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Kobe
Looks to Bounce Back in
Game 4
Fri, May 14, 1999
HOUSTON (Friday, May 14, 1999) - Kobe
Bryant scored just 13 points in the Lakers'
Game 3 loss to the Houston Rockets
Thursday night, while the guy he was guarding most of the
night, Scottie Pippen, exploded for a career-high 37 points.
Bryant's teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, believes that
scenario will change on Saturday, when the Rockets host
LA in Game 4.
"Kobe's coming back," O'Neal said. "Scottie didn't have to
play that much defense yesterday, but he's going to have
to play defense tomorrow."
In the first two games, Pippen was 5-for-20 from the field,
including 0-for-6 from 3-point range. In Game 3, he was
12-for-27 from the field, including 3-for-5 on 3-pointers.
"He came out more aggressive and did a better job of
getting involved in their offense," Bryant said. "He started
going inside early and built up his confidence, and then he
stepped back and started hitting the outside shots."
Bryant promised Pippen wouldn't get the same chance in
Game 4.
"We've got to make our adjustments and counterattack on
Saturday," he said.
The big question now is whether Pippen can keep riding
that high and help even the best-of-5 series at two games
apiece, or is another fall on the horizon?
"I don't think I've ever lost my groove," Pippen said Friday
after practice. "I was just more aggressive last night, and I
plan on being more aggressive throughout this series.
"Our manhood was on the line last night," he added.
"Letting this young team come out and really dominate us
the first couple of games, we had to come out last night
and prove that we're a team that deserves to be in the
playoffs."
Gametime is 5:30 PM ET. |
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