The Los Angeles Lakers gained newfound strength after defeating the reigning NBA champs San Antonio Spurs last Friday.
Lakers Nation reported that point guard Jeremy Lin, in particular, had something interesting to say about their hard-fought win.
Serena Winters of Lakers Nation tweeted, "AMAZING quote from Jeremy Lin: 'I thought we played pretty hard for a team full of toilet paper.'"
The Lakers, coming into the game with a record of 6-16, were obviously the underdogs against the Spurs, with a record of 16-6. The Spurs immediately got to work, leading 10-0 in the starting minutes. Los Angeles, however, managed to improve their defense and caught up in terms of offense, only losing control in the fourth quarter to cause the game to go into overtime. Nick Young hit the game-winner in overtime to lift the Lakers over the Spurs 112-110 on December 13, at San Antonio.
Kobe Bryant scored 22 points. Lin, from the bench, scored 14 points and dished eight while playing 30 minutes.
To end his interview, Lin said in a Fansided report, "We are not soft."
Miami Herald reported that before the game, a number of NBA experts and fans frowned on how Kobe badmouthed his teammates during their practice on December 11, calling them "Charmin" and soft just like the toilet paper. Kobe added that he is aware that the current season is already in the toilet because of their poor record. His tough love approach garnered mixed reactions both from fans and the Lakers themselves.
Bryant said about his leadership approach in the same report by Miami Herald, "I just challenge guys, see what happens. I always believed in throwing them in the pool and seeing if they can sink or swim."
Some assumed that Lin did not mean to refer to Kobe or he might have done so to poke some fun on the superstar and his very serious training virtues. Some people actually found Bryant's harassing words funny to some extent. Also, Bryant's tactics might have done some benefit for the team, as the Lakers are now on a 3-0 winning streak, considering they won against the Minnesota Timberwolves as well.
In the same Miami Herald report, Lakers coach Byron Scott said that it was a good way to prepare them for a strong team like the Spurs, "I think he just did a great job of getting everybody else fired up. He's always fired up. That's the great thing about him. He's such a competitor. Like I said, when he comes out and he practices, the intensity level in practice goes sky-high. And he challenges guys. It's what you should do. Today, (the reserves) responded by getting their butt kicked."