Kobe Quotes
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It was a game where our rebounds and defense really failed us and eventually, I had to think about an offensive unit that could do some things to try and catch up. Kobe obviously wasn't right tonight, but this is the second time Blake has scored big against us in critical situations.
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It will affect our season, there's no doubt about it. And we're going to live with it, ... We're going to deal with it. And we're fortunate to have made some moves that will help us, regardless of what happens in the Kobe situation.
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Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game. His obsession with Michael was striking. When we played in Chicago that season, I orchestrated a meeting between the two of them, thinking that Michael might help shift Kobe’s attitude toward selfless teamwork. After they shook hands, the first words out of Kobe’s mouth were, ‘You know I can kick your ass one on one.’
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He practiced against Kobe all of last year, so obviously it was sweet revenge for him. We deserved that. We didn't know who he was, we gave him up to Charlotte, we had no idea how good a player he was.
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We had some dramatic plays down the stretch. Kobe stayed very well inside of what we were trying to do. We kind of died on the vine a couple of times when the shot clock was running down. Then we were able to find that penetrating pass. We were able to find a couple of things that worked for us.
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It was quite an exhibition for three quarters Kobe put on tonight. I've seen a few 60-point ballgames in my time, but none of them had been done by the third quarter.
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That was something to behold -- it was another level. At halftime we were disturbed about the way we were playing. We came out, and Kobe just found a way to do everything.
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Kobe was waiting for his game to get hot and it never happened, and we tried to force the ball into him and it cost us.
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They had a game plan against Kobe that was effective, getting the ball out of his hands.
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It was quite an exhibition for three quarters Kobe put on. I've seen a few 60-point ballgames in my time, but none of them had been done by the third quarter.
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For Kobe, it's about on the court, ... It's about re-establishing his dominance of the game.
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I am pleased with Kobe and how he controlled the offense. We had people open because they were doubling him and that got some people open and we found them.
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We got in a situation where we were waiting for Kobe is hand to get hot. We started trying to force it in to him and that hurt us. Kobe had a hard time chasing Dixon around screens.
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We're not looking for Kobe to score 50 or 30 or 80. We're just looking for it to fit together. We want players to blend their talents together.
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Determined, dedicated, disciplined. I think he's ready to play. For Kobe, it's about re-establishing his dominance in the game.
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We remind our players that this is something that was a special night in a heated situation but it's not going to be a steady diet for us. The onus on Kobe is to stay inside the team offense. The onus on the players is to pick it up a little bit better.
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They almost made me get up and walk out of the building in the third quarter. They got it righted and played good defense to get back in the game. I knew that Kobe would find a way out there to help us win.
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He played a great game, and they gave him 'Kobe (stinks)' or something at the end. I thought that was really poor sportsmanship, especially for a game as competitive and exciting as that game was, down to the last minute to be decided. I'm sure his demeanor and his poise and his character on the floor are saying lots.
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I told Kobe that's the one area where I'll try not to disclose.
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I was surprised. I can hear the cheers too, but there were some boos. I think it was kind of retribution for what happened in Miami over Christmas. I think the Miami fans were so vocal over Kobe.
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I think it's a matter of trust, a matter of rebuilding the trust that we had, ... And yes, I have talked to Kobe; he actually called me this morning to congratulate me on the job. And I felt confident that he's confident that we can go forward.
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Kobe had to take some heat for that, as if he was the one who manufactured that (O'Neal) trade. All those things were made to look like there was a scapegoat in this situation, and there wasn't.
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They came out to play Kobe really tough, a little bit harder I think than the referees wanted to see happen. I think in the process of coming out to play hard they crossed the line a little bit.
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I think he gave the ball up in various points of the year, and I think there's been a fine balance between guys stepping up and making shots and Kobe trusting his teammates. It hasn't got to the point where it's not happening, where I'm disappointed, but there's opportunities that still could be there that have to be exploited even more and we have to recognize that as a team.