Lakers center Dwight Howard channeled Laker legend Kobe Bryant during the team's postgame press conference after beating the Nuggets to take a 3-1 series lead, in the Western Conference Finals.
When asked about the team's mentality heading into Game 5, Howard responded, "Simple, the job is not finished."
The answer mirrors something Bryant told the press during the 2009 Finals, when the Lakers were up 2-0 against Howard and the Orlando Magic. When asked why he wasn't smiling after the team's victory, Bryant responded, "What's there to be happy about? The job's not finished. Is the job finished? I don't think so."
Despite the 3-1 series lead, Howard knows it's not time for the Lakers to let off the gas. The Nuggets have come back down 3-1 in their last two series', against the Jazz and the Clippers.
"They're going to give us their best shot. They're not going to let up," Howard said. "They're a really good team, very well-coached. We understand that. We're one step closer to our dream, so we're not going to take our foot off the gas. I think we're going to bring more intensity than we brought before.
"We have a well-experienced group of guys on our team, even coaches. We understand how important this series is and this game is and that we should treat it like a Game 7 with our intensity and our effort and just play as hard as we can."
Game 5 between the Lakers and Nuggets tips off Saturday at 9:00 PM.
[Via]
