Kobe Bryant Defends Miami Heat Crying

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant joined Max and Marcellus on 710 ESPN Radio in Los Angeles Monday and spent most of the interview fielding questions from the hosts about the Miami Heat. The Heat have been the hottest subject in the NBA since the summertime when they quickly became the most hated team in the league. Their recent lack of success — particularly late in games — has been highly enjoyable for the critics, but it’s also left the Heat searching for answers.

After losing to the Bulls Sunday, coach Erik Spoelstra said his team was so distraught the players were crying in the locker room. Naturally that story became a headline everywhere in the sports world, but Kobe Bryant had nothing negative to say about it.

“Everyone responds to adversity differently,” Kobe said. “Doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it wrong. Everybody has their own way of dealing with things but it’s how you come of that that’s the true mark of a team.”

The Lakers All-Star continued “Everybody truly responds differently. If guys are crying in the locker room, they’re crying in the locker room. It doesn’t mean that they’re chumps, it doesn’t mean that they’re soft, it doesn’t mean anything.”

When pressed further, Kobe said he’d never come close to crying in the locker room and that Michael Jordan and Larry Bird probably didn’t. I guess Kobe and Max don’t remember this famous photo. Look, I have no problem with players being down after losses and disappointed. But I think it does show the team is somewhat lost if they’re crying after defeats in March. That is somewhat of a concern, though I still believe the Heat will do well in the playoffs.