Kobe Bryant speaks out on Thunder

during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

          For 2½ hours Thursday’s night, every non-Lakers fan in a sellout crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy Arena seemed to boo superstar Kobe Bryant.

          Roughly an hour after the Thunder’s 100-85 victory and well past local newspaper deadlines, Bryant showed OKC far more respect than he had just been shown himself.

          Here are some of Bryant’s thoughts on the game and the Thunder:

• On OKC All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, who at times has been heavily criticized: “I don’t know what the media is doing out here, but everybody just needs to lay off of Russell. That’s a bad little dude, man. That’s a bad little dude, man. You guys are fortunate to have him. You guys have got two explosive scorers here. I like how he’s playing. He just has to continue to improve and do his stuff.”
• Does Bryant see any of himself in Westbrook? “He’s got the same type of dog that I had in me – that I still have in me – when I was coming up with Shaq (former teammate Shaquille O’Neal).
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