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I copied this from Lakersground.net, so here it is...some things are funny, some are obvious jabs at Kobe, all are in awe of what he did last night:
Celtics Great Larry Bird:
"That's wild. That is really wild. That's a lot of points, I'm telling you. There's no question how good he is, but when you start throwing numbers around like that, it's unbelievable. It would be hard to believe if you didn't know it was true."
Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley:
"Anybody who's got the kind of energy to try to hoist up (nearly) 70 shots is going to score a lot of point. It's remarkable, the execution and the efficiency, but we've got a lot of guys in this league, if they took 70 shots, they'd score a lot of points."
Miami Heat G, Dwyane Wade:
"Everybody was calling. Everybody called every player in the league."
Miami Heat F, Antoine Walker:
"I think with the 81 now, no other team or other players will let that happen. Now guys will foul out trying to stop him from doing that. If someone gets 81 on me, I'm going to clothesline him." On Shaq: "He told us to get him 50 shots."
Tex Winter, Ex-Assistant:
"It was quite an exhibition. It's what the fans love. I don't think you can win a championship playing that way and so, consequently, I would be concerned about that. But it was a great victory and I don't want to take anything away from Kobe because it was one of the greatest I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of exhibitions."
Lakers Great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
"Kobe's range is unreal, and he does it his way. It was a real treat. His ability to shoot from long range and also attack the hoop, split the defense and get in close for opportunities near the basket is unique. He's made a niche for himself, and he deserves it."
New Jersey Nets PG, Jason Kidd:
"How many minutes did he play, 42? If he had an overtime game, maybe (100 would be possible)"
New Jersey Nets F, Vince Carter:
"It is great for the league, for him, just because of the buzz it has created. The only bad thing about it is younger kids, whose minds are easily warped, are going to think, 'Ohhh! I am going to go out there and do it' instead of the team concept first. That is what is missing, guys understanding how to play as a team. They want scoring, they want ratings, you are going to get that. You are definitely going to get them now with the amount of 50-60-point games . . . I just hope kids and young guys understand that yeah, special guys can do that. But . . ."
Detroit PG, Chauncey Billups:
"If you have it going, you're supposed to keep it going. ... Unbelievable."
Indiana Pacers Coach, Rick Carlisle:
"I don't feel so bad about the 45 he got on us now."
Golden State Warriors Coach, Mike Montgomery:
"I wish we had King Kong (to guard him). Anything we can do, we'll do."
Bulls Great Scottie Pippen:
"It's superb, definitely. Something that is new to me, that is shocking. I got the news last night about 3 in the morning, and I don't think I even went back to bed."
Ex-Bull and now-Analyst Steve Kerr:
"I'm always one to credit the guys who win. I don't know if I would have given Kobe the M.V.P. last week. But what he did in the game last night, he's so clearly the best player out there."
Hubie Brown, Analyst:
"For Kobe Bryant to do this as a guard, it is a testimony to his athletic ability, incredible endurance."
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars:
"I think it is an awesome feat what Kobe did the other night, and I tip my hat to him. The one word that comes to mind when I think about what he accomplished is SPECIAL."
Utah Jazz Coach, Jerry Sloan:
"Kobe brought his team back from a big deficit to win the game, so you like to see that. That means quite a bit more than getting points with no competition."
Cavs Guard, Eric Snow:
"Hats off, he's the best. It's hard to get 50 in a game. He did it in a half. It takes a tough player who works really hard. I think he's one of the best ever."
Celtics Ricky Davis:
"That was a great game. It surprises you, but the guy was hitting shot after shot."
Celtics Forward, Paul Pierce:
"It's impressive,. He's probably playing the best basketball of anyone in the NBA right now. When you’re taking jump shots, you’re going to get more tired. Wilt got all layups. With the athletes that are in the game today, no, it wouldn’t happen. You would have to put more minutes on the clock. Well, maybe Kobe could do it. If he shot every time down the floor.” "
Celtics Coach, Doc Rivers:
“What was lost in all of that was that he got it going when they were down by 18 points. The other amazing part was that he didn’t get tired at the end.”
