Nuggets often sent him single coverage early in the season so they could throw
their resources at Andrew Bynum. Bryant's 43 points nearly proved enough to
bring the Lakers back to win Game 5; they lost by three.
That's why Kobe Bryant couldn't help but feel
amused by Karl's reaction."He said he wasn't falling for that," Bryant said with
a smile.
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