LOS ANGELES — The Lakers were abject failures in their Western Conference semifinal opener against the Rockets. It was hard to tell, though, by Kobe Bryant’s downright cheerful attitude Tuesday.
“We played really bad,” he said of the 100-92 loss in which the Lakers shot 44 percent from the floor, were 2-of-18 from 3-point range, and 12-of-19 from the line.
Sensing panic in the streets among Laker fans, Bryant offered up some calming words.
“It’s not like it’s the end of the world,” he said. “We’re not the first team ever to lose a Game 1 at home, it’s just here in Los Angeles, people get pretty nervous.”
Bryant isn’t among them.
“Last year we kind of had a cakewalk to the NBA Finals, it feels good to be tested a little bit,” he said. “To be champions, you got to go through some stuff. You got to have the resolve to be able to fight through a little adversity and respond, so here it is.”
The Lakers fell behind in the first quarter Monday night and never got into a rhythm. They had been off for six days after dispatching Utah.
Game 2 against the Rockets is tonight at the Staples Center.
“The next game is extremely critical,” Bryant said. “Everybody is a little edgy, pretty energetic and excited about it.”
Meanwhile, Rockets center Yao Ming showed no ill effects from his knee-to-knee collision with Bryant on Monday, when he limped off the court before returning.
“It’s a little bit sore. It’s fine. I could move around well,” he said. “We are a physical team, particularly defensively. If the rest of the games stay like Game 1, we’re happy.”
