Tony Parker walked out of the UCLA locker room Thursday night ready with some jokes.
Only 20 minutes before, UCLA had lost to California. It was close to a mortal blow to the Bruins' hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
But Parker was unusually upbeat. He made fun of his low free-throw percentage. He mused that opposing fans single out guard Bryce Alford because, "He's not the best looking guy, so it's easy to pick on him. I pick on him all the time."
The levity, Parker said, was by design.