Still wearing his gold game uniform, Bryant appeared to fight back tears while he thought about the upcoming final days of the Lakers' tumultuous season.
The stir over the decision in the last fight, in which many observers thought Bradley was handed a gift decision, provides plenty of ammunition for promoting a rematch.
The general's position as loyal ally in the fight against global terror was further cemented this week with the arrest in Pakistan of Abu Zubaydah, thought to be the third-ranking member of the al-Qaeda group.
During his run for the presidency, and amid the early days of it, Ronald Reagan had to fight broad economic pessimism in addition to a Congress that thought his optimism confirmed the belief that he was dim.
The fight was exactly the kind of thing that must have made major league managers and general managers cringe at the thoughtof one of their players getting hurt in such a fracas.