More than 30 minutes after his teammates had departed the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room at Philips Arena in Atlanta Wednesday night, Kobe Bryant finally emerged from the training area, walking gingerly and looking angry.
It was more than the fact that his team that is vying for a Western Conference playoff spot lost to the Hawks, who played without injured starters Jeff Teague and Josh Smith. It was more than about being injured on the potential game-tying shot attempt. It was how he was and who caused the future Hall of Famer’s pain.
“I can’t get my mind past the fact that I got to wait a year to get revenge,” said Bryant, who claimed Jones invaded his space when he went up for a baseline 14-footer that would have tied the game in the final seconds. Bryant came down on Jones’ foot, turning his left ankle.
He had x-rays taken after the Hawks’ 96-92 victory; results were negative. He was listed as out indefinitely. But Bryant’s pain tolerance level and will to play is virtually unprecedented.
Asked if he thought Jones intentionally tried to hurt him, Bryant said: “I don’t ever want to put that on somebody, I really don’t. I just think players need to be made conscious of it and I think officials need to protect shooters. Period.”
It had to increase Bryant’s angst that it was Jones at the center of this situation, for it was Jones who was called for a flagrant foul for intentionally tripping Bryant in Game 4 of the 2009 Western Conference finals when he played for the Denver Nuggets.
Bryant, who erupted for 20 points in the third quarter but otherwise had a horrible shooting night (31 points on 11-for-33 shooing), said: “As defensive players, you can contest shots, but you can’t walk underneath players. That’s dangerous for the shooter.”
Bryant later added on Twitter: “#dangerousplay that should have been called. Period.”
Jones responded via Twitter: “Tape doesn’t lie. Ankle was turned on the floor after the leg kick out that knocked him off balance. I would never try to hurt the man.
He later added: “Leg kick that makes contact with a defensive player is an offense foul. Period. The nba changed that rule 2 yrs ago. Stop it!”
Bryant drew comparisons of former NBA player Jalen Rose’s similar maneuver in 2000 where he moved in when Bryant was airborne, causing Bryant to land on his foot and turn his ankle. “He Jalen Rose’d me,” Bryant said of Jones on Wednesday night.
Rose admitted on “The Jalen Rose Show,” a podcast on ESPN.com’s Grantland Network, back in September that he purposely stepped under Bryant. “I can’t say that it was an accident,” Rose said.
