Philadelphia – Made the unfortunate decision to venture down the Jersey Turnpike to get a glimpse of Kobe Bryant two days before his only appearance of the season at Madison Square Garden.
Well, it was unfortunate while braving abysmal traffic on the Major Deegan, but well worth the trip once I got here for the Lakers-Sixers game.
Having worked as the Associated Press sports writer in Philly prior to joining Newsday in 2000, I found it to be a truly unique sports city. There’s no place like it. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my visit coincides with the Sixers honoring the 1983 NBA championship team that featured Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, Mo Cheeks, and Bobby Jones.
Plus, the mental calisthenics involved in interviewing Phil Jackson never get old. I asked him before the game to address the strongly held belief around the league that his decision to finally sign a two-year extension that had been on the table for months must have been related in some way to his belief about whether Kobe will remain a Laker beyond this season or not.
“Fie on them,” Jackson said.
Huh?
“You know: Fee, Fie, Foe, Fum,” Dr. Phil said. “Fie on them.”
I told Phil I hadn’t brought my Olde English dictionary with me, and he laughed.
“So you’re saying it was unrelated to Kobe’s situation?” I said.
“It was related to my relationship with Jeanie Buss, most of all,” Phil said.
After a pause, I said, “So why’d you wait so long?”
Phil smiled. The Laker writers laughed, taking pleasure in the fact that I’d cornered Big Chief Triangle. He knew it, too, but he’s a good sport.
“It had everything to do with my physical well-being,” he said.
Kobe entered the game 39 points shy of becoming the 31st player in NBA history to score 20,000 points, and he scored nine in the first quarter. With two weeks to do it, he’s a lock to become the youngest player in NBA history to score that many points, eclipsing Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
In the second game of a back-to-back on the road, my guess is he’ll save a few points for Sunday so he can do it at the Garden.
Speaking of which, I asked Kobe if he was going to be extra careful on his follow-through tonight, so as to avoid missing Sunday’s game. It took him a moment to realize I was referring to the smack to Manu Ginobili’s face last season, which resulted in a one-game suspension that canceled his one appearance of the season at MSG.
“Imagine that?” Kobe said. “I’d be so pissed.”