Kobe Bryant is game, but the Lakers fall to Boston, 107-100
Lakers forward Kobe Bryant steals the ball and dunks it against the Celtics in the second quarter.
It felt like 2010 for the first time in an eternally long period for Lakers fans.
Kobe Bryant was nailing his shots as derogatory Boston chants floated through Staples Center in an entertaining, boisterous game Sunday between the Lakers and their detested rivals.
It wasn’t long before 2010 morphed into 2016, quite predictably. The playoff-bound Celtics were better down the stretch than the lottery-destined Lakers in a 107-100 victory.
Unlike in many games on his goodbye tour, there were no smiles from Bryant, no joking around with the opponent. Perhaps it was his way of honoring the Celtics in his final turn against them.
He was “dead serious,” Lakers Coach Byron Scott said, adding that Bryant “understands this series” while seemingly wishing the younger Lakers could comprehend the importance too.
Scott was particularly down on the Lakers’ perimeter defense. All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points for the Celtics, more than Jordan Clarkson (17 points) and D’Angelo Russell (eight) combined, as the Lakers fell to an unfathomable 16-60.
“They’ve got to get a whole lot better defensively… and that’s been a problem all season long,” Scott said. “Both of them are athletic enough and they’re both smart enough. They’ve just got to get to the point where they take a little bit more pride in that end of the floor.”
Bryant cooled off in the end and finished with 34 points on 11-for-28 shooting. His three-point attempt could have cut the Celtics’ lead to two but rimmed out with 17.9 seconds left.
“It’s weird, last time facing that green,” a reflective Bryant said. “It’s been a joy to be able to go against them, to be part of a rivalry that I watched for so long.”
Mike Bresnahan and Lindsey Thiry discuss Kobe Bryant’s 34-point performance, the loss to the Celtics, the retirement of Garry Vitti and the Lakers upcoming game against the Clippers.
There was “no question” the Lakers’ 2010 championship was the most important of the five Bryant won, he said. The Lakers lost to Boston two years earlier in the NBA Finals, the final blow a humiliating 39-point Game 6 loss.
“To lose that one and to be 0-2 to the Celtics, that is non-negotiable,” Bryant said, alluding to what his career Finals record would have been against Boston if not for a late, emotionally charged Lakers escape in Game 7 in 2010.
The entertainment value for both fan bases was high Sunday.
When Thomas scored, he often looked over at good friend Floyd Mayweather Jr. and celebrated. The boxing champion was sitting courtside. This happened a lot in the first half, after which the Lakers trailed 57-48.
The Lakers added a big-picture nod to the rivalry by honoring athletic trainer Gary Vitti at the end of the first quarter. He is retiring after 32 years with the team and received a standing ovation from fans.
“What he’s meant to my career, you can’t really put into words,” said Bryant, in his 20th NBA season.
Julius Randle had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers but Russell struggled with six turnovers and made only four of 14 shots.
Bryant, despite dunking on a second-quarter fastbreak and breaking the 30-point barrier, reiterated he would not return next season.
“Not a chance,” he said.
He was smiling. The game was over. So was his part in Lakers-Celtics lore.
mike.bresnahan@latimes.com
Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
