LOS ANGELES — Before the Lakers' 106-73 thrashing of the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night, buzz among media and fans was how — or if — would Kobe Bryant respond to Blake Griffin's sensational dunk in the Clippers' win Monday night over Oklahoma City.
In case you missed it, Griffin soared high above OKC's Kendrick Perkins — then used Perkins to launch himself even higher — and threw down one of the greatest dunks you'll ever see. It's been a viral video sensation since, with the stunned look on Perkins' face being almost as memorable as the slam.
So, being that Kobe is still the man when it comes to Los Angeles basketball, speculation was that he'd come out on fire, reminding everyone that Staples Center is — and will continue to be — Bryant's kingdom. Conspiracy theorists were quite pleased when he went 7-for-12 with two 3-pointers in the first quarter, scoring 18 points and leading the Lakers to a 30-18 lead. See, they likely were thinking, he wasn't going to let Griffin's magnificent moment pass without a reaction. And he admitted that he definitely had a reaction. It just wasn't the one some thought.
"Oh my God!" Kobe said following the game after walking away from the media scrum at his locker. "OH MY GOD!!" he repeated with a huge grin. "That was really something, wasn't it? That was one of the best plays I've seen him make — and he's made a lot of them.
"Did you see how he went up even higher once he (made contact) with Perkins? That was something else."
When informed that some felt his first-quarter explosion was a response to the play, Bryant was incredulous.
"Why would I need to respond to Blake's dunk? Crazy."
Yes it is, especially when you realize that Bryant speaks glowingly about Griffin anytime the Clippers All-Star is mentioned. After the last Lakers-Clippers meeting a week ago — a game that produced a number of heated moments — Bryant went out of his way to praise Griffin's game, referring to him as one of the best players in the league and predicting he would get much, much better.
After Thursday's victory, Bryant had many good things to say about his Lakers teammates — especially the bench, which came up with a season-high 48 points.
"They played extremely well," said Bryant, who finished with 24 points. "(Andrew) Goudelock has really found a good rhythm out there for us. He's found his niche. Everyone came in and played very well."
Rookie guard Goudelock and Troy Murphy scored 12 apiece, with Matt Barnes adding 10. Jason Kapono scored six, Devin Ebanks had four, and Josh McRoberts and Darius Morris each had two. It was a performance head coach Mike Brown had been waiting to see from his reserves.
"Our bench did a terrific job of coming into the game and increasing the lead," Brown said. "And not just by scoring; by making stops the right way. It was fun to watch, . . . and it was great to be able to play some other guys and rest Kobe and Derek (Fisher). For Kobe to play (just) 28 minutes, it's good to be able to do that. Any time I feel I can do that, I will."
If the bench plays anywhere near the way it did Tuesday night, Lakers starters should look forward to some down time in the fourth quarter.
"I don't know what the difference was today," said Goudelock, a four-year starter at the College of Charleston. "But we have to keep it up; keep trying to improve on it every game. I'm glad it happened, and maybe the coaches can look at it and find something with this group, some consistency. But it's up to us to go out there and perform every night. When we get our chance, we have to take advantage of it.
"It's been difficult (not having a set rotation), but you've got to be ready when your number's called. You can't sit around and pout when you're not playing. You can't be mad about it, and you can't be bitter about it. When you do get your opportunity, you better do something with it if you want to stay on the floor."
That will become even more critical as the Lakers play their next six games — and nine of 12 — on the road.
Despite a 13-9 overall record, the Lakers are a miserable 2-7 on the road. Continuing to play at that percentage in the next three weeks could put the Lakers' playoff chances in serious peril.
"This is definitely a crucial time for us," Bryant said. "We have to just do our job, that's all. Just do our job. Go on the road and play hard and play physical; rebound the ball.
"That's the big thing for us — stop giving up the second-chance points. That's been our Achilles' heel so far. We have to get the defensive rebounds and control the glass. The road losses that we've had, the consistent factor is the opposing team beating us on their offensive board.
"We have to do a better job."
If not, Bryant may be in danger of having to admire a Griffin playoff performance from a different perspective — his own living room.
