Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET TNT's NBA season-opening double header continues with a Western Conference clash between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers that can be live streamed free by clicking this link. Rockets fans can listen to the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790, while Lakers fans may do likewise on 710 ESPN.
The offseason hasn't been kind to the Lakers. They lost Pau Gasol to the Chicago Bulls, Steve Nash to a season-ending back injury, and Kobe Bryant was ranked No. 40 among all NBA players by ESPN.
Bryant is predictably furious about predictions of the Lakers' demise, and said that those doubts will provide energy throughout the season.
"I love the fact that pretty much everyone has written us off," Bryant said. "That's obviously fuel to the fire. I'm going to use that to talk to our players about how people are viewing us as a basketball team. I love the fact that everybody is doubting us."
Bryant's recent injury history is a big reason for those doubts. He tore his Achilles late in the 2012-13 season, then returned in 2013-14 for just six games before suffering a fractured knee. In those six games Bryant averaged just 13.8 points, but added 6.3 assists.
Having lost Gasol to free agency, and Nash and Nick Young to injury, defense will be important to this group. They were a porous defense last season, which contributed to one of the worst campaigns in franchise history.
"We've got to really tighten up defensively, which is a different style than we're used to playing," Bryant said. "But it's a fun style. You've just got to be more aggressive, get down in the passing lanes and take more chances."
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