Bobbi Kristina's Reason for Oprah Interview

Bobbi is telling friends -- Oprah "was loyal to my mom, and never did my mother wrong, or made her look bad. She always looked out for my mom."

As a result, we're told Bobbi feels Oprah would show her the same respect -- not bringing up issues that could potentially show Bobbi in a negative light ... i.e. substance abuse.

According to sources close to Bobbi, Oprah was one of the first people who reached out to her after Whitney passed.