At Taix, a French restaurant and bar in Echo Park, on the east side of Los Angeles, patrons who hadn't appeared to be closely watching Friday's game suddenly became hushed and focused on the television screen broadcasting the game, watching intently as Mr. Bryant left the court.
The Echo is a cool little club on the east side of Los Angeles, just grimy enough, with dark blue walls and a crowd that on a recent Monday night included movie stars Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, bobbing their heads to an all-girl band called The Like.