April 2009 Archives

The Lakers learned the identity of their second-opponent tonight, and it's the Houston Rockets, who defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 92-76, in Game 6 and took the series, 4-2. Ron Artest scored 27 points and Yao Ming had 17 points and 10 rebounds to help the Rockets win a playoff series for the first time since 1997. Both will be key figures in the next round for the Rockets. The Lakers beat the Rockets, 4-0, in the regular season.

Here's the schedule (times are PDT):

Game 1, Monday at Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., TNT.
Game 2, Wednesday at Staples Center, 7:30 p.m., TNT.
Game 3, May 8 at Houston, 6:30 p.m., ESPN.
Game 4, May 10 at Houston, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7.
Game 5, if necessary, May 12 at Staples Center, TBA, TNT.
Game 6, if necessary, May 14 at Houston, TBA, ESPN.
Game 7, if necessary, May 16 at Staples Center, TBA, TBA.

The Lakers insisted they are not bored while awaiting the next round of the playoffs to start. They said today that rest and recovery were a good deal after a rough-and-tumble first-round victory over the Utah Jazz. They said it was never bad to have a couple of extra days to refine a few things before beginning the second round on Monday. Besides, the Lakers hope to learn the identity of their next opponent later tonight. (The Houston Rockets led the Portland Trail Blazers, 3-2, going into Game 6). They also hope to learn the schedule for the next round. All we know is that Games 1 and 2 are Monday and Wednesday at Staples Center. The rest is a mystery. If the Trail Blazers defeat the Rockets to force Game 7, then all will be known to the Lakers and their fans late Saturday night.

Pretty quiet day around Lakersland today. No formal practice, but a few players came in to work out and play 3-on-3. Andrew Bynum was one of them. He has a lot to work on after a disappointing showing in the Lakers' opening-round playoff win over the Utah Jazz. Here's assistant coach and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Bynum:

"Andrew wants to excel, so he's looking to dominate the game. Sometimes you have to be patient and allow that part of the game to happen. He's figuring it out. I'm sure by the end of the playoffs, people won't be talking about these issues.

"He's very good at making adjustments. He saw that he didn't play well and Lamar's been doing a great job starting. It's not like (Bynum) took a big step backwards. He had a few things he had to adjust to, and I think he's seeing what that entails."

Leave it to Lakers coach Phil Jackson to cause a stir after his team eliminated the Utah Jazz tonight and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Jackson said he would start center Andrew Bynum in the next round against the winner of the Houston-Portland series and return Lamar Odom to a reserve role. Bynum was a non-factor in the Utah series, but Jackson believes the Lakers will need his 7-foot height against either Houston's 7-6 center Yao Ming or Portland's 7-1 center Joel Przybilla. Odom was a huge factor in the series, but particularly in Game 5 tonight. He had 26 points and a team-leading 15 rebounds. Bynum had two points and five rebounds tonight.

Here's a bit of updated information on the Derek Fisher situation, which broke right before tipoff of tonight's game.

I just spoke with his publicist, who relayed the following statement from Derek Fisher:

``This is a law enforcement matter and I will not be making any comment at this time. We appreciate your understanding and respect for the seriousness of the situation."

The Lakers are a half away from advancing to the second round. They were steady if not spectacular in the opening half, leading by as many as 14 points. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom scored 16 points apiece to lead the Lakers in Game 5. Odom also had a team-leading eight rebounds for the Lakers, who hold a 3-1 series lead and showed no desire to return to Utah for Game 6 on Thursday. Andrei Kirilenko had 12 points for Utah.

Here are the details, via a story from The Associated Press:

Derek Fisher is seeking a temporary restraining order against a woman who he says is stalking and harassing him. The Lakers guard, who is playing in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs against Utah, filed the paperwork with the Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier Monday.

He claims that the woman, Symone Fisher -- no relation -- has been harassing him since 2001 but that the situation has gotten worse over the past few months. Fisher claims that the woman has been showing up at his place of work and at his private residence.

In the restraining order, he also asked for protection for his wife, Candace, and four children. A Los Angeles County detective investigating the case recommended that Fisher get a restraining order after looking into a number of unsolicited e-mails, internet messages and letters sent from Symone Fisher suggesting that the two were married.

Jerry Sloan is wearing a purple tie tonight. When asked why he picked that tie (which is a strange color choice considering he is playing the Lakers), he said he got it at a garage sale.

Luke Walton will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a partially torn ligament in his left ankle in Game 4 on Saturday night, the Lakers announced today. Walton underwent an MRI exam this morning, which revealed the extent of the injury. Walton's condition will be re-evaluated in about one week.

Meanwhile, Lakers coach Phil Jackson told our Ramona Shelburne that Trevor Ariza will play tonight in Game 5 despite suffering from a sprained right ankle. Either shooting guard Kobe Bryant or power forward Lamar Odom will serve as Ariza's backup at small forward, Jackson said.

"I think Trevor will be able to go tonight, but Luke is out indefinitely and we'll have to wait and see what's going to happen with that," Jackson said this morning. "I think (Walton) was instrumental in helping us win that Game 4. ... Trevor didn't complain about it at all. But when I watched him shoot a little bit, I was seeing if he would favor it or not. He caught me looking at him, smiled and said, 'I'll be all right.' So I think he's going to be fine."

Tex Winter, the Lakers' special consultant and inventor of the triangle offense, remained hospitalized in Manhattan, Kan., today after suffering an apparent stroke Saturday. "They said just said he's OK as far as resting and some of hisfaculties are coming back and he's improving," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said when asked for an update on Winter, 87.Jackson also said Winter has had some difficulty moving the right side of his body and his speech hasn't returned to normal, two typical aftereffects of a stroke.

