sun-sentinel:There was no handshake for Kobe Bryant from former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and Bryant said he doesn't care.
There once again was a chance for Bryant to beat the Heat, and he got mostly air.
The Los Angeles Lakers star missed a 3-pointer to tie in the final seconds of the Lakers' 97-92 loss to the Heat on Sunday afternoon. Bryant also missed a 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer of a 104-102 loss to the Heat on Christmas Day 2004.
Bryant's shot was off the mark in that game. This time his 3-point attempt grazed the front of the rim, allowing the Heat to escape with a victory after the Lakers led by two in the final minute.
"We should have won this game," Bryant said.
It was an entertaining end to a game that had O'Neal and Bryant as part of the sideshow. Their relationship produced three championships for the Lakers but dissolved amid bickering between the two stars.
O'Neal didn't acknowledge Bryant before the game and Heat fans jeered Bryant, particularly when he traded elbows with Heat guard Dwyane Wade in the third quarter. A national television audience watched the game, which was heavily promoted by ABC.
But Bryant repeated his pregame line that it was just another game.
"It felt quite normal to me," Bryant said. "It felt pretty normal. It felt like the game we just played in Orlando [Friday night], to be honest with you.
"I know that is not what you guys want to hear. It really felt that way."
O'Neal hyped last year's Heat-Lakers games with constant shots at Bryant through the media. This year O'Neal didn't talk to reporters in the days before the game, and by the end of the game Sunday he was tired of the subject.
"I just wish you'd stop asking me about it," O'Neal told reporters.
In the end, Bryant had more to say about the outcome than O'Neal. The Lakers guard scored 37 points to O'Neal's 18, but Bryant scored only four points in the fourth quarter.
Bryant missed 4 of 6 shots and both free-throw attempts in the final period, which the teams entered tied at 70.
"I thought it was mostly about his [tired] legs," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He played a magnificent game. He missed some foul shots that were critical in this game tonight. Otherwise, he played well."
Bryant had 33 points through three quarters and Wade, then James Posey, ended up in foul trouble trying to check him.
Wade picked up a flagrant foul when he threw an elbow at Bryant in the third quarter.
"I guess I caught him with an elbow as I was slicing through the lane," Bryant said. "He retaliated with an elbow."
With Wade and Posey unable to slow Bryant, it left the job to Payton, two inches shorter and 10 years older than Bryant.
Payton, another former teammate of Bryant's from the Lakers, did a respectable job making Bryant work for his shots.
"Gary has been a hell of a defender his entire career," Bryant said. "He actually taught me how to play defense."
Los Angeles is rebuilding without O'Neal, and Bryant said the young Lakers can gain confidence in losing since they had a chance to win despite not playing well.
"When teams come to play against the Lakers, they are going to have to deal with us," Bryant said. "I think they know that. It is not going to be a walk in the park. We are going to fight you. Even though we might not play our best game, we are going to fight you."
It was more than just a game. Kobe wanted to make a statement against Miami and they came up short. Shaq continues to act childish and well these two will never make up. It's best if they just stayed away from each other verbally (for Shaq thats impossible).
