Two NBA stars officially made their return to the hardwood with their respective teams – Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat.
Bryant hasn’t played in the last nine months after suffering a torn rotator cuff and the rust in his game apparently showed.
Though the game was more of a way to get the Black Mamba back into the groove of things, it wasn’t exactly a performance a Laker fan would rave about. Then again, being a pre-season setting, it served the best chance for Bryant to get back into the groove before the actual NBA regular season opens by the end of the month.
Bryant missed horribly on his first attempt since injury, taking a contested three pointer which hit the side backboard. He would eventually end with just five points as the Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz 90-71.
Rather than take the loss hard, Bryant felt great after the game.
"It's just getting the timing," said Bryant, whose past three seasons have all been cut short by injury. "Getting timing. Getting acclimated to that again."
“I felt good. It felt good to get out there,” Bryant said. “(My legs) feel strong, I didn’t feel tired at all. It’s just about getting the timing down.”
Byron Scott on the other hand, seemed content with what Kobe showed.
"He was pretty good," Scott said via ESPN. "He moved well."
Bryant’s successful return is seen as an integral role for the Lakers who are trying to recover from two sorry seasons that saw them at the bottom of the NBA standings.
Bosh returns with a flourish
The case was simply different for Chris Bosh who returns after a career-threatening injury where blood clots were found in his longs.
Bosh made an impact from the opening tip, making his first three shots and ending up with 14 points despite losing to the Charlotte Hornets, 90-77.
"It was normal -- back doing my job," Bosh said via ESPN. "I understand everybody's [wondering], 'How did it feel like? What was it really like to finally play?' If you put a fish back in the water, it's going to swim. Nothing was taken away from me. I've only gained."
Bosh is a key figure for the Heat this season as they try to bounce back from a sorry campaign that saw the Heat miss out on the NBA playoffs after a long while.
Provided the Heat can keep their players healthy, Miami stands a good chance of giving the favored Cleveland Cavaliers some stiff competition for the Eastern Conference in the 2015-16 NBA season.