It was like the good old days, Kobe Bryant heating up quickly and yanking the Lakers back into a game.
But now they're simply old days for the 37-year-old. He was unable to finish his flourish and missed five shots in the final two minutes of a brutally played 89-87 loss Monday to the Indiana Pacers.
There was fiery Kobe and frigid Kobe, an 11-point outburst that meant an 82-79 lead with 2:30 to play, followed by an outrageous 30-foot three-point attempt and four more misses by him.
"Pulled the rabbit out of the hat and then it disappeared," said Bryant, who was way off before his brief eruption and finished with 19 points on six-for-25 shooting at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.