Winter and Jackson began their association with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. They won six NBA championships with Michael Jordan leading the way on the floor. They were reunited when Jackson became the Lakers' coach in 1999. They won three more titles with the Lakers to start this decade. Winter lives in Oregon, but visits the team periodically to offer counsel and criticism. Jackson said Saturday that Winter often refers to himself as an "insultant" rather than a consultant.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kobe Bryant tried a new offensive approach in Game 4 and Phil Jackson made a change to his starting lineup tonight. Both moves worked and the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz, 108-94, to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 5 is Monday at Staples Center and the Lakers can eliminate Utah with a victory. Bryant scored 38 points on 16-for-24 shooting tonight, looking for his shot from the opening tip instead of looking for his teammates. He had only one assist. Jackson started Lamar Odom instead of Andrew Bynum, and Odom responded with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Bynum had only two points and one rebound in seven minutes. Look for Jackson to stick with the same rotation for Game 5. The Lakers will try to end the series Monday, avoiding a return to Utah, where they are only 3-10 in playoff games.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kobe Bryant made his first four shots and it was clear things would be different in the first half of Game 4 tonight. He finished the half with 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting, two nights after scoring only 18 points on 5-for-24 shooting in the Lakers' loss to the Utah Jazz in Game 3. The Lakers shot 57.9 percent in the first half. Utah was led by Deron Williams with 17 points and seven assists and Carlos Boozer with 14 points and eight rebounds. Mehmet Okur returned to the Utah lineup after missing four games because of a strained right hamstring. He did not score in the half.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Tex Winter, the 87-year-old special consultant to Lakers coach Phil Jackson, suffered an apparent stroke while attending a reunion of the Kansas State basketball team in Manhattan, Kan. He was taken to a hospital, Jackson told reporters after the Lakers' shootaround today. Winter formerly coached at Kansas State. "I've been in touch with the family and they feel relatively at ease with the situation, as difficult as it could have been," Jackson told reporters this morning. "I'm happy to say that, and they've basically said, 'Take your mind off of this and put it where it belongs right now.'" Winter is the man who devised the triangle offense run by the Lakers. Winter and Jackson began their association with the Chicago Bulls, winning six NBA titles in the 1990s. Winter also coached at Long Beach State. Among his players: Craig Hodges, a Lakers assistant.

Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks was named the NBA's sixth man of the year today, finishing ahead of JR Smith of the Denver Nuggets and Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks. Terry averaged 19.6 points in 33.6 minutes this season. In order to be eligible for the award, a player had to play more games as a reserve than a starter. No Lakers were in the running for the award. The Bench Mob hasn't been as effective this season as last.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson said today it's possible Lamar Odom could start in place of Andrew Bynum for Game 4 on Saturday night. Odom has been exceptional so far in the series, but Bynum hasn't had much of an impact because he's been in foul trouble.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Adam Morrison and Sasha Vujacic had a heated confrontation late in practice today. Morrison was upset that Vujacic was holding him during a 4-on-4 game. No punches were thrown, but the players were clearly unhappy with each other. Stuff like this goes on all the time during NBA practices, but it's rare that it happens after reporters are allowed into the gym at the end of a workout. It's also the main reason reporters aren't allowed into the gym to watch until the end of practice. At any rate, none of the Lakers players or coaches seemed concerned that things would escalate between Morrison and Vujacic. Neither is known for his temper.

SALT LAKE CITY -- There were more questions than answers after the Lakers' 88-86 loss to the Utah Jazz in Game 3 tonight. First and foremost, can the Lakers possibly shoot worse than the 36.8 percent they shot tonight? And more to the point, can Kobe Bryant possibly shoot worse than the 5-for-24 he shot in Game 3?

But wait, there was more.

Will Lakers coach Phil Jackson move center Andrew Bynum to the bench in favor of Lamar Odom for Game 4 on Saturday? Bynum played a little more than seven minutes because of foul trouble and scored only four points and grabbed two rebounds. Odom led the Lakers with 21 points and 14 rebounds in a little more than 41 minutes.

Will the Lakers' bench recapture their mojo? If you toss out Odom's contributions, the so-called Bench Mob did little of note in Game 3. Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic scored three points apiece and Luke Walton added one point. Josh Powell did not score in limited minutes. Jordan Farmar and DJ Mbenga did not play.

What other adjustments can Jackson make in order to regain the momentum in the series? The Jazz proved once again that they are a far different team at home than on the road, displaying far more energy and emotion than in either game in L.A. Carlos Boozer proved to be a handful, scoring 23 points and taking 22 rebounds.

Stay tuned. All will be revealed in time.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Wow, has this series changed. The Lakers, who couldn't miss a shot in the first half of each of the first two games, suddenly can't throw a pea in the Great Salt Lake. Kobe Bryant missed 9 of 10 shots in the first half. Pau Gasol missed 5 of 8. The Lakers shot 30.4 percent in the first half. The Jazz weren't much better, shooting 39.5 percent. The Lakers' bricklaying led to some big rebounding numbers for Utah's Carlos Boozer, who had 16. Paul Millsap added 10. Lamar Odom had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers. Boozer led Utah with 13 points.

Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur will not play tonight in Game 3, sitting out for the third straight playoff game against the Lakers because of a strained right hamstring. "I don't know yet. This is the worst part," Okur said earlier today when asked if might be able to play in Game 4 on Saturday. "I can't say a couple days, a couple hours, four days ... "

Jarron Collins will start in place of Okur. Utah coach Jerry Sloan told reporters this morning that he would shift Kyle Korver to the bench and start Andrei Kirilenko at small forward. Korver had seven points on 2-for-6 shooting in Game 1 and 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting in Game 2. Kirilenko had eight points in Game 1 and 10 in Game 2.

The Lakers will not travel to Hawaii for training camp next fall, but will work out instead at their El Segundo training facility for the second consecutive year. They will begin their exhibition schedule with a game Oct. 7 against the Golden State Warriors at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Here's the complete exhibition schedule:

Oct. 7 vs. Golden State at the Honda Center, Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Oct. 15 vs. Sacramento at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
Oct. 17 vs. Charlotte at Staples Center, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 18 vs. Clippers or Utah, Staples Center, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 20 vs. Golden State, Citizens Bank Arena, Ontario, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 vs. Denver, Honda Center, Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 vs. Denver, San Diego Sports Arena, 7 p.m.

