Bryant wants second look

BOSTON – One subpar performance can happen to anyone.

Another, perhaps just a fluke.

Could three be a trend?

Nah, not in the case of Kobe Bryant.

“I get those looks again, I’m foaming at the mouth,” the Los Angeles star said Friday. “I want those looks again. I would never be bashful, you know that.”

Bryant’s remarks came in the wake of a horrendous – for him – shooting performance Thursday night, when he went 9 for 26 and scored 24 points in the Lakers’ 98-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Bryant shot nearly 51 percent (169 of 332) and averaged 31.9 points in L.A.’s previous 15 postseason games. Boston did a good job making him a perimeter player, but as he pointed out, there was no scarcity of open shots.

“They’re not going to let me get to the paint from the top of the floor or from a wing screen,” Bryant said. “I’ll be looking for my teammates in those situations. Other spots where I’m posting up or pin-downs, quick catch-and-shoots, things of that nature.”

Bryant shot 15 for 46 and averaged 25 points in two regular-season games against Boston – both losses. So he’s 24 for 72 (33.3 percent) with 74 points in three unsuccessful matchups with the Celtics.

“Hopefully, it just means I’m due,” he said regarding tonight’s second game in the best-of-7 series.

Despite Bryant’s shooting problems, L.A. trailed by only four points after Sasha Vujacic’s basket with 6:53 remaining Thursday night. But they made only one field goal after that.

Bryant, acknowledged to be NBA’s best closer, shot 1 for 6 in the fourth quarter.

“The defense is there,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “He didn’t get to the basket, he didn’t get to the foul line. Foul shots are really important for scoring, and again, they eliminated a lot of his ability to get to the foul line. So there’s some things they did very well.

“But as we all saw, there was a lot of shots there that just didn’t go down for him that were in-and-out. So that’s a matter of understanding his baskets, getting a touch on them and figuring it out.”

Lamar Odom said Bryant’s tough shooting night was part of the game.

“It happens,” Odom said. “You make some, you miss some. We can win with Kobe shooting bad. We’re good enough to win ballgames no matter how bad he shoots..”

Ray Allen, the Celtics’ primary defender on Bryant, said he believes his team was well-prepared for Bryant after having to deal with the likes of Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, Cleveland’s LeBron James and several Detroit standouts earlier in the playoffs.

“We definitely have learned a lot of lessons,” Allen said. “I think we’d just like to continue to make our men make tough shots. I hope he keeps missing.”