Lakers: Franchise’s 5 Best Moments in Celtics Rivalry

“She was crying, she was mad”. It’s doubtful. In fact, it might make him even more popular. “I knew who Dave Cowens was and was pretty excited”, he said. “You go back to Russell and West, and Magic and Bird; it’s going to happen, that’s just how sports are”.

“That’s the kind of profound impact that this building has had”.

As Kobe Bryant inches closer by the game to the end of his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, which is the longest tenure for a player in the history of the franchise, the former star has broken nearly every individual record in franchise history. He made 7 of 9 shots and all four of his free throws for 19 points, and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 35 minutes. And based on the atmosphere they created tonight at TD Garden, there’s no reason to believe that it will cease anytime soon. At one point the Lakers scored and the annoying young man in front of us was hooping and hollering so much that my son assumed that we scored and he was supposed to cheer.

Then, in the final minute, chants of “Ko-be” and “Ko-be Bryant” roared through the crowd.

Before Wednesday’s game, Bryant said losing in 2008 helped him discover the leader he needed to become. “It felt great to get booed”.

Since averaging 15.8 points and 31.3 percent shooting in his first 20 games, Bryant has scored 20.6 with a 40.3 mark over his last nine. While the rivalry has been decidedly one-sided in recent years given the injuries to Kobe and the decline of the Lakers into rebuilding mode, the two teams have always shared a special bond with one another as the league’s greatest rivalry.

“I can play whatever, man. You can put me at point guard”. Regardless, Jordan’s still considered arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, and Favre’s reputation took a far greater hit for his cellphone indiscretions rather than for his interminable comebacks. Despite playing better, the future Hall of Famer says there’s no chance he’ll change his mind about retirement. Still, in the moments when Bryant made a vintage move and converted a bucket, like when he spun around Avery Bradley for a dunk in the third quarter, there were again loud cheers. Bryant, asked how big a role Boston has played in his story, said, “For the second half of my career here, it’s the most important piece”. “I was determined and said, ‘Listen, I have to figure a solution and do whatever is necessary. When we lost in 2008, that turned [everything]”, he said Wednesday, adding he kept telling himself, “I can’t go through this [again]”.

His farewell tour continues at Boston this morning (Singapore time), as the Lakers face their arch-rivals.