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The Lakers won the game, beating Golden State 118-116, but near the end of the game Kobe Bryant hobbled off the court. The Lakers are calling the injury a probable torn Achilles tendon — and that can be bad news. The initial commentary has Bryant missing the playoffs and doubtful for the start of next season — if an MRI expected Saturday confirms the diagnosis. After the game, a very downcast Bryant told the media he tried to walk it off, but he's pretty certain it's his Achilles. "I was just hoping it wasn't what I knew it was." ESPN's Arash Markazi described Bryant as "almost near tears" during the media session, at which one of the reporters asked if Kobe felt he has played his last game. Bryant gave the questioner a virtual WTF? and didn't directly answer.
Bryant had injured his left leg below the knee earlier in the game, but continued playing. After a short rest in the fourth quarter, he came back in and felt the tendon snap while accelerating. "I made a move I make a million times and it just popped," Bryant said. "I can’t walk. I tried to put pressure on my heel to see if I could that way but there’s just nothing there." Even so, he hobbled back on the court and downed two free throws before leaving.
The Laker commentators on Sportsnet are grasping for the positive spin, James Worthy saying that going into the playoffs without Bryant could make the Lakers a better team. He said the Lakers are now Pau Gasol's team. It didn't look like anybody was really buying the reach for some optimism.
On Twitter, Los Angeles Times sports columnist Helene Elliott was impressed that Bryant faced the media. "Memo to players who duck the media after a routine loss: Kobe Bryant talked to reporters after an injury that almost surely will end his season, and could jeopardize his career. What's your excuse for not talking?"
Grantland's Bill Simmons on Twitter: "Bummed about Kobe. League is less fun than it was 3 hours ago. Hope he comes back 100%. PS: no way Phil Jackson plays him 47 mins a night."
* Update: Kobe vents on Facebook at 3 in the morning, plus here's the Lakers transcript of what Bryant said to reporters after the game. He was on crutches in the Staples Center locker room.
Q: On his emotions now: Bryant: Just terrible. Terrible feeling.Q: On what it felt like:
Bryant: It felt like I got kicked.Q: On what happened on the play:
Bryant: Not really much to take you through. I made a move I’ve made a million times and (the Achilles) just popped.Q: On if the injury was a cause from all the minutes he had been playing:
Bryant: Who knows? It was all necessary. It’s just a freak situation, I guess.Q: On if this is the most disappointing moment he’s had:
Bryant: Yeah, by far. We worked so hard to put ourselves in a position where we control our own fate.Q: On how the team will forge ahead without him:
Bryant: Continue to play. We’ve been dealing with injuries all year. I’ll do what I can – watching film, preparing and communicating to the guys.Q: On if he would try playing on an injury like this:
Bryant: I can’t even walk. I tried to put pressure on my heel to see if I could do it that way, but there was just nothing there.Q: On if he first knew that the injury was what it was:
Bryant: Oh yeah. For sure.Q: On what the future holds coming back from this injury:
Bryant: I’m not really sure. I’ve never had to deal with anything like this. Obviously there’s a bunch of players that have had this same injury, so I know I can do this. All I can do is what they’ve done, who had more success getting back quicker and healthier, and see what they did and see if I can improve upon it.Q: On his emotions coming off the floor:
Bryant: Just pissed and sad. I worked really hard to get to this point. Just pissed.Q: On what he was thinking when he injured his knee earlier:
Bryant: Just keep playing, just keep playing. Keep battling through it and keep pushing through it. I was trying to conserve some energy for the fourth and get back some momentum for us. We got going a little bit and the guys brought it home.Q: On if the previous injury was related to his Achilles:
Bryant: They were different. My knee – when I came down, I hyperextended it a little bit. I just had to shake it off and it was fine.Q: On if he can put this year into words:
Bryant: It’s been a crazy year. That’s for sure.Q: On his emotions during the game after he left:
Bryant: Thank God we pulled this one out. We fought hard and it was a well-deserved win.Q: On if he’s confident the team can make the playoffs without him:
Bryant: I’m confident. We just have to go out there and play hard, play defense and rebound the ball. That’s the biggest thing is the preparation.Q: On if he knew what the injury was:
Bryant: Yeah, I was just hoping it wasn’t what I knew it was. Just trying to walk it off and hoping the sensation would come back.Q: On what it felt like when he first injured it:
Bryant: I had no Achilles. That’s the sensation.Q: On the next steps:
Bryant: MRI, surgery and then recovery.Q: On his feeling from the locker room:
Bryant: I was really tired. I was upset and dejected thinking about this mountain I have to overcome.Q: On if overcoming this injury is at the top of the list over his career:
Bryant: Yeah, it is. But it's fueling me. I can feel it already. It’s just players at this stage of their careers, they pop an Achilles and the pundits say they never come back the same. I can hear it already. It’s pissing me off already.Q: On if this could be career-ending?
Bryant: Really? Really? Are you kidding?
Photo: Lakers.com
