Aside from the fact that he's still one of the best players on the planet and will go down as one of the top 10 to every grace a basketball court, so watching him play is a joy to us all, Kobe Bryant staying in the playoffs means more than just basketball.
It means he gets to speak to the media.
Well, sort of.
Bryant is notorious for going into dismissive, shutdown mode during the playoffs. His answers are quick, curt and often no longer than three or four words. But his most recent response to a question about whether or not the Lakers can guard the Oklahoma City Thunder will go down as one of his best.
Mainly because the actual answer was one word, but the facial expressions afterwards told a completely different story. He said ‘no' but his expressions said, ‘Did you really just ask me that? What do you expect me to say? Next question.'
Only there wasn't a next question. Bryant got up and left afterwards, probably leaving a room full of petrified reporters with clutched pads unwilling to be the next journalistic casualty to Bryant's prickly verbal delivery.
But please, Mr. Bryant, do continue. It's quite hilarious. Not the getting blown out part, but, well, you know...