The New York Knicks, aided by a late three-pointer from Langston Galloway, beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-95 on Sunday to lend a bittersweet flavor to Kobe Bryant’s likely last game at Madison Square
The New York Knicks, aided by a late three-pointer from Langston Galloway, beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-95 on Sunday to lend a bittersweet flavor to Kobe Bryant’s likely last game at Madison Square Garden.
The 37-year-old Bryant, in his 20th and probably final season with the Lakers, says he doesn't want the 2015-16 campaign to turn into a farewell tour.
But he may not be able to prevent it, if the adoring reception he received from New York basketball fans is any indication.
“It felt amazing,” said Bryant, who drew a roar almost every time he touched the ball.
Bryant had received a similar welcome across town in Brooklyn two nights earlier, but the cheers resonated even more in Madison Square Garden, the storied Manhattan venue where Bryant played his first NBA All-Star Game in 1998 and where he scored a stunning 61 points against the Knicks on February 2, 2009.
He entered the game with the highest scoring average at the Garden of any active player at 30.7 points per game in 15 games. “I remember coming in my first game here, not knowing what the hell to expect, what to do. To be here 20 years later and have that (cheering) happen feels amazing,” Bryant said.
