Fanit reagoivat tuohon erän aikana vaatien Kobea kentälle. Media tietysti tarttui tähän ja alkoi välittömästi lietsoa paniikkia.
Mitä Bryant ihan oikeasti tuosta penkittämisestään sanoi, meni näin:
"It's his decision to make," Bryant said. "If you guys are looking for a story, I'm not going to contribute to it. I can't sit here and criticize the decision. As leader of this ball club, it's something I can't afford to do. I've got to have his back. I've had his back the whole season. I can't start doing something crazy now. It doesn't make any sense."
Brownin tapa laittaa Metta yhtäkkiä Koben tilalle oli mielestäni kyseenalainen, eikä se sitten toiminutkaan, jonka Brown (sinänsä turhissa) selittelyissään jälkeenpäin myönsi.
Lakers-fanit ovat varmasti fanaattisimpia maailmassa ja reagoivat voimakkaasti kaikkeen luoden näitä turhia "kriisejä". Media ottaa tietty näistä kopin ja siirtää tämän pelaajille. Voi olla turhauttavaa pelaajille, ja Kobekin sen totesi reagoiden voimakkaasti näihin fanien/median heittoihin:
“It’s interesting to me to hear people talk after a game like that, that I’m done and all that stuff,” he said. “The amount of idiots that live out here, after 16 years, is baffling to me. I guess people just get dumber over the years.”
Including those who carp about his efforts.
“We’re all surrounded by idiots. All of us,” he said. “We’re all surrounded by idiots.”
Not a diplomatic way to treat the fans who are paying the ever-increasing freight to see him play. Or did he mean the media gathered around his locker?
“Take it as you wish,” he said.
