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Bryant does not let injuries slow him
Source: Agencies |
January 1, 2010, Friday
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KOBE Bryant hasn't been trapped in a fancy Los Angeles building and surrounded by vicious enemies led by a brilliant German since the last time Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks visited Staples Center.
Still, the Los Angeles Lakers' unbreakable star was only half-joking recently when he said he was Bruce Willis - you know, the "Die Hard" star famed for playing action heroes who can't be stopped, no matter the odds stacked against them.
With a broken index finger on his shooting hand, a strained elbow and several additional woes that have come and gone this season, Bryant is persevering through an uncommon spate of significant injuries without missing a game for the defending NBA champions.
"Injuries don't affect me," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and say I've got a (bad) knee, I've got a (bad) finger. I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I always keep playing."
Bryant's season-high 44-point performance in a 124-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday propelled him past Denver's Carmelo Anthony into the overall NBA scoring lead with 30.4 points per game. He has averaged more than 38 points over the Lakers' last five outings, starting with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder last week in which he was elbowed in the jaw before coming uncomfortably close to a major knee injury as he dropped 40 on them.
What's more, Bryant is doing all this shooting and dribbling with an avulsion fracture - a fragment of bone torn away by a tendon or ligament - in his index finger, the most important digit for controlling his shot. He plays wearing a soft white protective padding that appears to be one of Mickey Mouse's fingers, and he sometimes resorts to left-handed shots in tough situations, using the ambidextrous shooting skills he has practiced since childhood.
"I don't know how he does what he does," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said. "I've never seen him have trouble adjusting because of injuries. It's one thing to play through an injury, but to play at the level he does with the injuries he has, it's crazy. We aren't surprised by anything now."
Bryant's biggest worry about his broken finger was its effect on his free throws, which rely most heavily on his touch. Yet he made 16 without a miss in the win over Golden State on Tuesday, blowing away Warriors coach Don Nelson.
"That guy is amazing," Nelson said. "To be able to shoot like he did with the finger problems that he has on his shooting hand, it's amazing. I love watching him play, and it's always a pleasure to coach against him."
Yet Bryant rarely talks about his injuries except when pestered by the media.
"Man, stop asking me about injuries," he said with mock indignation. "You think I'm not going to play? I'm fine. ... It's just a different technique to shoot the ball."
Still, the Los Angeles Lakers' unbreakable star was only half-joking recently when he said he was Bruce Willis - you know, the "Die Hard" star famed for playing action heroes who can't be stopped, no matter the odds stacked against them.
With a broken index finger on his shooting hand, a strained elbow and several additional woes that have come and gone this season, Bryant is persevering through an uncommon spate of significant injuries without missing a game for the defending NBA champions.
"Injuries don't affect me," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and say I've got a (bad) knee, I've got a (bad) finger. I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I always keep playing."
Bryant's season-high 44-point performance in a 124-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday propelled him past Denver's Carmelo Anthony into the overall NBA scoring lead with 30.4 points per game. He has averaged more than 38 points over the Lakers' last five outings, starting with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder last week in which he was elbowed in the jaw before coming uncomfortably close to a major knee injury as he dropped 40 on them.
What's more, Bryant is doing all this shooting and dribbling with an avulsion fracture - a fragment of bone torn away by a tendon or ligament - in his index finger, the most important digit for controlling his shot. He plays wearing a soft white protective padding that appears to be one of Mickey Mouse's fingers, and he sometimes resorts to left-handed shots in tough situations, using the ambidextrous shooting skills he has practiced since childhood.
"I don't know how he does what he does," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said. "I've never seen him have trouble adjusting because of injuries. It's one thing to play through an injury, but to play at the level he does with the injuries he has, it's crazy. We aren't surprised by anything now."
Bryant's biggest worry about his broken finger was its effect on his free throws, which rely most heavily on his touch. Yet he made 16 without a miss in the win over Golden State on Tuesday, blowing away Warriors coach Don Nelson.
"That guy is amazing," Nelson said. "To be able to shoot like he did with the finger problems that he has on his shooting hand, it's amazing. I love watching him play, and it's always a pleasure to coach against him."
Yet Bryant rarely talks about his injuries except when pestered by the media.
"Man, stop asking me about injuries," he said with mock indignation. "You think I'm not going to play? I'm fine. ... It's just a different technique to shoot the ball."
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