Kobe,
Lakers Prepare for the Rockets
Fri, May 07, 1999
INGLEWOOD (Friday, May 07, 1999) -
Flashback to April 26th. Kobe Bryant and his Laker teammates are going through the motions
during a 22-point loss to the Houston Rockets,
their 4th loss in their last 6 games at the time.
A sign that the season was over for the underachieving Lakers, or the turning point for
what Bryant and his mates hope will be a run to the NBA title?
That remains to be seen, but Bryant said the butt-whoopin' was badly needed.
"I think so," said Bryant. "We're a young team. It's like your mother
telling you to go outside and play. You have to fall on your face a couple times to
understand what she's talking about. . . .
In that game, Bryant went 3-for-14 from the field and played little defense while
Houston's Scottie Pippen hit five 3-pointers on his way to 26 points.
"I think we come down, take quick shots, we're going to have long rebounds,
especially when we're taking deep threes, and that's when (Scottie) Pippen's at his best,
that's when Houston's at its best."
Jump ahead to today, and that Laker team is almost forgotten after a 4-game win streak
that included two victories over Portland, including a 27-point rout of the Blazers on the
final night of the regular season.
That win clinched home court advantage for the Lakers in their best-of-5 series with the
Rockets, which begins on Sunday.
Lakers head coach Kurt Rambis put his guys through a light workout on Thursday, and plans
on working them a little harder today before backing off on them again on Saturday.
One of the keys to the match-up will be Bryant's ability to handle Pippen on both ends of
the floor. Kobe got the better of Pippen in the first two games -- both LA wins -- between
the teams this season, but played uninspired ball
in that April 26th loss.
Charles Barkley put it best when he said the series depends on "which Laker team
shows up".
A lot of that has to do with which Kobe Bryant shows up.
The best-of-5 series starts Sunday at the Great Western
Forum. |