The Lakers just chalked up win No. 14 on February 22 with a 118-111 overtime victory over the hapless Boston Celtics at the Staples Center.
With a 14-41 win-loss slate, the win certainly did not put the Lakers in contention for the playoffs. Nor does it entertain notions that the team will be sneaking into the playoffs via the backdoor. The Lakers are already out of playoff contention already.
But the Celtics are the historical rivals of the Lakers and with the victory, some team members just lapped it up and had that little celebration as if they just won a game in the playoffs.
In a post-game interview, some team members that included Jordan Hill, Nick Young, Jeremy Lin, and Carlos Boozer, were shown whooping it up and having fun after the victory.
Silly celebration
But Kobe Bryant, who was not in the court, when the Lakers notched their 14th win in 55 games, thinks the celebration is downright silly because the victory does not mean anything at all.
In an interview with “Jimmy Kimmel Live” the following day, Kobe was asked by the host what can he say about the Lakers celebration on its victory over ostensible rivals, the Boston Celtics.
The Black Mamba did not answer the question actually but his demeanour and facial expression with the question speak a lot about how he does not approve of his teammates’ ridiculous celebration of a no-bearing game, at least for the cause of the Lakers.
His actuation over the issue was no longer a surprise since Kobe Bryant has already made it clear that he looks to his teammates as fellow co-workers who can help him complete a job for the Lakers organization.
Bryant also does not intend to make friends with them and if that happens, it is because of mutual respect that they will have for each other on and off the court, reports Yahoo! Sports.
Many basketball fans believe that this mindset for winning is what sets Kobe apart from mediocre NBA players because he always strives to win, go for the championship, and break all-time records. He has five NBA championship rings to show for his winning formula so that does not stop him from telling his teammates how it should and must be done.
Let the boys have fun
Still many NBA fans and journalists think that the Lakers have been through all those kinds of struggle all season long. It is even punctuated by the surgery of Kobe Bryant for his torn rotator cuff on his left shoulder that put him out for the rest of the season. This will be the third year in a row that Kobe was not able to complete a season with the Lakers.
Losing a lot of games is miserable enough. But winning a game over a team that has a rich history with the Lakers surely means a lot to the bunch of players who are finding it difficult to jell together especially when Kobe is around.
Fans believe that the Laker players deserve the celebration just to inspire them a bit even though their star player thinks otherwise.