If you're a Los Angeles Lakers fan, then you know very well how it felt when the purple and gold lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals. Of course, the Lakers were favored in that series but the team simply couldn't get it going and Kobe Bryant struggled at times to get shots off. It was a less than stellar series for the team and to this day, people are still a little bit upset about it.
Author Jeff Pearlman recently spoke to a teammate of Bryant's during that time and as it turns out, there is some resentment towards the legend when it comes to that particular series. While the anonymous teammate also placed blame on Karl Malone's injury, he also said Kobe was doing way too much and it ultimately brought the team down.
"That loss was on Kobe," they explained. "He wanted to be MVP of that series, and he just ... kept ... shooting."
It's interesting to see someone come out anonymously as we're sure they don't want any smoke from the five-time NBA champion. Even the best players in the world play badly from time to time so it's odd to see a teammate come out and slam Kobe like that. While Bryant is known for being a high-volume shooter, you can't put a loss all on one guy.
If you're a Lakers fan, let us know in the comments below what you think of these comments and whether or not you agree.