Tickets for all games except the two at Staples go on sale Monday at Ticketmaster outlets, including ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 4-NBA-TIX. Tickets for the Oct. 17-18 games at Staples go on sale in October.

Chicago guard Derrick Rose was named the NBA's rookie of the year. That was a no-brainer, although I'm sure some pundit out there somewhere found some nits to pick with Rose's game. I couldn't find anything wrong with the man's game with a microscope. He was my pick. O.J. Mayo of Memphis, the former USC standout, was second. Brook Lopez of the New Jersey Nets was third. Liked what I saw of Mayo. Less crazy about Lopez, but I only watched him play a couple of times. Nets don't get a lot of TV time and the Lakers faced them only twice, so I'll have to take my colleagues' word for it.

The Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz, 119-109, in Game 2 tonight to take a 2-0 series lead. They lost the second half for the second consecutive game, however. They built a 20-point lead in the first half for the second straight game and failed to hold it. They had moments of indecision, but didn't collapse entirely. They never trailed in the game.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson faulted his players for almost letting a 22-point lead slip away in Game 1 on Sunday. He blamed himself for the Lakers' inability to maintain a 20-point lead tonight in Game 2, however.

"I think it was my fault," Jackson said. "Substitution probably hurt us a little bit in the course of the game and I think that I tried to play too many players at that time in the game to get us going, which created a little bit of hesitancy."

Utah outscored the Lakers by 60-51 in the second half of Game 1.
The Jazz also outscored the Lakers, 54-53, in the second half of Game 2.

Orlando's Dwight Howard won the NBA's defensive player of the year award today, beating out LeBron James of Cleveland and Dwyane Wade of Miami. Shane Battier and Ron Artest of Houston were fourth and fifth. Chris Paul of New Orleans was sixth followed by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Boston's Kevin Garnett. Just an opinion, but I'll take Howard, Battier, Artest, Bryant and a healthy Garnett on my DEFENSIVE team any day of the week.

The Wall Street Journal does its best to explain why the Lakers are the No. 1 sports franchise in town. The article make a few good points, including the fact that Southern California is a hotbed of basketball, from the high schools to the colleges. The story also points out that the team crosses cultural and ethnic lines, uniting a region that's not easy to unite. It fails to acknowledge the team's great success in the 1960s and '70s, however. It points to the arrival of Magic Johnson and Jerry Buss as the start of the nexus. Don't believe it. The Lakers were huge here in the days of Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. The Dodgers and Rams were big in those days, too. But there was a special bond between the Lakers and the Southland that dates to the 1960s.

Anyway, here's a sample of the story:

"The team's domination of the Southern California sports market began in earnest when the charismatic Mr. Johnson arrived in 1979 and soon led the Lakers to their second championship since the team moved from Minneapolis in 1960. That same year, Dr. Buss, who bought the team with money he earned investing in apartment buildings as a graduate student, made himself a fixture at the hottest nightclubs, building his own star power and giving away tickets to actors, actresses and other beautiful people he knew would draw crowds, regardless of the team's performance. In the 1980s under head coach Pat Riley, the Lakers appeared in the NBA Finals eight times and won five titles.

"After the team's attendance slumped in the early 90s, Hollywood provided a rebound. Hoping to increase revenue, the NBA sent two executives to Los Angeles to coordinate product placement, ink movie deals and build relationships with studios. Shane Duffy, then the NBA's director of entertainment marketing, began inviting directors, producers, writers and actors like Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler to join a private, invitation-only league officiated by NBA referees now known as the "E league," where they could play with each other and sometimes NBA greats. They were also given prime seats at nationally televised Lakers games."

Actually, the arrival of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in deft moves by then-GM West probably had a little bit more to do with the Lakers' rejuvenation in the 1990s than some double-dribble league featuring Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler. After a break-in period, Bryant and O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles to start this decade.

Cleveland's Mike Brown was a runaway choice for the NBA's coach of the year in voting by media members. Brown easily outdistanced runner up Rick Adelman of Houston Stan Van Gundy of Orlando was third. In a sign of things to come, Lakers coach Phil Jackson finished eighth with only one first-place vote. I think it was mine, but I can't remember. Hey, give me a break, the playoffs are here. I can't remember what I had for lunch. Anyway, Brown's win probably will be followed shortly by LeBron James' selection as the league's MVP, ending Kobe Bryant's reign. That's probably justified since James had to do more to get Cleveland to the top overall spot in the NBA. Bryant's supporting cast is much better.

Remember a couple of months back when ex-Lakers guard Smush Parker took a couple of jabs at Kobe Bryant on some local cable access show in New York? Or at least, it had the look of something out of Wayne's World. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is Parker ripped into Bryant, essentially calling him a bad teammate.

Bryant got a bit of a payback today at practice.

Here's the setup, former Daily News beat man Ross Siler, now covering the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune, asked Bryant if he believed Utah's Deron Williams was in the same tough spot as Bryant was several seasons ago. You know, having to go it solo because of a lackluster supporting cast.

Bryant: "What I'm saying is that he has a little bit better cast than I did. It's not dire straits for him. But if you're asking if I feel bad for him? Absolutely not. No way."

Siler: "So he should just keep his head down?"

Bryant: "Yeah, just continue to play. They have some talented players there. They have a great coach. They'll be fine. ... It's not even close. They don't even have Smush Parker on their team. It's not even close."

Siler: "You guys never lost to a seven-player Golden State team with a bunch of D-Leaguers (as the Jazz did a couple of weeks ago)."

Bryant: "That's because I had to score 80 or we would have lost to Toronto, man."

Actually, it was 81, but who's counting.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan praised the Lakers after Game 1, and bashed his team. Here's some of what he had to say after the Lakers defeated the Jazz,113-100, today:

"We gave up 62 points in the first half and it's virtually impossible to beat this team(the Lakers) if you give them that kind of an edge. ... They're leaving us open for a reason, because we're not great shooters. We haven't proved we can make a shot. When we stayed in our offense and executed that, I felt were at least able to make them play us a little more. They didn't have to play us the way we started off the ballgame.

