As Kobe Bryant stepped out of the interview room late last night, he stumbled upon a group of young fans looking for his signature.
“Some nights,” Bryant told them, “you just got to win the game.”
Bryant’s 61-point Garden record was very safe last night as he took a backseat for three quarters, then stepped it up in the fourth.
Bryant, admitting to limitations because of his broken right index finger, finished with 27 points as the Lakers (33-10) outlasted the Knicks 115-105 at a sold-out Garden about one-third filled with Lakers fans.
“The way we’re playing, we’re not ready for that situation,” Bryant said of a scoring explosion. “We need other guys to get going, get a rhythm.”
The Knicks went toe to toe with the world champions in the purple and gold trunks for three quarters, taking a 85-84 lead into the final quarter.
But the Knicks were hit with a predictable barrage from the Lakers — who are too good with too much size and too much Kobe, who had 13 fourth-quarter points. The Lakers outscored the Knicks 31-20 in the final period.
“He didn’t have a great shooting night,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said of Bryant. “He’s had a few of those this month, and it’s probably because of his finger.”
Despite chants of “MVP,” this was not a night for records. Bryant had just five points in the first half and finished an inefficient 8-of-24. He talked about not being comfortable driving and even passed up a dunk, laying in softly on a breakaway, drawing boos. Bryant dished out six assists, but Phil Jackson still took a poke at the Lakers superstar.
“If it’s hurting him so much, he shouldn’t be taking all those shots at the end of the game. He should be passing it out,” Jackson said.
In helping his All-Star bid on national TV, David Lee finished with a career-high 31 points and 17 rebounds, but was overmatched in the post as the Knicks couldn’t contain the Lakers’ size. Lakers center Andrew Bynum dominated inside in the first half and finished with 19 while Pau Gasol added 20 — 10 in the fourth.
The Knicks lost Nate Robinson in the second quarter to a strained hamstring and he is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs. Dallas. Larry Hughes filled in. Robinson strained his hamstring in November vs. Cleveland on national TV and missed five games.
“Maybe it’s the TV curse,” Robinson said.
This was not just a basketball game but an event. Bill Clinton landed on center court for an extended halftime to talk to the fans about Haiti relief while most Knicks players watched from the sidelines. Clinton announced donations from NBA players, including Danilo Gallinari, who met the former president.
Several Jets also landed on celebrity row less than 48 hours before their AFC Championship game in Indianapolis. The Knicks could’ve used some Jets defense in the fourth.
“It’s against the champs,” D’Antoni said. “We didn’t have enough. It hurt us not having Nate in the second half.”
The Knicks (17-25) played a clean game, committing just six turnovers — none in the first half — and have nothing to feel ashamed about, unlike last season’s Lakers romp here.
Jackson, in fact, wasn’t pleased.
“I wasn’t impressed that much,” the Lakers coach said. “They played to the level of the game and gave up too many easy baskets.”