SAN ANTONIO — After the huddled masses clicked off their tape recorders and left, a trio remained near Kobe Bryant, the NBA MVP.
One reporter asked the Lakers guard if, back in the preseason, he could have fathomed advancing to the Western Conference finals.
“No,” Bryant said. “I thought I’d be in Chicago.”
The superstar bluntly admitted he thought a trade was imminent. Back then, he wanted out. Instead, well, you know the story — he wasn’t traded, he played elite basketball, his hated general manager traded for Pau Gasol and now, two playoff rounds later, the Lakers are in the Western Conference finals.
After Sunday’s loss to San Antonio, the Lakers lead the series 2-1, and momentum has encompassed this Texas team and town, where Game 4 is tonight.
Bryant once was not confident in the Lakers, but now he beams confidence, even after Sunday’s slap-around.
“We want to get it in the worst way,” Bryant said of tonight’s game. “I think we learned from the series in Utah and playing in that tough environment, we have to be hungry.”
The Lakers had a fascinating coolness to them Monday. They disregarded the notion of panicking. They took responsibility for Game 3. (“The defense sucked,” Bryant said). And, even in defeat, they exuded a sense of control.
“There are tons of variables that go into winning and losing games,” guard Derek Fisher said. “I feel like, for the most part, we’re in control of what we’re doing or not doing out on the floor. It’s not so much what they’ve done to us. I think we still have a good shot at winning (tonight), and that’s the focus we need to have.”
A win would put the Lakers up 3-1 and headed home for Game 5.
Now, the No. 1-seeded Lakers are certainly wary of Manu Ginobili, the Spurs’ guard who had 30 points in Game 3. But the Lakers believe Gasol and Lamar Odom won’t combine for just nine field goals again, which was certainly a difference-maker.
“I need to attack the rim a little harder and finish at the free-throw line,” Odom said. “The opportunities are there.”
Bryant scored 30 points in Game 3, but he got to the line only once, an amazing statistic that can be credited to Bruce Bowen. The Spurs’ best defender kept Bryant from taking over the game. It was a quiet 30, if you will. And Bryant had just one assist and four turnovers.
“I think we always make him work, and as long as we’re doing that, we will be in the ballpark,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
But Bryant has won numerous playoff games this season in numerous ways. He had 49- and 38-point scoring efforts. In another game, he had nine assists and one turnover. His versatility is scary. And he senses greatness.
“This is fun,” he said, believing adversity can only add to his legend.