"We kind of looked like deer in the headlights to start the game. I was really kind of shocked that we would play that way. Some of our guys are young guys. Hopefully, we're going to learn. We have to play four games and, hopefully, we get better each time we play them. I thought our effort was good. Some of the mistakes we made, at both ends of the floor, were something we need to do a much better job of. We were obviously shorthanded out there and then we get shorter when we have to substitute. They're a big, long team. We can't seem to make our guys taller. If I could do that, we'd be a little bit better off.

"But give them credit. They know how to play. They're a terrific team. They're a very intelligent basketball team. They're an intelligent team because they put you in situations and if you can't handle them, you see what happens. We couldn't handle some of them, particularly on the offensive end of the court. And defensively, they're very, very good. "

The Jazz refused to go quietly, cutting the Lakers lead to 107-98 with 1:46 to go, but there was no way the Lakers were losing this one. Kobe Bryant punctuated the Game 1 win with an emphatic dunk over Paul Millsap, Ariza hit another 3-pointer and the Lakers ran off the court to a cascade of confetti with a series-opening win.

The Jazz made some good adjustments at half time and were able to cut the 22-point halftime lead down to single digits, but the Lakers --or rather, Trevor Ariza -- had an emphatic answer. Ariza's steal and jaw-dropping reverse dunk off a fast break stretched the lead back to 76-63 with 2:42 to go.

Kobe Bryant decided it was time to score after spending the first quarter getting his teammates involved. Bryant hit four of five shots in the second quarter, leading the team with nine points. Lamar Odom had his own dunk contest, slamming home two jams to help the Lakers extend their lead. By halftime, the game started to get away from the Jazz as they fell behind by 22 points. You just can't shoot 32 percent against the Lakers at Staples Center and expect to win.

Derek Fisher picks up two quick fouls and has to come out of the game after just two and a half minutes of play. Disaster, right? Not even close. Reserve Shannon Brown comes in, does a good job of staying with Utah's Deron Williams and injects some life into the Lakers fast break. Trevor Ariza comes out hot, hitting two 3-pointers and converting on two fast breaks to lead the Lakers with 10 points. The Lakers shoot 71 percent in the quarter while limiting the Jazz to just 39 percent.

Backup point guard Jordan Farmar is in the Lakers' lineup today. He has been suffering from pain in his right foot. A battery of tests Friday revealed nothing, and the team has termed his injury tendonitis. Farmar is on the active roster for Game 1 of the Lakers' opening-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, however.

Meanwhile, Jazz center Mehmet Okur will not play because of a strained right hamstring. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan did not have a guess-timate for Okur's return. Okur did not play in the regular-season finale between the Lakers and the Jazz last Tuesday at Staples Center.

Lakers forward/center Pau Gasol made a list of his all-time, top-5 great European players who played in the NBA. It's not a surprising list, one that relies heavily on history. Here it is:

1. Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuania.
2. Toni Kukoc, Croatia
3. Drazen Petrovic, Croatia
4. Dirk Nowitzki, Germany
5. Fernando Martin, Spain.

Gasol paused for a moment after naming Petrovic and a reporter quickly asked, "What about your brother (Marc, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies)?"
Gasol quickly shot back, "You're talking about all-time, right? Obviously, I have great love for my brother, but you're talking about all-time." Gasol picked Martin, his countryman who died in an auto accident, because "He was the first Spaniard to make it to the NBA. That's always important. That's always a big thing."

On an otherwise slow news day, it was revealed that backup guard Jordan Farmar has tendonitis in his right foot. He had been suffering from pain lately, so the Lakers sent him for a battery of tests, including an MRI exam. Dr. Phil Kwong examined Farmar. All the tests came back normal and the Lakers are calling Farmar day-to-day.

The pain is unlikely to keep him from playing in the Lakers' opening-round series against the Utah Jazz. It remains to be seen how much he plays, however. Lakers coach Phil Jackson has been using Shannon Brown, rather than Farmar, as the first guard off the bench in recent games. Brown could be the X-factor when it comes to checking Utah's Deron Williams. It's a matchup that bears monitoring when the series begins Sunday at Staples Center.

Here's Jackson on Williams and Brown: "Deron likes to run a shoulder into a guy and run him into the lane, push him where he wants him to go," he said. "He's very adept at that. Shannon has a chance. I'm not saying anybody's going to stop him, per se. It's going to take a team to do that."

The Boston Celtics might be without Kevin Garnett for the playoffs. Not just the first round, but any and all rounds, according to Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Garnett hurt his right knee Feb. 19 and has played in only four games since then, none for more than 18 minutes. Rivers told a Boston radio station today that he shut down Garnett after watching him run for 20 minutes. "He's not going to be ready. After watching him practice, there's no way," Rivers said on WEEI-AM. "The way I saw him move today, I don't know if he'll be ready." Rest assured the Lakers will shed no tears for the Celtics. Playing without injured center Andrew Bynum, the Lakers lost to the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals last June.

Game 1: Utah at Lakers, noon, Sunday, Channel 7.
Game 2: Utah at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, TNT.
Game 3: Lakers at Utah, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, TNT.
Game 4: Lakers at Utah, 6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN.
Game 5 (if nessecary): Utah at Lakers, TBA, Monday, April 27, TV TBA.
Game 6 (if nessecary): Lakers at Utah, TBA, Thursday, April 30, TV TBA.
Game 7: (if nessecary): Utah at Lakers, TBA, Saturday, May 2, TNT

Predictions: The top-seeded Lakers will defeat the eighth-seed Jazz in five games and advance to play the winner of the No. 4 Portand-No. 5 Houston series. Portland probably will beat the Rockets. No. 2 Denver will beat No. 7 New Orleans. No. 3 San Antonio will beat No. 6 Dallas.

