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On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers will make their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals since 2010, the year they played the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns were one of the most talented teams in the West, led by two-time MVP Steve Nash and NBA great Amar’e Stoudemire, but the Lakers managed to win the series in six games because they had the most talented player. on the court: Kobe Bryant.
In that six-game series, Bryant averaged an incredible 33.7 points per game on 52.1% shooting from the field, including 43.2% shooting from behind the arc. He also averaged 8.3 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The Suns had no answer for him.
Following the Lakers’ Game 4 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday, Anthony Davis paid tribute to Bryant by wearing a shirt that read “GOAT” on the front with an illustration of Kobe Bryant underneath.
It was a small gesture from Davis, but as the Lakers have moved further into the playoffs, they have been reminded of how much Bryant sacrificed to bring the city of Los Angeles five championships in his 20-year career, and now that he’s gone. . , they believe it is as important as ever for them to continue their legacy of excellence in whatever way they can.
“Not just me, but the whole team thinks about him all the time,” Davis said. “We say, ‘Mamba on three’ after every time-out, each group, knowing that he is with us and knowing that we not only play for our organization, but we play for him.
“Guys have their own little things to do, their own little rituals to remember him… We think about him all the time. I think about him all the time, on and off the court. But I think this was a drug shirt. I think the whole team sent them to him. It’s just another thing to remember. “
Frank Vogel declined to go into detail about how the Lakers were honoring Bryant’s memory as a team when asked about it on Monday, but reiterated that Bryant’s quest to be the best has been a recurring theme in everything Los Angeles has to offer. Lakers. made this season.
“Kobe is with us throughout our journey this year. We say ‘Mamba at three’ every day in practice, every time we are together, and we will continue to try to represent what he stood for and honor his memory. “
Not everyone is a fan of the “win this for Kobe” feeling and understandably, it’s a lot of pressure to put on a team. However, it is clear that the Lakers do not care. In fact, they seem to have fully embraced it.
Only time will tell if they pull it off, but with each game they pass, they grow closer to their goal despite the struggles they have faced along the way. That tireless effort is the best tribute anyone can pay to Bryant.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Stapler or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.
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