Kobe Bryant says he takes no pleasure in the Miami Heat's recent struggles.

Appearing on the "Max and Marcellus" show on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles on Monday, Bryant said stories of Heat players crying in the locker room after their loss to Chicago on Sunday revealed nothing about the team.

"They have their own issues over there. Every team has issues. At this point of the season, if you don't have issues you're not a team," Bryant said. "Everybody responds to adversity differently. Doesn't make it right, doesn't make it wrong. It's how you come out of it. That's the true mark of a team."

Bryant said he wasn't trying to avoid providing the Heat with bulletin board material in advance of the Los Angeles Lakers ' game against the Heat on Thursday.

"I really don't care too much about bulletin board stuff. That means nothing to me.

"I gave you an honest answer. Everybody responds differently. If guys are crying in the locker room, guys are crying in the locker room. That doesn't mean they're chumps. That doesn't mean they're soft. It doesn't mean anything."

While the Heat have struggled, the Lakers and Bryant have enjoyed a run of seven consecutive victories since the NBA All-Star Game, having dispatched the league-best San Antonio Spurs, 99-86, on Sunday.

"I think seeing the finish line does help our group," Bryant said. "After the All-Star break, the season shortens. Guys have some time to rejuvenate and think about the opportunity we have ahead of ourselves here. This is not something that comes along so often, the opportunity to win three straight."