Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant: We will be back – NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers legendary star Kobe Bryant has emphatically declared that the team will be back next season and will be competing for the NBA World Championship, despite their defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder beat Los Angeles in 5 games to win their Western Conference Semi Final matchup and advance to the Conference Finals where the San Antonio Spurs await them.
This is the second year running that the Los Angeles Lakers have been knocked out in the second round of the playoffs. They were swept 4 – 0 last year by eventual NBA World Champions the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers reached three
consecutive NBA Finals before that, so this is not something they are used to.
However Kobe dismissed any notion that the franchise might now have to embark on a rebuilding process where it would be competitive for a few years. The aging shooting guard said he and his team will be back next season with renewed
vigour.
“It’s kind of unfamiliar territory,” Bryant said. “I’m really not used to it. It’s pretty odd for me. I’m not the most patient of people and the organization’s not extremely patient either. We want to win and win now. I’m sure
we’ll figure it out. We always have and I’m sure we will again.”
Pressed by reporters as to how the veteran Lakers team, which will only get older, can comeback stronger next season, Bryant was dismissive. The 33 year old said that he wouldn’t be out of the spotlight just yet and any reference
to the Detroit Pistons side of the late 80s and early 90s would be off the mark.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Bryant interrupted. “It’s not one of those things where the Bulls beat the Pistons and the Pistons disappeared forever.”
Kobe though wasn’t sure what changes or improvements needed to be made to the Lakers who had looked unimpressive in the post season for the last two years now.
“I don’t know,” Bryant said. “It’s tough to really process (so soon) exactly what we need with improvements and what area we need to improve on.”
The guard said Los Angeles Lakers front office, especially General Manager Mitch Kupchak, had been successful in making the side competitive in the past and he trusted them to do so in the future.
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