Kobe Bryant not too worried about his team's effort against the Minnesota Timberwolves
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers (8-0) remain unbeaten on the season, there was some concern within the team about their lack of effort in their most recent 99-94 victory over the Minnesota
Timberwolves (2-7) on Tuesday 9 November. The Wolves, who visited Los Angeles mired in a five-game losing streak, was a team the Lakers should have easily handled. Kobe Bryant for one is not too concerned with Tuesday’s lackadaisical effort.
"I think we know yesterday was a tough game for us but I don't want to be too harsh," he told reporters one day after the win. "We've blown out bad teams this year, we've blown out good
teams; we've blown everybody out. We had a tough game last night, but we're OK."
Lakers point guard Derek Fisher was especially critical of his team’s effort after Tuesday’s win, where they got outrebounded 54-42 and allowed Kevin Love to grab an amazing 24 rebounds.
"The way we played tonight was irresponsible and it was reckless and it was disrespectful," Fisher told reporters after the game. "I can't get any clearer than that. There was an air of
complacency, of arrogance, of 'We don't have to play as hard as the other team to win' that I didn't like tonight."
The Lakers entered the final quarter against the Wolves up eight points but allowed them to get back within two down the stretch. And Minnesota aren’t the only team under .500 who gave
the two-time defending NBA champions a close game. Los Angeles barely got by the Toronto Raptors (1-7), winning 108-103 on 5 November and won a close game against the Houston Rockets (1-6) 112-110 in their season opener.
The Lakers face their toughest test on Thursday 11 November when they take on Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets (4-4) at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
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