On the other hand, Bryant allowed himself to be taken over by emotion in a blowout game against a weak opponent in February. So much for the NBA regular season being meaningless.
What happened on Sunday night was much more than a simple loss of temper. He sent a message to his team that every play, in every game, from here on out, is important.
The Lakers, as well as eight other Western Conference teams, are at once fighting for the No. 1 seed in the standings, and their playoff lives. With nine teams bunched within six games of each other, a single loss of concentration could take the top team to the bottom in a matter of days.
Bryant has made it clear that he has no intention of letting his concentration lapse. The Lakers are ahead in the West right now, but not comfortably. They currently hold a half-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs with 26 games remaining.
If Bryant didn’t think Sunday’s game was ensured, with a 31-point lead against the Sonics with 16 minutes to go, he must have a hard time sleeping with the Lakers merely clinging to the top spot in the conference.
Bryant may not have reacted the way he did had the game been close, or at home, or against one of the league’s premier teams. But he certainly wasn’t going to let his voice go unheard.
With a sprint to the finish sure to make the next six weeks the most exciting regular season basketball we’ve seen in years, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers are not going to rest on their laurels.
Kobe Bryant wants to win, and he’s going to let you hear about it.
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