BOSTON — Kobe Bryant had oversized ice packs on his knees, his massive feet were plunged in a huge bucket of ice which had a fraternity house feel to it thanks to the stat sheet which had fallen in it.
As the shivering Bryant knows, you want to play 44 minutes in a one-point overtime game, this is what it takes.
Any pain the 33-year-old Bryant felt couldn't compare to what the Celtics' 35-year-old Kevin Garnett was enduring after the 88-87 loss to the Lakers.
KG played 36 minutes and it was ugly. Twin towers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol abused the heavy-legged Garnett to the tune of a combined 41 points, 31 rebounds and 5 blocks. KG's shooting (6 of 23, 0 free throw attempts) was colder and uglier than Kobe's ice water.
Kobe and KG were an interesting microcosm of the two teams as they walk that treacherous path between savvy veterans with championship pedigree and over the hill.
While Kobe may not be the Bryant of old, the NBA scoring leader can still bring it as his 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists proved.
Teammate Derek Fisher, meanwhile, all 37 years and 6 months of him, looked like he couldn't keep Betty White in front of him never mind Rajon Rondo.
Paul Pierce, 34, has a lot left. He was named to the All-Star Game yesterday. Ray Allen, a freak of nature at 36, is also playing some good ball. But the question remains if the C's can be anything more than playoff fodder with all those creaky (and expensive) veterans on the same team.
After five straight wins and eight in the last nine games, the C's have looked formidable. Last night had a "Why haven't they blown this team up?" feel to it.
"I'm sure we'll hear all the jokes," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Two old teams ... Jurassic Park."
Bryant called both teams "old school." The too easy punchline was both just looked old.
KG hasn't been KG for a few years, robbed of his game by creaky knees and Father Time. But 6 of 23 with zero free throws is troubling, to say the least. With his athleticism gone, it seems he's lost much of his trademark swagger. I'd be more confident asking Megan Fox on a date than KG was shooting bricks on wide open jumpers after wide open jumper. Playing alongside overmatched Jermaine O'Neal hasn't made things any easier. A tough guy like old friend Kendrick Perkins was a nice complement to the slender Garnett's finesse game.
Kobe had some interesting observations on playing well while on the back nine.
"It starts from the beginning," said Bryant, who is averaging 29.2 points a game. "When you're 17 (years old) and working and preparing."
"Is it mental?" I asked.
"No. No," he insisted. "If you are not in shape, you aren't able to do it."
The Lakers' concern might be that Bryant, the ultimate alpha dog, is too stubborn trying to be the Kobe of old. Like Michael Jordan, he's worked hard to develop his strength to ward off defenders, and his mid-range game, to compensate for that long gone vertical leap that made him a slam dunk champ.
First-year Lakers head coach Mike Brown said of Bryant, "The motivation is unnatural."
Without that motivation, the skills can erode quickly. Former Celtics Shaquille O'Neal and Rasheed Wallace were perfect examples of guys who could have played longer at a higher level. But unlike maniacally devoted players like Bryant and Allen, they were unwilling to make the considerable sacrifices.
"You don't stick around by accident," noted Lakers forward Josh McRoberts.
Before the game, Rivers talked about the Spurs' brilliant big man Tim Duncan being bypassed for the All-Star Game for the first time in 13 years.
"Their getting older, times change, it happens," he said.
He could have been talking about several of his players.
