BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics have lost their court leader for the season and are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers are battling an array of injuries (the most recent a torn plantar fascia that will sideline Pau Gasol for at least a month) and are languishing in 10th place in the Western Conference, excluded from the current postseason parameters.

Even so, good luck trying to tell Kobe Bryant that the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is dead, or that Thursday's game at TD Garden doesn't matter. Normally, Boston vs. LA generates an edginess (and bitterness) that stokes the fires of this long-time rivalry, and usually Kobe revels in the misfortunes of the men in green. But Bryant takes no pleasure in the torn ACL suffered by Rajon Rondo or the uncertainty surrounding the futures of two of his most ardent foes, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Kobe Bryant says he's sorry the Celtics are without Rajon Rondo and scoffs at the idea that the point guard's absence makes Boston better. Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images

"I'm not happy about what's happening to them," Bryant said. "We're all running out of time. So I understand."

In a lengthy, wide-ranging exclusive interview at the Lakers' team hotel in Boston, Kobe touched on trash-talking with Pierce, his admiration for Rondo's game, his predraft visit with the Celtics 17 years ago and his budding friendships with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Bryant was eager to weigh in on the notion that the Celtics actually might be better off with Rondo shelved for the remainder of the season. When presented with that theory, Kobe laughed uproariously -- for a really, really long time.

The Celtics are 4-0 with a resurgence of ball movement since Rondo went down, but Bryant scoffed at the significance off the minuscule sample size.

"You don't want Rondo? Send him my way," Kobe declared. "I love everything about him. Everything. I love his attitude, I love his chippiness, his edge, his intellect, his know-it-allness. All of it. That's what makes championship players.

"What guard have you seen at his size that will get you 18 assists, 17 boards and 20 points all in one game? That's unheard of. I love that kid. I always make a point of talking to him during All-Star [Weekend]. He's one of my favorites."

Kobe acknowledged the irony of gushing over a player who contributed to the demise of his team during the 2008 NBA Finals, when the Celtics clinched the title on the Garden parquet with a 131-92 Game 6 thrashing. In that game, Bryant stumbled through a 7-of-22 shooting night with four turnovers.

"One of the lowest moments of my career," he admitted.

Bryant said he began wondering in the waning minutes of that Game 6 loss if he'd ever have a chance to get back to a title game. His team had wilted under pressure and he was skeptical about whether they had the necessary personnel to win it all. He already had won three championship rings with the Lakers, but he had not yet won one without Shaquille O'Neal, his former teammate and sometimes tormentor. That, he conceded, mattered to him.

Kobe is a fan of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, saying he's entertained by Gronk's performances on and off the field. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

"I'm sitting there on the bench, just beside myself, burning with frustration, and I look over and Bill Belichick is walking toward me," Kobe recalled. "I had never met him. Never spoken to him. He had courtside seats across from our bench, and with 20 seconds left in the game, he came over and said, 'Don't you worry about this. I know what you are going through. We just lost a tough one ourselves [to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII]. Just bounce back. Be ready next year.'

"He didn't have to say that. The clock was winding down, we were getting ready to walk off. I thought it was really cool. Respect across our professions."

Since then, Belichick and Bryant habitually have talked shop when Kobe comes to Boston. Last season, Belichick visited the Lakers' locker room and shared some pearls of coaching wisdom.

"He talked to me about how he coaches the game, how he minimizes mistakes, the value of a possession," Kobe reported. "Very interesting topics."

In spite of his newfound respect for the HC of the New England Patriots, Kobe said he hasn't switched pro football allegiances.

"No, I'm an Eagles fan, for better or for worse," he said. "I"ve got my fingers crossed that this Chip Kelly dude will work out."

Asked if Belichick would be visiting with him on Thursday, Bryant answered, "I'm hoping Gronk will be there. I like him. He seems to perform at a high level every time out. Last time we were in town we talked for a little bit. He was a fun guy.

"Everyone is so worked up about what he did [in Vegas]. It's funny. If there were camera phones back in the day, the biggest athletes in the world would have had a lot of explaining to do."

Both the Celtics and Lakers have been under scrutiny for their underwhelming performances and share common laments: the arduous task of implementing new players, compensating for an aging core of veterans and dealing with major injuries to key personnel.

So who would Kobe rather be right now: a Laker or a Celtic?