You know... I follow the Lakers too. I want to like Kobe. I really do. I think he's the best in the game right now. But then he goes and puts his foot in the mouth with quotes like this.
As you must know by now, Gilbert Arenas dropped 60 on the Lakers recently wearing those god-awful black and gold alternates too. Check out what Kobe says here:
You tip your hat and say, 'See you next time.' First of all, he shot 27 free throws. We as a team shot 30. Think about that.
But him individually, it's funny. He doesn't seem to have much of a conscience. I really don't think he does. Some of the shots he took tonight, you miss those, and they're just terrible shots. Awful. You make them and they're unbelievable shots. I don't get a chance to play him much, so I haven't gotten used to that mentality of just chucking it up there. He made some big ones, but I'll be ready next time.
Pot. Kettle. Black.
And here's Arenas' response. I normally think he's just a really weird guy but he wasn't going to stoop to this level.
I did it last year. I did it this year. Two weeks in a row. Me and Kobe Bryant was the only players to do it last year.
You know, at the end of the day, all the shots that I take I practice. It’s not like I just go into the game just throwing up shots. I work hard. I’m in the gym every day. I practice my shots. Before every game I shoot 100 threes. You know, I get to the gym, I shoot 100 threes so I feel comfortable taking the shots I take.
Out of that whole game I probably took two bad shots. And, for me not to have a conscience? You’re right. When you’re an assassin, you don’t have a conscience. At the end of the day I thought he didn’t have a conscience, but I guess he does.
For the best player in the league to downplay what I did … I guess, I don’t know. I give him all the respect in the world. He is the No. 1 player in the league, by far. It’s like that. You don’t need to try to shadow box my 60. It was one of them nights when I was clicking and everything was going in so, I ended up having 60. That’s all there is to it.
How can you go back at a guy who scores 45 every night? You can’t. There’s no point of it. There’s no point.
We know who he is.
I know who he is.
I’m a big fan, I’m one of his No. 1 fans, so there’s no point in even throwing shots at him.
With a player like him, he just wants that challenge. I know he is going to be ready for Game 2 in Washington. With a player like him, it was his home crowd, they lost. He’s just that fierce competitor. He doesn’t want to get out-showed. He’s the one who everybody’s afraid of. And he’s right.
The next Wiz/Lakers game should be fun.
[Edited by - K22 on 12-21-2006 01:06 AM]-- the preceding post was brought to you by the letter K and the number 22.
