HOUSTON – The clock always hits zero.
Over 20 years, Bryant has packed so many memories into the moments right before it does. Of course he had the ball at the end of the third quarter on Sunday. He fooled his friend and former teammate, Trevor Ariza, with a crossover and buried a 28-footer with three seconds left.
The clock on his career counts in games and, after the Lakers lost 130-110 to the Houston Rockets, is currently paused at two.
The best was not saved for last. It was expended during championship runs and MVP campaigns and in the final moments of games that mattered.