Before Friday’s win against the San Antonio Spurs, all the talk was about Kobe Bryant’s trash-talking directed at his teammates during practice on Thursday. While some thought the five-time champion was too harsh, Kobe talked about the situation at yesterday’s practice following the game.
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One of the many bright spots in the win over the Spurs was the play of Jeremy Lin. Playing off the bench once again, Lin had 14 points and eight assists in 30 minutes. After the game, Lin made reference to Kobe’s Charmin comments when discussing how hard the Lakers played via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
AMAZING quote from Jeremy Lin: "I thought we played pretty hard for a team full of toilet paper." (on @TWCSportsNet)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 13, 2014
At the end of the interview, Lin said the Lakers aren’t soft, via Winters:
Jeremy Lin (on TWC) ended his interview with a laugh, a smile and the quote: "We are not soft."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 13, 2014
While there were some concerns with Kobe’s comments, his teammates weren’t offended and played with a purpose against the defending champions. Despite falling behind 10-0 to start the game, the Lakers moved the ball and played solid defense for most of the game.
With two consecutive wins, the Lakers will now travel to Minnesota where they will face the Timberwolves. Kobe scored 22 points in the win against the Spurs and is only nine points away from passing Michael Jordan for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
[divide]Lakers Practice: Kobe Bryant’s Trash-Talking And Intensity