The most intelligent response to the somewhat overblown, but laughable hype about the Miami Heat players supposedly crying in their locker room, after a tough loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, came from Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
According to ESPNLosAngeles.com, the L.A. guard said: “ They have their own issues over there. Every team has issues. At this point of the season, if you don’t have issues you’re not on a team. Everybody responds to adversity differently. Doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it wrong. It’s how you come out of it. That’s the true mark of a team.”
Although some of the media thought that Bryant was trying to avoid his thoughts being used as “locker room” material for their upcoming game with the Heat on Thursday, he flatly denied it. “ I really don’t care too much about bulletin board stuff. That means nothing to me. I gave you an honest answer. Everybody responds differently. If guys are crying in the locker room, guys are crying in the locker room. That doesn’t mean their chumps. That doesn’t mean they’re soft. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Lakers coach Phil Jackson was somewhat less diplomatic about the fuss in Florida: “ This is the NBA: No boys allowed, Big boys don’t cry. But, if you’re going to do it, do it in the toilet where no one can see.”
Jackson is a magician at mind games, and earlier in the season, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com, the former Knicks player offered some subtle scenarios about Miami’s slow start, which seemed to be a shot at coach Eric Spoelstra, when they began the season at 8-6. “ …….eventually, these guys who were recruited – Bosh and James- by Pat Riley and Micky Aronson, the owner, are going to come in and say,’ We feel you (Riley) can do a better job coaching the team. We came here on the hopes that this would work………if things don’t straighten out here soon, it could be the (Stan) Van Gundy thing all over again.” Jackson later added that: “ I’m not throwing any aspersions on Spoelstra. He’s a fine young coach.”
Kobe was right about the crying. If the Heat were to win an NBA title this year, then locker room crying would become the in-thing to do. It might even be suggested in coaching manuals, as the best new psychological technique for professional athletes. If Miami is upset and knocked out early in the playoffs, there will be some scribes screaming, that Miami is soft, and referring back to this incident as the evidence. At the end of the day, whether they were weeping or wincing, it doesn’t really matter. Just like everything else in professional sports, only winning or losing is of any consequence. Most of the other stories, are just a side show.
I wonder if Jackson would ever be so bold, as to perhaps play some music that might melt the Heat in a pre-game warm-up, if they were to ever clash in a championship. How about the Roy Orbison classic, “Crying Over You” ?
Even Phil wouldn’t do that ! But it would be funny. Just don’t say that to Spoelstra !!!