OKLAHOMA CITY – As he splashed some talcum powder on his hands and dabbed his eyes with the sleeve of his warmup shirt, Tim Hardaway Jr. was like all the other players and coaches Monday night in the NBA.
After a moment of silence to honor Kobe Bryant, everybody at Chesapeake Energy Arena clearly was emotional.
They still were in disbelief and that Bryant is no longer with us. The basketball world will never be the same and that much was evident in the mood for the Mavericks’ first game since Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles.