The Lakers had just lost by an unfathomable 39 points, forcing Kobe Bryant to retreat to the visitors' locker room deep inside a bustling, frenetic Boston arena.
He sat at his stall, head down, soaking in the second-worst loss in NBA Finals history until hearing that reporters were about to be allowed into the room. He entered the bathroom, off-limits to the media, and sat down against a wall, still wearing his Lakers uniform, saddened, if not embarrassed by what had happened.
Two days later, he emerged for his first in-depth public comments Thursday after a 30-minute exit meeting with Coach Phil Jackson and General Manager Mitch Kupchak at the Lakers' training facility.
On the other side of the country, the Celtics celebrated amid a sea of green, taking part in a parade that lined the streets of downtown Boston.
On a quiet day in El Segundo, Bryant seemed upbeat, even cracking a few jokes, seemingly more reassured now by the Lakers' future than by what the team failed to accomplish a few days ago.
"I'm comfortable with what we have," he said. "Whatever Mitch decides to do, he decides to do. It's more of a relaxing summer for me because I know we have an opportunity to win. It's exciting.
"We know we got close and came up a little bit short. I'm excited about the opportunity to get back next year if we're fortunate enough and have a different result."
It certainly was a different demeanor from last season's exit meeting, after which Bryant came down the stairs and unloaded on reporters after his ill-tempered session with Kupchak and Jackson.
"That's one of the things when I re-signed here, they promised they would build a contender and build a contender now," Bryant said 13 months ago. "I don't want to have to wait any more than I already have. . . . The important thing to me is winning now."
The wait for championship-contender status was obviously a relatively short one.
The Lakers began this season with a 9-8 record, but then center Andrew Bynum began playing more like an All-Star than a 20-year-old. After he went down with a knee injury, Pau Gasol was acquired, lifting Lamar Odom's game as the Lakers went on a tear to finish the regular season before winning the Western Conference in only 15 playoff games.
They somehow fumbled a 24-point lead at home in Game 4 and were drubbed by Boston in Game 6 of the Finals, but Bryant said he expected the Lakers to be contenders again next season, in his own way.