The Jazz finished 15-26 on the road this year and 33-8 at home. The Lakers were a league-best 29-12 on the road. So basically, something has to give in their first-round playoff series.

After Tuesday's game, we were asking Kobe Bryant whether he worried about playing in Salt Lake City, one of the most difficult arenas in the league to play in.

I believe the line of questioning went like this:

Q: The Jazz are a team that are really tough to beat at home. Does it seem like their plan is to steal one of the first two games here and then take it back to their place where it's tough to win?

Kobe: We're not too bad on the road either...

Q: But you know where they're coming from, right?

Kobe: I know where we're coming from....

The Lakers won two of three games against the Utah Jazz during the regular season, taking both games at Staples Center and losing in Salt Lake City. Here's a closer look at how the teams fared against each other and at who might play a key role during the first-round playoff series between the Lakers and the Jazz.

(By the way, the schedule will be released late tonight).

Lakers versus Jazz
Top scorer -- Kobe Bryant averaged 31 points on 47.8 percent shooting.
Top rebounder -- Lamar Odom averaged 9.3 rebounds.
Top playmaker -- Pau Gasol averaged 4.7 assists.

Jazz versus Lakers
Top scorer -- Deron Williams averaged 22 points on 48 percent shooting.
Top rebounder -- Mehmet Okur averaged 10.5 rebounds.
Top playmaker -- Williams averaged 12 assists.

You know about the killer instinct at the end of games. The dagger 3-pointers, the lockdown defense, the 10-point outbursts in the last four minutes of a game.

But what I and about two dozen of the Los Angeles media corps witnessed late Tuesday night has to rank up there with any of Bryant's late game heroics in terms of mental toughness.

Kobe is a late-comer after games. He showers, gets treatment, changes clothes, probably even checks his e-mail before coming out to meet the press corps after games. But when he does show up he's generally patient and engaging, so it's worth sticking around to hear what he's got to say.

Tonight's session started around 11:10, and there was a whole throng of us. Probably 30 deep all around his locker. About two minutes into the session, a foul smell wafts through the room. It was bad, but not so bad you couldn't take it. Then it got worse. Much worse. I started looking around seeing if anyone else was noticing it. Nothing. Everyone was focused on Kobe. And Kobe was focused and engaged in the interview.

Then I looked at the people around me to see if anyone had a guilty look on their face. Still nothing. I couldn't believe no one else was smelling this. It was foul. Whoever it was either stepped in something terrible, or ate something terrible, but it was so bad you actually had to worry about whoever it was.

Vic the Brick was standing right next to me and with no one else noticing, or acting like they did it --least of all Kobe who was holding court like nothing weird was going on -- I kinda had to suspect VTB or his poncho. No offense to the man, I actually find him entertaining, but he wears that Laker poncho everywhere.

This went on for a good five minutes. The smell getting worse by the minute. When finally, Kobe jumps in and says, ``What the hell is that smell?''

Thank God! And Oh My God! How in the heck did he do that whole interview with that smell? Talk about mental toughness.

Afterwards, the exonerated VTB said what we were all thinking, ``That just shows the iron will of the Black Mamba. He was a warrior in there.'''

All season, the Jazz were the team no one wanted to play in the playoffs. So you wouldn't have blamed the Lakers if they didn't give 100 percent in the season finale Tuesday night at Staples Center.... Except that the Lakers gave about 110 percent in blasting the Jazz back to Salt Lake City.

This one turned into a rout, with the Lakers clearly stating that they don't care who their playoff opponent is.

Game 1 will be either Saturday or Sunday at Staples Center.

So once again point guard Shannon Brown was the first guard off the bench and is playing significantly more minutes than Jordan Farmar. The logical assumption would be that Brown has just passed Farmar on the depth chart. But that's way to cut-and-dry.

Brown had 15 DNPs since coming over from Charlotte in the Vlad Radmanovic trade, so he needs to log some court time in order to earn Phil Jackson's trust in the playoffs. Phil already knows what he's going to get from Farmar.

So far, the audition has gone well. But from listening to Phil the last couple of days, it sounded like Brown was being cast as a ``defensive stopper'' who could be called upon depending on the match-up.

What kind of match-up?

Brown is a big, athletic, quick, physical guard ... just like two of the Lakers potential first-round opponents Chris Paul/New Orleans and Deron Williams/Utah.

Oh, by the way. The Lakers lead the Jazz 56-55 at the half. Kobe Bryant has been in foul trouble, though I don't think he was going to play a ton of minutes anyway.

The Lakers clinched the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, but their first-round playoff opponent remains to be determined. It could be the Utah Jazz, tonight's regular-season finale opponent. If the Lakers defeat the Jazz tonight, the Jazz will finish eighth and the teams will play each other in the first round.

However, if the Jazz win, then they could move up to sixth if the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks both lose in their finales. Utah also could be seventh if either the Hornets or Mavericks lose.

The Lakers could face the Hornets in the opening round if the Hornets lose and the Mavericks and Jazz win.

The Lakers could face the Mavericks if the Mavericks lose and the Jazz win.

Andrew Bynum has scored in double figures in each of his three games since returning from a 32-game layoff because of a right knee injury. He had 18 points Sunday, leading the Lakers to a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He has a few goals for Tuesday's regular-season finale against the Utah Jazz. He hopes to get his timing back, above all.

"I'm feeling a little bit better," he said. "My timing is getting better. A couple of times I got the ball in the middle of the lane (Sunday). Jordan (Farmar) gave me a pass. I think Shannon (Brown) also. I kind of bobbled it and fumbled it. I'm just working all those little kinks out. I'm getting back into the floor, betting back into the rhythm. I'm not hesitating, but I'm not in flow. I'm in between."

Asked what he'd like to do against Uah, he said simply, "Get a double-double. My rebounding has been kind of lacking."

