Q: On his emotions now: Bryant: Just terrible. Terrible feeling.
Q: On what it felt like: Bryant: It felt like I got kicked.
Q: On what happened on the play: Bryant: Not really much to take you through. I made a move I’ve made a million times and (the Achilles) just popped.
Q: On if the injury was a cause from all the minutes he had been playing: Bryant: Who knows? It was all necessary. It’s just a freak situation, I guess.
Q: On if this is the most disappointing moment he’s had: Bryant: Yeah, by far. We worked so hard to put ourselves in a position where we control our own fate. I certainly did a lot of work. I prepared myself…
Q: On how the team will forge ahead without him: Bryant: Continue to play. We’ve been dealing with injuries all year. I’ll do what I can – watching film, preparing and communicating to the guys.
Q: On what it feels like now: Bryant: I can’t even walk. I tried to put pressure on my heel to see if I could do it that way, but there was just nothing there.
Q: On if he first knew that the injury was what it was: Bryant: Oh yeah. For sure.
Q: On what the future holds coming back from this injury: Bryant: I’m not really sure. I’ve never had to deal with anything like this. Obviously there’s a bunch of players that have had this same injury, so I know I can do this. All I can do is what they’ve done, who had more success getting back quicker and healthier, and see what they did and see if I can improve upon it.
Q: On his emotions coming off the floor: Bryant: Just pissed. Sad. I worked really hard. Just pissed.
Q: On what he was thinking when he injured his knee earlier: Bryant: Just keep playing, just keep playing. Keep battling through it and keep pushing through it. I was trying to conserve some energy for the fourth and get back some momentum for us. We got going a little bit and the guys brought it home.
Q: On if the previous injury was related to his Achilles: Bryant: They were different. My knee – when I came down, I hyperextended it a little bit. I just had to shake it off and it was fine.
Q: On if he can put this year into words: Bryant: It’s been a crazy year. That’s for sure.
Q: On his emotions during the game after he left: Bryant: Thank God we pulled this one out. We fought hard and it was a well-deserved win.
Q: On if he’s confident the team can make the playoffs without him: Bryant: I’m confident. We just have to go out there and play hard, play defense and rebound the ball. That’s the biggest thing is the preparation.
Q: On if he knew what the injury was: Bryant: Yeah, I was just hoping it wasn’t what I knew it was. Just trying to walk it off and hoping the sensation would come back.
Q: On what it felt like when he first injured it: Bryant: I had no Achilles. That’s the sensation.
Q: On the next steps: Bryant: MRI, surgery and then recovery.
Q: On his feeling from the locker room: Bryant: I was really tired. I was upset … dejected thinking about this mountain we had to overcome.
Q: On if overcoming this injury is at the top of the list over his career: Bryant: Yeah, it is. But I can feel it already. I can feel it already. It’s just players at this stage of their careers, they pop an Achilles and they never come back the same. I can hear it already. It’s pissing me off already.
Q: On if this could be career-ending? Bryant: Really? Really? Are you kidding? (Editor’s note – Kobe’s translation: no chance. He’ll be back.)
