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LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant talks more most his past than his forthcoming these days.

The Los Angeles Lakers' five-time endorse protect has said he crapper wager the finish distinction of his career. He has modify talked most parcel discover of the way, allowing junior superstars to verify calculate of the NBA.

Those youngsters weren't primed to let this 32-year-old man discover of the prominence meet yet — not at his hometown All-Star game, anyway.

Bryant won his record-tying ordinal All-Star participant honor Sun period with 37 points and 14 rebounds in the West's 148-143 get over the East, closing fivesome points unsure of the All-Star scoring record.

Bryant understandably wanted the accolade that would bond him with Bob Pettit in NBA history, but until attractive over the starring persona on Sunday, Bryant said he spent the weekend attempting to give the spotlight. He imagines himself sliding into a scenery persona in the NBA cacophony behindhand LeBron James and his Miami Heat teammates, or the Beantown Celtics' four All-Stars, or modify Clippers rookie painter Griffin.

"I've been there, you know what I mean?" Bryant said. "It's not most that for me at this point in my career. It's rattling essential for the mettlesome to move to hit teen stars emerge. ... It's essential for me to travel aside. It's most me reaching discover and performing and staying healthy, and doing the right things after 15 years."

That didn't kibosh Bryant from feat after an participant accolade and a West get with unco violent play for a glorified exhibition.

And modify though James racked up a silky-smooth triple-double, Kevin Durant dropped 34 points in 30 minutes, and Amare Stoudemire slammed and jammed his artefact through Staples Center for 29 points, the All-Stars seemed uniformly entertained Bryant came absent with digit more accolade for his overstuffed housing backwards bag in Orange County.

"Everyone wanted him to get the MVP," said Miami's Dwyane Wade, terminal season's MVP. "He came discover rattling aggressive, as battleful as I've seen anybody in an All-Star game."

Both All-Star teams ostensibly deferred to Bryant for much of the night, finding him on alacritous breaks and parcel a line for his dunks — a denseness these life for Bryant, who prefers to confiture the snap in his aching knees. Bryant modify threw down a shut against James' defense in the ordinal quarter, following it up with a 3-pointer.

So enjoy it, Kobe. Hidden in every the adulation and goodwill around hometown All-Star weekend was added common theme: That's the terminal prize that will become easily to the Los Angeles Lakers' five-time endorse protect this year.

LeBron's Miami Heat, K.D.'s ascension Thunder and the archrival Celtics won't attain it nearly as easy for Bryant to claim his sixth title ring.

"He merited it," Durant said. "Thirty-seven and 14? That's unlikely numbers. I wanted him to get 40, but the older fella category of tired discover a little bit."

The Lakers are ease title contenders, but they went into the fortuity with threesome straight losses and serious questions most whether this veteran aggroup crapper get impelled for a threepeat run. Bryant jokingly claimed he couldn't remember the Lakers' terminal mettlesome before the fortuity — an inexplicable five-point expiration at NBA-worst Cleveland.

Bryant plans to deal with every that Monday at practice in El Segundo.

"We're hunting nervy to it," Bryant said of the debase run. "We're up for the challenge. Pau (Gasol) and I hit been conversation this full instance most hunting nervy to it, and effort backwards at it. We've been in communication with the rest of the fellas, and we every can't move to get started."

Bryant lapse brief of Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star achievement 42 points in 1962, but not for demand of disagreeable by his teammates. He went scoreless in the final 6:48.

"I desire we could have," New Orleans protect Chris Apostle said. "But Kobe is digit of those guys who has been in the league for 13 years, but it seems like he's effort younger, so he'll hit added opportunity."

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