Interesting that backup Shannon Brown was the first guard off the bench for the third consecutive game. He replaced Derek Fisher, who is getting more rest as the Lakers count the days until the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. Brown is bulkier and faster than Jordan Farmar and perhaps more able to stay in front of a big point guard like Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz, who are possible first-round playoff opponents.

"We're really watching how he's moving, reacting, initiating the offense," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said when asked about Brown after tonight's 92-75 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. "Jordan's much more comfortable doing the things we do out there on the floor (in the triangle offense). We obviously want him to play at a high level.

"But with bigger guards, muscular guards, there's a real need or potential for Shannon to help us out there in the playoffs as he progresses. He's still got to make some steps forward, but tonight was another example of things going well for him and the people he plays with, and that's what you look for as a coach."

Brown had three points, three rebounds and two assists in almost 17 minutes tonight against the Grizzlies. Fisher played almost 18 minutes, scoring four points on 2-for-9 shooting. Farmar played a little more than 13 minutes, scoring two points.

The Lakers handled the Memphis Grizzlies with relative ease in the first half, prompting the question: Why was it so close? Well, the Lakers shot only 43.8 percent. The Grizzlies shot 33.3 percent. Lakers coach Phil Jackson also spread the minutes around, keeping to his recent method of operation. No sense in wearing out his players just to beat up on the Grizzlies. Kobe Bryant scored 10 points to lead the Lakers in the first half. O.J. Mayo, a former USC standout, scored 11 to lead the Grizzlies.

The NBA will look into a pre-game video shown Friday night by the Portland Trail Blazers which included footage of Lakers forward Trevor Ariza's March 9 flagrant foul on Portland's Rudy Fernandez, a league spokesman confirmed Saturday.

By league rules teams are not permitted to display replays involving flagrant fouls, altercations or hard physical contact from previous games.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson did not attend the team's game in Portland Friday night due to swelling in his right leg, but raised the issue Saturday afternoon at the team's El Segundo training facility.

``That's something that NBA clubs are not supposed to do,'' Jackson said. ``Showing that video before the game, that incites crowds. Portland took a big risk doing that there, that's a fineable thing for the league.

``That's something that they try to prevent in the spirit of good sportsmanship, but Portland has been like that. They created that situation. And I think Trevor was affected by it unfortunately.''

--Ramona Shelburne

Lakers coach Phil Jackson didn't make the trip to Portland for Friday's loss to the Trail Blazers due to swelling in his right leg, but he saw enough on television to suggest Saturday afternoon that it was inappropriate for Portland to have shown video footage of the Trevor Ariza-Rudy Fernandez incident before the start of the game.

``That's something that NBA clubs are not supposed to do,'' Jackson said. ``Showing that video before the game, that incites crowds. Portland took a big risk doing that there, that's a fineable thing for the league.

``That's something that they try to prevent in the spirit of good sportsmanship, but Portland has been like that. They created that situation. And I think Trevor was affected by it unfortunately.''

Before the game, the Trail Blazers showed a video montage of highlights from their last game (a 111-94 loss on March 9) against the Lakers. At the end of the video, the team showed footage of Ariza's controversial foul on Fernandez. Ariza was assessed a flagrant foul, Fernandez went to the hospital, and Lamar Odom was suspended for a game because he left the bench area during the subsequent scuffle.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Lakers slipped 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in the race for the league's best record. The Lakers (63-17) lost to the Portland Trail Blazers (64-15) and the Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers. So, the question is how do the Lakers play it the rest of the way? They've clinched the best record in the Western Conference, so beating up on Memphis on Sunday and Utah on Tuesday is probably a waste of time and effort. Rest is probably the best way to go. Phil Jackson has suggested that he would rest key players such as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in the final week. We'll see what he has to say when he returns to the team after missing tonight's game to tend to his sore right leg.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Lakers built a 10-point lead late in the half, then gave a demonstration why it's been so hard for them to win in the Rose Garden the last few seasons. They gave almost all of it away and the Trail Blazers closed to within four points. The Lakers shot 43.5 percent and the Blazers shot 39.5 percent. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 15 points, and Lamar Odom added 12 in a reserve role. Andrew Bynum had nine points and five rebounds in his second game back after a 32-game layup because of a right knee injury. Brandon Roy led Portland with 16 points.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Kurt Rambis is filling in for Phil Jackson as the Lakers' coach for tonight's game against the Trail Blazers. He also filled in for Jackson during the pregame session with reporters and held his own in the banter department. He also had a few revealing comments about the Lakers' lack of success in Portland over the years and said the team held a meeting this morning to address the torrent of verbal abuse Trevor Ariza is likely to take tonight. Ariza's hard foul on Portland's Rudy Fernandez in the last game here last month sent Fernandez to the hospital with a bruised hip and chest pains.

Here's some of what Rambis had to say ...

About the Lakers' seven-game losing streak in Portland:

"It's a quandary we've all been trying to figure out. Some of it has to do with travel, some of it has to do with our opponent over there. Matchups and they play some really good ball in this arena. It has more to do with the fact that they're a really good team and they play really well in this arena. Let's hope they play a lot better than the last time we were in Portland. That wasn't a very good showing after the first few minutes of the ballgame. They should come out with a maximum effort. We're still fighting for home court throughout the playoffs. We're still battling with Cleveland. We still want to get ourselves prepared for the playoffs. And we're still trying to assimilate Andrew Bynum into what we're trying to do. So, there are a lot of things we're trying to do right now.

About helping Ariza deal with the hecklers:

"We've already talked about it in a team meeting today. It's something he's going to have to block out and ignore. It's unfortunate that he was vilified for what he did, but he made a great play on the ball. What happens when players go up off one foot and extend themselves, they get hit. It's the nature of the sport. He got hand and ball. It was unfortunate what happened to Rudy. Nobody wants to see any play get hurt. Nobody wants anybody sustain an injury like that. It was unfortunate. But I know what was in Trevor's heart. He, in no way, intended for that to happen."

