The last time the Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant suffered a catastrophic injury when he tore his Achilles as he was driving to the basket on Harrison Barnes. The Warriors were up 107-104 with a little less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter when Bryant drove to the basket. Barnes was called for a foul, which gave Bryant two free-throw attempts and a torn Achilles wasn’t enough to stop Bryant from sinking those free throws. The Lakers won the game, but they haven’t been the same ever since.
The Warriors are in Los Angeles to take on the Lakers tonight and they finally get to see a healthy Bryant on the floor. Don’t expect to see Bryant get many minutes tonight, but don’t be surprised if he puts up some quick baskets in the opening minutes. One person that is never surprised by Bryant’s tenacity is head coach Steve Kerr, who believes Bryant is the man of steel:
Nothing Kobe does surprises me anymore. Five years ago, he didn’t practice the whole season basically with an arthritic knee. I thought he was done, I really did. I thought he’d stick around, but the last couple of years before the Achilles in particular, he looked as good as he’s ever looked. That guy is Superman and he’s an incredible player and he just seems to get better all the time
Kerr has been around some of the greatest players of all time during his time in the NBA and this just comes to show the amount of respect he has for Bryant. While he hasn’t been able to see the floor much these last two seasons, this could be Bryant’s final opportunity to leave the game on a high note. Nobody questions Bryant’s work ethic, but Lakers’ fans are hoping he can at least stay healthy as they prepare to say goodbye to the five-time champion.
Once the regular season begins, expect Kerr to prepare for Bryant like he would prior to the injury. If Bryant does have any super natural powers, the Lakers will need every last one of them to compete for a post season spot.