Kobe Bryant went above and beyond and did everything he possibly could to get the Lakers into that final playoff spot including playing an astonishing 48 minutes a game. Last night the Lakers and the Warriors played a dogfight of a game. Kobe injured his knees twice in the game but continued to come back absolutely refusing to hit the bench. Then unfortunately he felt a pop and went down for good. Read more after the jump.
Bryant fell to the floor with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter while being guarded by the Warriors’ Harrison Barnes. Bryant had played every minute of the game up to that point, scoring 32 points in the process — including back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game with 3:45 remaining. “I made a move that I make a million times and it just popped,” said Bryant.
Bryant asked Barnes if he had kicked him in the leg. When Barnes said he hadn’t, Bryant said he knew that a major injury had occurred.
Bryant will be given an MRI. After surgery rehab for a torn achilles can take anywhere from three months to a year. Kobe has more fight than almost any athlete I know but the road will be long and hard considering his age and all he’s put his body through. I wish him the best and hope for a speedy recovery.
The Lakers pulled out 118-116 win over the Warriors. They currently hold the 8th seed in the Western Conference sitting a game above the Utah Jazz with games against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets left on the schedule. Those will be especially difficult without the Black Mamba but hopefully they can finish the journey he worked so hard to get them through.
