LOS ANGELES — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 101-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.

1. Kobe scores 60 in his final game ever

Contradictions. The entire night felt like a contradiction.

Kobe Bryant scored 60 points.

It took him 50 shots in order to do it, setting the record for most field goal attempts in a game in the last 40 years. That's also 14 more shots than the NBA's previous season high, 36, taken by Russell Westbrook in a double overtime game earlier this year. Of the 101 times he touched the ball, he passed it only 28 times.

But why should he have passed it? The dude scored 60!

The Lakers just finished their worst season ever, only finishing with 17 wins. He's an old man, 37 years of age, in his 20th season in the league. He's got teammates who are half as old, who are his team's future.

But somehow, he played over 42 minutes and took 50 shots. That takes a ridiculous amount of stamina for any player at any level.

Kobe Bryant's biggest myth is that he's clutch. He's actually one of the most un-clutch players in NBA history, shooting under 40 percent from the field in career game 7s, 33 percent on game winning shots, and leading his teams to about 80 points per 100 possessions in clutch situations.

But naturally, tonight he scored 15 points in the game's final 3 minutes on 5-5 shooting from the field, and 4-4 from the free throw line, that's perfect. On the biggest stage he had all season.

The Jazz weren't giving 100 percent effort. Chris Johnson played major clutch minutes. Clearly, the game was played at an exhibition level. Even the referees got in on the action, letting wild screens go for easy Kobe looks. In a meaningful game, the Jazz start to double-team, shift their defense to Kobe's side, and force him to be uncomfortable. They never did that, probably due to the respect Quin Snyder has for Bryant (Snyder was an assistant coach for the Lakers in the 2011-2012 season).

But even given that, the Jazz should have won the game. Up 10 with 3 minutes left? Please. That's in the bag. It wasn't. Because of Kobe.

None of it really computes.

But that's sort of Kobe's career, right? He's shunned All-NBA teammates, copied Michael Jordan's most contested shots, and fought through career-ending injuries.

Tonight, we said adieu to a man who's worked 37 years at being successful in the most difficult way possible. That's Kobe's legacy, the one he fought for, the one that he exclaimed from the finish line tonight.

2. It's also the end of a Jazz season

Really, game 81 was the fitting end to the Jazz's season, a microcosm of the year in so many different ways. There were the injuries midway through the first half that completely changed the Jazz's style of play. And, of course, there were the missed shots from the Jazz's best perimeter players at the most important times.

Game 82 was an afterthought, made especially so after the Rockets easily trounced the tanking Kings earlier in the night. Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, and Alec Burks didn't play. And the aforementioned Kobe retirement circus made the game itself a circus.

Still, it's four losses in the season's final five games, which hurts. It hurts most in that the Jazz didn't make the playoffs, a goal of the players, especially Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. It probably hurts the story that the Jazz can tell free agents this no-longer-upcoming offseason, though it was always unclear if the Jazz could get the best free agents to come to Utah anyway.

It also probably hurts the fans most, who have followed the team through this rebuilding process and ached desperately for some results. Flashes of those results have come, sure, and the Jazz are still in a great position in a lot of different ways, but in the end, it's hard to go home happy after a loss, no matter the long-term future of the franchise.

We'll have a ton of end-of-season coverage on KSL.com, by the way. To start, I'm going to write end-of-season "scouting reports," detailing where each player is as of right now. Look forward to those in the coming weeks.

3. One silver lining: draft position

The one silver lining from a Jazz perspective about losing this game is that doing so ensures them of having the No. 12 draft slot going into the NBA's draft lottery. Had they won, they would have finished tied with the Washington Wizards and had to win a coin flip between the two teams for draft position.

Currently 12th on DraftExpress' mock? Frenchman Timothe Luwawu, a lanky wing with shooting ability and strong defensive ability. He's also an excellent passer. Plus, Rudy Gobert would have a fun French friend on the squad. I'm rooting for it to happen.

That's the season's final Triple Team, the 82nd of the year. Thanks to all of you for reading them after every game, it means a tremendous amount to me personally. We have some awesome offseason Jazz coverage plans in the works for you guys and gals to look forward to as well. Have fun, and go Jazz!

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