LOS ANGELES, 26 December 2004 — Kobe Bryant took a moment to ponder the persistent questioning, and the words came tumbling out.
“I sat back, I reminisced, I stood at the window, I saw two birds chirping. ...”
And then, he laughed.
Bryant just can’t take Shaq vs. Kobe too seriously.
“You all really want me to say, you know what, it’s going to be very emotional for me, I’m going to have to fight back tears, it’s going to be tough,” Bryant said with a hint of sarcasm. “I honestly don’t have any sentiment either way. I mean, it’s just basketball.”
It was much more between Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal the past eight years, when they fussed, feuded and won three championship rings during their chaotic time as Los Angeles Lakers teammates.
O’Neal is gone, having been shipped to Miami last summer at his request — not long after coach Phil Jackson was told his services were no longer desired.
Since then, O’Neal has made it clear he’s not fond of Bryant, who is still around, having signed a seven-year, $136.4 million contract to stay with the Lakers.
The two will play against each other Saturday for the first time since the trade in a regular-season game that’s been hyped like few others.
Two things are clear — the Bryant-led Lakers (14-11) aren’t what they used to be, and the O’Neal-led Heat (21-7) are one of the NBA’s elite teams.
Bryant and O’Neal won’t exactly be going against each other, as Bryant pointed out before practice Friday at the Lakers’ training facility in El Segundo.
“He’s a center, I’m a guard,” Bryant said.
But it is an important game.
“We’ve got that seventh spot (in the Western Conference). We’re trying to pick up some ground,” Bryant said.
“There’s a lot of hype around the game. You do what you do.”
Lakers center Chris Mihm, who will guard O’Neal, knows what he’s up against, but added: “It’s not like I’m going against him for the first time.”
“This game has been hyped for so long, you can’t help but be ready to go and be excited,” said Mihm, who had a career-high 21 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 101-89 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday.
When asked earlier this week what would happen when Bryant drives to the basket, O’Neal replied: “When you’ve got a Corvette that runs into a brick wall, you know what’s going to happen.”
Bryant laughed over that one, saying at one point he was a combination of a Corvette and a Hummer since he’s gained some weight since last season.
Later, he described himself as a Lamborghini.
“It’s no different from what we did in practice,” Bryant said Friday regarding O’Neal’s remark. “I spent eight years trying to dunk on him. He fouled me every time.”
