If this was Kobe’s last trip to Madison square Garden, Carmelo Anthony says “it’s not going to feel the same with him being gone.”
NEW YORK — His scoring rampage started here, 19 years ago, a swished free throw early in the second quarter, Kobe Bryant’s very first NBA point. He was 18 years, 2 months and 11 days old then. That first game, he said he came in “not knowing what the hell to expect and what to do.” He was also playing in an arena that he often saw only on VHS tapes, but when he entered the game, he said it felt like someone hit the fast-forward button because everything and everyone moved so fast.
He’s said the same about a career, filled with memorable visits to Madison Square Garden — the 1998 All-Star Game when he faced Michael Jordan, his then-Garden record 61-point performance in 2009. But skip ahead through all those and the 32,000-plus points that followed that very first one, and you’ll reach Sunday, quite possibly Bryant’s final game here.
His introduction was met with a raucous ovation. Every time he touched the ball, cheers rang out, with fans begging, pleading, encouraging him to shoot. They chanted “M-V-P” during a trip to the free-throw line and greeted every bucket with roars usually reserved for a home team. Bryant soaked it in. He talked trash with Spike Lee, just like old times, and he gabbed with Magic Johnson, who sat courtside.
Bryant has seemingly always delivered on this stage, the biggest the game has to offer, and he started strong, hitting three straight shots after missing his first two. It was as promising a beginning as he has had all season, his 20th, and it seemed like a sign that maybe, just maybe, the 37-year-old had found a rhythm and would give these fans one last show.
But the rest of the game, a 99-95 Knicks victory, was a struggle for Bryant. After a 3-of-5 start from the field, he missed 10 of his final 13 shots. All told, he missed 8-of-10 from 3-point range. He scored 18 points on 19 shots in 32 minutes, a stat line that has become somewhat normal for him these days.
To his credit, Knicks star Carmelo Anthony guarded Bryant for much of the game, and he never gave his close friend an inch of breathing room, denying him the ball at every chance. Bryant tried to return the favor when he guarded Anthony. At times, the game looked more like a one-on-one duel between those two than a game itself.
“It felt good chasing Melo around,” Bryant said. “The bodying up and the physicality, it felt awesome. It really, really did.”
Once again, Bryant knew full well how fans were treating him — and why. He paused when asked how he felt, searching for the right words.
“Just. … I don’t know,” he said. “I wouldn’t say nostalgic or anything like that. I just felt appreciative playing in such a historic building all these years.”
After it was over, Bryant embraced with Knicks guard Sasha Vujacic, who won two titles alongside Bryant with the Lakers.
“I haven’t seen him in so long,” Bryant said. “His contribution to us was enormous in helping us win those championships. It felt really, really good to see him out there playing and moving around.”
Bryant also offered a hug and a quick chat with Knicks rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 draft.
“He just told me to ‘Keep working, young fella,'” Porzingis said. “Kobe is my idol and to have him say that shows that he sees potential in me, and that I just have to keep working and hopefully I can have a long successful career.”
And Bryant shared a long hug with Anthony.
“You know, if this is his last hoorah, I’m going to miss him,” Anthony said. “I said it’s not going to feel the same with him being gone and him kind of helping me throughout my career and being the guy I could talk to.”
After Bryant kissed his wife and two daughters, who sat courtside, he walked toward the tunnel and, again, fans rushed toward it for one more glimpse. He beat his fist on his heart and then waved to them and held his hand high as he left a court he cherished playing on for what could be the very last time.
If this is it, the last time, “I’m absolutely at peace with it,” Bryant said.
He has a 10-6 record here, having averaged 29.9 points per game, tied with LeBron James for the second-most behind Michael Jordan (31.8).
In the trainer’s room afterward, another familiar face greeted Bryant — his former Lakers coach and current Knicks executive Phil Jackson. It marked their first time seeing each other since grabbing lunch in Los Angeles this summer, Bryant said.
“We just talked,” Bryant said. “He spent some time with my family at halftime and got a chance to see my kids and how tall they’ve gotten and all that stuff. We talked a little bit about the game.”
Bryant told him how highly he thought of Porzingis, who had 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
“He looked very, very good,” Bryant said. “He has a very promising future.”
And they talked about re-connecting when Jackson visits L.A. next.
A throng of reporters awaited him in the hallway outside the locker room. He again revealed no specifics about his future and if he’ll play beyond this season or if he was really waving goodbye to those fans as he walked off the court. Toward the end, he was asked about his legacy, and what he hopes it will be when he leaves, whenever that may be.
“A talented overachiever,” he said. “I’ve really worked my butt off every single day to make sure I left no stone unturned and try to push it as much as I possibly could.”
So often, this stage, the biggest the game has to offer, was where Bryant shined brightest, displaying a full set of skills and talent that set him so far apart.
And if Sunday marked his final game here, then his final basket in this building felt appropriate. It came with 3:02 left in the fourth quarter, when Bryant returned to the place where his scoring rampage first started so many years ago. He stepped to the line and knocked down, yes, another free throw.