About increasing the role of backup guard Shannon Brown:

"Yes, we've been tinkering with the idea of moving him up in the rotation as a spot defender. He's one of those rare players who can guard two or three different positions. His toughness, his aggressiveness, his strength are all assets for him. We've been waiting a little bit longer for him to pick up as much of the offense as possible, and that's one of the things in this offense that's not easy to do from the guard position. It's the toughest position to learn the offense from, but he's picked it up really well. He's eager to play. You saw how hard he plays. That's an asset for him and it's an asset for us."

Now that they got Andrew Bynum back in the fold, now that they got a 116-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets tonight at Staples Center, now the Lakers can turn their attention to the Portland Trail Blazers and their seven-game losing streak at the Rose Garden. The Lakers haven't won in Portland since Feb. 23, 2005, their longest losing streak anywhere.

Adding to the intrigue is the way the Lakers' latest visit to Oregon played out, what with Trevor Ariza getting ejected for a hard foul that sent Rudy Fernandez to the hospital with a bruised hip and chest pain. Lamar Odom received a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area after several Portland players surrounded Ariza after Fernandez hit the deck.

A columnist for the Oregonian newspaper called the Lakers bullies. Ariza's flagrant foul followed a flagrant call against Lamar Odom in a game in Portland last season, so perhaps it looked to the scribe as if the Lakers were goons. That made Lakers coach Phil Jackson laugh when the subject was broached after tonight's win over Denver.

"If my team tries to bully anyone, I'd be totally surprised," Jackson said, laughing. "This is a team (the Trail Blazers) that believes in delivering the first blow. They (the Lakers) are going to have to be prepared for the first blow. I told them (the Lakers) to bring their umbrellas along and deal with it after that. We just want to do some things differently against Portland than we have in the past. We'd like to end that losing streak."

At some point, Andrew Bynum's return to the Lakers' starting lineup after a 32-game absence because of a knee injury will become nothing more than a footnote on tonight's game against the Denver Nuggets. That's because the game is shaping up as something more than just another regular-season contest. The teams were tied at the half and there was no reason to think things would swing one way or the other definitively in the third quarter. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 17 points, Pau Gasol had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Bynum had three points, four rebounds and one assist. Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 16 points, and JR Smith added 12, including a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.

Andrew Bynum started and played an effective 6 1/2 minutes in his first game since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31. He missed both shots he attempted, a hook and a jump shot, but he grabbed four rebounds and was credited with an assist as the Lakers and Denver Nuggets were tied at 15-all after 6 minutes, 31 seconds of play. Lamar Odom replaced Bynum at the first television timeout.

Andrew Bynum will make his return to the active roster tonight against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers' center is expected to start for the first time since suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies. How much he plays remains to be seen, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he probably would remove the 7-footer at the first TV timeout, which normally comes about six minutes into a game.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson won't join the team for its game Friday night in Portland. He has pain and swelling in his lower right leg caused by plantar fascitis, the Lakers announced within in the last few minutes. Jackson will coach tonight's game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center, but assistant Kurt Rambis will take over for Jackson on Friday. Jackson missed the Lakers' first exhibition game Oct. 7 for the same reasons. The Lakers expect Jackson to conduct Saturday's practice and to coach the final two regular-season games. The Lakers face Memphis on Sunday and Utah on Tuesday.

After watching Andrew Bynum scrimmage at the end of practice today, it looks like he's ready to play Thursday against the Denver Nuggets. After speaking to him, it sounds like he's ready to play. Officially, It remains to be determined whether he will play for the first time since suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Unofficially, he's playing. There doesn't seem to be any reason to hold him out any longer.

Bynum and Lakers coach Phil Jackson were cautious in their comments after practice.

Bynum: "I'm ready to go. I'm just waiting for the release. (Question: When will you get the release?) Some time soon. I think tomorrow is possible. (Q: When will you talk to Jackson?) Probably after practice. No doubts just wind. Wind is the only doubt. I don't care (about coming off the bench or starting). I just want to get out there and play. I feel like I'm ready to get out there and get as much game experience as I can. I'm ready to play tomorrow. I want to get out there and do well. (Q: What about your teammates?) They're just excited. They really can't wait."

Jackson: "We'll probably assess how he feels tomorrow after today's practice and then make a judgment on that. He feels pretty good. We're pleased with his progress. I don't know how much more he can get out of the activity level he's doing right now. He's got to get to playing here pretty soon. (Q: Starting or off the bench?) I still haven't made up my mind about that. I think he's got the ability to play with the 10-man crew out there on the floor and the feel his way along. He expect a little hitch in our game, but it may not be that at all. He may just go right back in there. We'll see how it goes."

The Lakers have been cautious about bringing Andrew Bynum back from his right knee injury. They refused to commit to a timetable for his return. They declined to even speculate when he might be back. But today might be the day they finally say when he will play again. If everything goes right in practice today and Bynum suffers no setbacks, then he might play Thursday against the Denver Nuggets. There doesn't seem to be any reason to keep him on the sidelines any longer. His coach, Phil Jackson, says he's looked good in practice. His teammates, including Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, say the same things. Bynum says he's ready to play. So, I expect Bynum to play Thursday. At this point, there's no reason why not.

SACRAMENTO -- Here's some of what was said after the Lakers hammered the Sacramento Kings, 122-104, tonight and pulled within one-half game of the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. Remember, the Lakers only have to tie the Cavaliers by season's end since they beat them twice and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Kobe Bryant on the Lakers playing better than in Sunday's win over the Clippers: "Yeah, we played better and closed the game out. The stars didn't have to get off the bench and go back in (the game late in the fourth quarter, as they did Sunday). Our second unit did a good job."

Coach Phil Jackson on the Bench Mob: "I thought their energy was good. Jordan (Farmar) didn't have a great line in terms of scoring, but he did some things: push the ball ahead, changed the pace of the game, got the ball to Pau (Gasol) and Josh (Powell) on the run and we got some easy baskets because of it."