George Gervin:
"To compare it to anybody would be useless. He set himself apart from everyone else. Everyone looks for another Michael Jordan, and there probably won't be one. What Kobe did was establish himself as one of the greatest scorers of all time at an early age. He's a phenom. I'm a believer, man. Now we've got to sit back and wait and see if anyone scores 82."
76ers Guard, Andre Iguodala:
"How does the other team let him get that many points? Once a guy gets 50 points, you double him every time down the court. They weren't doing a good job of trying to keep the ball out of his hands so I was actually rooting for him.
Miami Heat Center Shaquille O'Neal:
Declined to comment..
Elgin Baylor:
"Scoring 81 points is a truly amazing accomplishment. Of course, the most important thing is that his effort contributed to a victory for his team."
Mavs GM, Mark Cuban:
"It's amazing. Beyond amazing. He's on another level from any other player at this point. It's like he is toying with teams. If you push up on him, he just takes two steps back and shoots from further out. I hope the NBA adjusts its TV schedule so we all can see him play more. It would be fun to watch and fun to debate how far a one-man show can drag four other players in a team sport."
Ex-Lakers Guard, Ty Lue:
Listen to Lue interview
Atlanta Hawks Captain, Joe Johnson:
"With Kobe, he takes shots that look bad, but they're not bad shots for him. He was on fire. On fire."
Atlanta Hawks Coach, Mike Woodson:
"It was just a special, special night. And I'm sure Kobe felt that way. Because 81 points is, well, 81 points, and I don't care how you cut it up. It's amazing."
Atlanta Hawks Radio Analyst, Dennis Scott:
"The most points I ever scored was 65 in the Urban Coalition summer league in D.C.. I had something like 16 3-pointers, and I'm telling you, I was dead tired when it was over. I saw the highlights of Kobe, and he looked like he could have played another game."
Orlando Magic Guard, Keyon Dooling:
"It's not just a buzz about Kobe, it's a holler. That guy is incredible. That's why he's the best player in the league."
Orlando Magic Assistant GM, Otis Smith:
"Whether you like him or dislike him, Kobe is a special player. He has the killer instinct in him that a lot of the talented players don't have. When he smells blood, he goes for the jugular. That's a (Michael) Jordan-like quality."
Orlando Guard/Forward, Grant Hill:
"I guess they say records are made to be broken. You wouldn't think it could be done, but if anybody could I guess it would be Kobe. It's just incredible. There's not much really you can say. Wow."
Orlando Coach, Brian Hill:
"Forget about 81 points. To be able to get up that many shots and still play defense at the other end of the floor, that's a pretty incredible physical accomplishment."
Hornets Guard Kirk Snyder:
"I heard about it after I had finished hanging out with David West, and he called me and said that Kobe had scored 81. My first thought was is that I'm in the NBA with probably one of the best players ever to play in the NBA."
Hornets Coach Byron Scott:
"I think Wilt's record is pretty safe unless a player like Kobe goes into four or five overtimes. I think this is the closest you'll see anybody get to it."
Hornets Guard J.R. Smith:
"The first thing that came to my mind when I heard about what Kobe did was the amount of shots he go. If anybody's going to score, it's Kobe. He can take as many shots as he wants, and nobody says nothing. Of course when you take 46 shots you are going to score, but he's good enough to make more than half of them. He's good enough to take good shots, and he just had one of those nights."
Jerry West:
"I don't know if anyone could have stopped him last night. It's so senseless to me to say he shouldn't take over like that. You give the same amount of shots to everybody else and they're not making that many, I know it. Players are jealous of greatness. Kobe is a unique talent and a unique person. His belief that he can jump to the moon is never going to change. But I admire him, what he's been able to overcome. You would think he would be a fair-haired man of the NBA with what's he's already done. But he's taken a fairly good battering."
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17x NBA Champions
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) i prepare myself for every game...i call Kwame and Chris my offensive line. they set incredible screens for me to free me up... its a collection of things. not just me scoring. i need help from my teammates.they set excellent screens for me. great passes. without them i couldnt score 81 points."
