<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Lunch with Kobe on Game Day does not encompass a plethora of choices. The crown jewel of the Lakers never deviates from his pregame ritual: a healthy dose of red meat. "A nice filet," Bryant says. "It's all part of the routine." He cheerfully orders his meal from a starstruck young waitress who forgets to write down the order. He is lounging in a cozy corner of the Bristol Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel, hidden from most of the patrons, and lamenting the fact that his foray into the NBA has been past the prime of the epic Celtics-Lakers clashes. In fact, Boston Garden was already shuttered when Kobe made his Boston debut Nov. 27, 1996, at the Building Formerly Known as the FleetCenter. "I hate it that I never played in the Garden," Bryant says. "[Lakers trainer] Gary Vitti and [assistant coach] Brian Shaw tell me all the stories, how the heat in the visitors' locker room would be turned way up, and all the dead spots, and how people would call your hotel room at 3 a.m., and when you showed up at a restaurant, people wouldn't serve you. I just love that. "We just don't have the same rivalries today. It's a shame. Of course, rivalries are born in the playoffs. Magic wins a championship, Bird wins one, then they play each other for one, and then all of a sudden, you have it going. "We had something with San Antonio at various points, and Sacramento for a while, but nothing like the Lakers and the Celtics." Bryant grew up hissing at Ainge, Parish, D.J., and McHale. He spent much of his young life overseas while his father played professionally in Italy, and the only televised games were Boston and LA, often at 3 a.m. He watched as many as he could, rubbing his No. 32 Magic Johnson jersey for luck. "The NBA wasn't global like it is now," Bryant explains. "You couldn't get a James Worthy jersey even if you wanted one." At one time, there was no hotter jersey on the market than Kobe's No. 8. But that was before shocking rape allegations shredded his spotless reputation and reduced him to a Court TV headliner. The charges were eventually dropped, but the damage was done.</div> Source
i heard most of the people chanting weren't even Boston fans, but Laker fans. There were even some Boston fans trying to tell the Laker fans to shut up.
Kobe's dunk was delicious. Best since that one in Utah last season. and if you say the one over Nash, that was full extension but no acrobatics, not too fancy
