The setting was the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, as the Lakers faced off against the Spurs on December 11, 2015. The game came less than two weeks after Kobe Bryant announced his impending retirement, which will likely take place right after LA’s April 13 contest against the Utah Jazz, as the Lakers look ill-equipped to compete for a playoff spot with their current ragtag roster. But don’t tell Kobe Bryant that. True to form, the all-time great has refused to count himself or his team out of the postseason chase, even as they sit in last place in the Western Conference. Or so rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. said in his post on The Players’ Tribune…
The setting was the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, as the Lakers faced off against the Spurs on December 11, 2015. The game came less than two weeks after Kobe Bryant announced his impending retirement, which will likely take place right after LA’s April 13 contest against the Utah Jazz, as the Lakers look ill-equipped to compete for a playoff spot with their current ragtag roster.
But don’t tell Kobe Bryant that. True to form, the all-time great has refused to count himself or his team out of the postseason chase, even as they sit in last place in the Western Conference. Or so rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. said in his post on The Players’ Tribune Tuesday: ;
Kobe came into the huddle before the game in San Antonio and said, ‘Look, we’re five games out of the playoffs right now. Just think about that. We’re five games out of the playoffs. There’s three-fourths of the season left. This book is not written. We’ve still got time to do what we need to do, and sneak into one of these spots.’
At that point, the Lakers held a 3-19 record and, as CBS Sports’ James Herbert pointed out, were nowhere near the postseason hunt ;– that five-game magic number was a fallacy.
But it’s just so typical Kobe to view the metaphorical mountain in front of him as just a molehill — as a problem that can be solved, a deficit that can be overcome, by just a few made jump shots or transition layups.
You never know — this is Kobe Bryant we’re talking about. After all, Bryant has been playing well lately, pouring in 31 points against the Denver Nuggets ; on Tuesday alone, ;including this beauty from behind the backboard (!). ;
And this jumper with the game on the line. ;
If there’s anything Lakers fans were spoiled by during the Kobe era, it was the feeling that their team was never out of the game, no matter the opponent or the situation. “Sneak[ing] into” the postseason may look pretty unlikely right now, but we’ve certainly learned better than to doubt No. 24.
;
Also on HuffPost:
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Read the article:
Does Kobe Bryant Actually Think The Lakers Can Still Make The Playoffs?
