Kobe Bryant

If we're in a situation where I need to put points on the board then I'll do it. I really do it on a needed basis. I don't do it just to do it. I don't try to go into a game saying 'this is what I'm going to do.' We've had a couple games where my teammates were struggling shooting the ball. Then I take it over.

I'm not changing my game whatsoever

It's great. It's bigger than the sport because we're looked up to by so many young people out there. It's great.

I've got bigger fish to fry than Raja Bell. Are you kidding?

From the start of the series we've been playing extremely well moving the ball reading the defense well. It's been a progress.

We needed a challenge like this ... I think we did a good job keeping our poise when they jumped out to an early lead. Everybody just kind of stayed with it.

I was very familiar with him and Eddie (Jones) and Rick Brunson ... I just know what he's about. He's a steady basketball player rarely makes mistakes on the floor.

It's an encouraging game ... The fact that I can shoot the ball horrendously and we can still have an opportunity to win the game is encouraging.

We can have all the excuses in the world. You can say we're young we have guys hurt but we just have man up and be ready to play every night.

It doesn't really seem like we're overly jumping for joy but it is a great accomplishment for us. We came from last season when we didn't make it. This season nobody expected us to make it and here we are.

It was really good for us to be able to rest.

They got hot in the third quarter. They made a lot of big plays when they missed and on defense they were scrapping and hustling.

It's a great feeling to do it here at Staples Center in front of our fans kind of an early Christmas present to them.

I don't feel pressure. I just go out and do what I do.

It's such a learning curve. Once you start getting it it usually comes at the end of the season. Everybody is pretty much in rhythm and in tune with one another and then you start playing better.

They made a great read defensively. Lawrence Frank sent out all smalls so they were able to switch everything. That kind of took the play away from us.

If Lamar plays like that in the playoffs it will make us very difficult to beat. When he is taking his shots in rhythm he is a handful.

We really hustled we got after them played with a high energy level and rebounded the ball extremely well.

I just take it as him trying to motivate us.

We just did not execute in overtime and the execution was really simple ... They just got the ball to Jason and let him operate.

I try not to think about it that much because I just try to stay in the moment as much as possible. That being said I still appreciate greatly and feel very blessed and very fortunate with what's going on.

How about us versus them?

I don't think it's a story. The guy's in Miami. I mean who ... cares?

This was a must win for us. We played well the entire trip but it's just that we weren't able to close things out. Tonight was a win that we desperately needed.

It means a lot to me because we're playing well and we're in a position where we can get into the playoffs and make some noise. We've achieved everything we have as a team and the individual stuff just makes for a more pleasant journey.

He taught me how to play the game. He's the coach I'm the player ... We don't think we're going to have any problems.

We played hard tonight. Even the last two games that we lost on the road we played hard. We just did not come through down the stretch of the game. Tonight was no different. We are a physical team and we got after them a little bit. All around it was a good victory.

You give us two or three days in the playoffs to prepare for a team study them and break them down and we'll see. That's what he lives for. That's what the system is all about.

It makes me very proud of him. I look at all these guys here like little brothers. And he is out there in practice and working hard. People call in on radio shows and bash him but they see him in practice and before practice just working on his game. His improvement tonight just didn't come out of nowhere.

from a business perspective it's great for the NBA... Notoriety sells.

This is a big road trip for us. We can't sulk for one game. We have to keep our heads up and move on to the next one.

I love him. I've been fortunate to have sat down and talked with him in the past about basketball things and stuff like that. He's an amazing coach. If he's available to be considered I'm sure he's one of the guys that Mitch and Dr. Buss would consider.

It was a very frustrating loss. We need to regroup and get back home and get back on the right track.

During the regular season when everyone was trying to learn the offense Phil and I both knew I was going to have to shoulder the scoring load. Now in the playoffs everyone has a rhythm for the game and we can start attacking as a union.

I went after it a little bit more aggressively and the team did a good job looking for me. I felt we had to get something going in the third quarter.

I think it's great. You know, just putting the past behind us, just move on. We had three great years together. I think it was important for the fans to see. It was good for us to be able to put this behind us and move on.

We're a young team. We tend to be very up and down which you expect with a young team. Sometimes we play extremely well sometimes we don't. The main thing is when you go through stretches when you don't play very well is to try to stop the bleeding before it starts bleeding profusely.

I absolutely hate it. I just hate it. I don't want to hear any comparisons between me and him. Enough is enough. He had a brilliant career obviously one of the greatest careers ever if not the greatest and I'm here playing with my team and we're trying to do great things. Just let the past be the past. Just embrace what I'm doing. Stop trying to compare it to what he did. Just enjoy what's going on now.

I think it's a learning experience. We've learned we have to do a better job of closing those games. We'd much rather have won them, but we're not that far off. A play here and there and we're in a completely different position right now.

I was so frustrated with our last loss I said I'll fix it. Tonight I just wanted to attack and send a message. The reason I scored 62 points was because I wanted to win so bad. I just felt that I could continually attack these guys. It's a great feeling that I could do it here in front of our fans and give them an early Christmas present.