Kobe Bryant was presented with his second-straight Christmas Day loss from LeBron James. Last year it was the Lakers eating a 15-point defeat at the hands of Cleveland. This year LeBron's Heat one-upped that effort with a 16-point victory.
Historically, Christmas games haven't had an impact on the outcome of the Lakers' season. Bryant has had some lousy games like 2006's 4-for-17 shooting night against Miami, and he's had some impressive ones like a 38-point showing against Phoenix the following year.
For Kobe Bryant it's just one game in the middle of the season. He almost seems to depress the excitement of the game, and the Lakers got into an early hole they weren't willing to fight out of.
Postgame Bryant expressed, "It's like these games mean more to our opponents than they do to us."
Maybe LeBron James isn't as jaded, but the Christmas game seems to mean more to him. The reigning MVP has won four straight Christmas games and his only loss was in an overtime game his rookie season against Orlando.
We know the Lakers go as Kobe goes. Despite what preseason predictions suggested, the Heat are LeBron James' te ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by John Lorge
Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James: What Christmas Day Game Said About Each Player
December 26th, 2010 by John Lorge Leave a reply »
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