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Kobe on philosophical differences with D'Antoni: 'For me ... it's championship or a waste of time'

For the Los Angeles Lakers, basketball is about championships.

New head coach Byron Scott has said his key message to his team is a desire to win a title. General manager Mitch Kupchak has the same organizational goal, and Kobe Bryant's singular focus on ringsssss was at least part of the reason he and former head coach Mike D'Antoni didn't always see eye to eye.

The Lakers were quickly bounced from the 2013 playoffs and then struggled to the second-worst record in franchise history last season, ultimately leading D'Antoni to resign when the team wouldn't extend his contract.

D'Antoni was originally thought to be a Bryant favorite, but Black Mamba quickly threw his support behind Scott shortly after D'Antoni was removed.

In Scott, Bryant sees a kindred spirit:

It's a philosophical thing. He agrees with me, and it's the Lakers organization. We're here for one reason only, and that's to hang championship banners, not division banners or conference banners or anything else. We don't do that. We focus on winning championships, and that's very important for our young guys to understand.

As repeated in the storyline below, trying to instill a championship culture is a smart move as long as expectations remain grounded in reality. 

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