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Lakers' Bryant says he'll be back vs. Spurs Friday
The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers will face off for the last time in the regular season tomorrow night in San Antonio but it will be the first time the Spurs will face the Lakers with Kobe Bryant in uniform.
According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, Bryant says he will return to the court versus San Antonio tomorrow.
Bryant sat out the two previous meetings between the two Western Conference powers with a sore shin and with season series tied at 1-1 (with both teams winning on the road) tomorrow night's game could go a long way to sending a message should these two team meet in the post season.
The first two meetings have proven to be lopsided wins for the visiting team but with Bryant back on the court, along with the Lakers' size with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, the game should prove to be a nice test for the Spurs and quite possibly for Kawhi Leonard.
How much time Kobe will receive remains to be seen but as Spurs fans know all too well, anytime he is on the court, it could prove trouble for San Antonio.
Bryant hugs the ball too much, he shoots too much and just loves the ball. It takes away the ball from the other members of the team. It helps more than hurts the spurs with bryant playing.
I actually like playing them with Bryant better. The lakers shoot a higher %, and have more assists when he is gone. They move the ball better and get more people involved. In theory he should help more then hurt but that just isn't the case numbers wise.
