CLEVELAND – For nine straight years, either Kobe Bryant or LeBron James has guided his team to the NBA Finals.
But never against the other.
As Bryant’s celebrated career nears its conclusion, that might seem a hole in Bryant’s resume, never facing off in the Finals against the other player who has most defined this generation of professional basketball.
Does Bryant see it that way? Not really.
“I just wanted to win the damn thing,” he said before the Lakers’ 120-111 loss to James’s Cavaliers on Wednesday. “I didn't care who we played.