Jackson on the Lakers outscoring the Kings, 40-18, in the second quarter: "Our defense got us started and we got some turnovers and run-outs as a consequence. It changed the momentum of the game. After the first quarter, we talked about giving up too many points and we wanted to settle the game down to where we wanted it."

Pau Gasol on getting Andrew Bynum back soon: "We're getting a player that is important for us back in the rotation and back out there. He has been out for a while, so I don't know how long it is going to take for him to get back into basketball conditioning."

SACRAMENTO -- The Lakers used a 16-2 run to build a big lead before halftime after trailing by as many as 12 points earlier in the half. Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant scored 13 points apiece and Pau Gasol had 12. Spencer Hawes had 13 points for the Kings and Francisco Garica added 11. The Lakers seemed a little uncertain about whether to play at the breakneck pace the Kings established in the early minutes. But once the Lakers decided to go ahead and sprint with their rivals, they seemed to find the right gear.

Derek Fisher said today his sore left foot was much improved over Sunday night, when he went to the locker room to find out what was wrong during the first half of the Lakers' victory over the Clippers. He returned to play in the second half, but did not participate in all of today's practice. He hopes to test it further Tuesday morning in advance of the Lakers' game against the Kings at Sacramento.

"It started feeling a whole lot better as the night went on and prior to going to sleep last night I called (athletic trainer) Gary Vitti and let him know that I felt confident that we didn't have to do any further investigating or testing of any kind," said Fisher , who has started all 77 games this season. "I'll see if I can give it a go and make positive contributions to the team."

After today's practice went well, Andrew Bynum said he plans to play Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies and April 14 against the Utah Jazz. Those are the Lakers' final regular-season games. Bynum has said all along that he hoped to play in a couple of regular-season games before rejoining the active roster for the playoffs.

Bynum has been sidelined since tearing the MCL in his right knee Jan. 31 against Memphis. He suffered a season-ending left kneecap injury Jan. 13, 2008 against Memphis. So a return against Memphis on Sunday seemed like the right time to come back to the court.

"I just have to get my timing back," said Bynum, who did not travel with the team for Tuesday night's game against the Kings in Sacramento. "Other than that, I'm ready to go."

The Lakers almost let one get away from them tonight. They squandered a 19-point lead and then had to scramble to beat the Clippers, 88-85. Clippers guard Baron Davis missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have tied the score at 88-all. Lakers forward Trevor Ariza had him blanketed and Davis' shot missed badly from the left wing.

Of equal or greater interest, at least to me, was a series of comments from Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy on the Lakers and center Andrew Bynum before the game. Dunleavy believes Bynum's return from a knee injury will make the Lakers "just that much better."

Here's more:

"Just that size in the middle, shot-blocking, just that extra body," Dunleavy said. "Gasol doesn't have to play as a primary defender. ... Offensively, Bynum is so long that he gets them a lot of easy buckets. He rolls to the bucket and you have to pick him up. If you don't pick him up, it's a dunk. If you do, it leaves somebody else open."

What, you expected something different? The Lakers led by as many as 19 points in the first half and seemed to be toying with the Clippers. Lamar Odom had 12 points against his former team. Kobe Bryant added 11. Lakers coach Phil Jackson played everyone on the active roster in the first half, even Adam Morrison. Eric Gordon had 11 points and Zach Randolph added nine for the Clippers. Marcus Camby (sprained left ankle), Mardy Collins (sore right foot), Ricky Davis (sore left knee) and Chris Kaman (flu-like symptoms) didn't play for the Clippers. Going into the game, the Clippers had a combined 222 games lost due to illness, injury and suspension this season.

Andrew Bynum is not playing in tonight's game against the Clippers, and Phil Jackson said he won't make the trip to Sacramento, either. Jackson said he wanted to make sure Bynum played in the April 12 game against Memphis in an effort to clear the mental hurdle of playing against the team in which he suffered his injuries last season and this season.

Andrew Bynum went through his first 5-on-5 scrimmage today since suffering a right knee injury Jan. 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He said he was ready to play Sunday against the Clippers, but acknowledged that the decision was up to Lakers executives and medical personnel. He could be ready to play in a matter of days, however.

"I think right now we're in a situation where I'm not going to say he's going to play (tonight), but it's going to be a day-to-day type of thing," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We're just going to see how he reacts to hard work and go from there."

Phil Jackson's opening remarks after the Lakers' 93-81 victory tonight over the visiting Houston Rockets: "That was what we'd call a mud wrestling contest out there for a while. We broke it open in the third quarter, but didn't break it open. We got a little lead, a 10-point lead and we were able to sustain that actually even though it was brought back down to one point. I thought for a return game after a road trip it was OK. We shot the ball poorly tonight. We'll have to do a better job."

Jackson on the Lakers (60-16) moving within one game of Cleveland (61-15) for the league's best record: "We have to make an attempt for it. I wouldn't feel good about it and neither would the players if we didn't. We really don't have to threaten our well being by doing it, I don't think. We have some opponents I consider dangerous. Tonight when I went in to talk to them, I said, 'Dallas got beat by Memphis, Utah got beat on their home court by Minnesota, New Orleans got beat by Golden State. We have the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings coming up as our next two games. So, don't take them lightly. Be prepared.'"

Jackson on playing against teams bent on beating up on them: "We're better. We still want to look back at the referees and I don't want them to do that. I don't want to have guys complaining. If there's going to be that kind of game and the referees are going to call it that way, then you're going to have to get in the trenches and play that type of game and not look back."

Jackson on adjusting his rotation: "I'm going to continue to experiment with this a little bit. I liked the game Jordan (Farmar) played in Milwaukee. He didn't shoot the ball well, but I liked the game he played in Milwaukee. So he had the first option to go off the bench tonight. I thought his effort was good tonight. He tried, but I thought some of the things he did were not what I wanted to see. It has to be done better. Sasha (Vujacic) is on a shorter leash because he's sitting behind Kobe (Bryant) and Kobe is necessary to come back and help us. I told Luke (Walton) he hasn't had a good home game. He's played well on the road, but he hasn't played well on our home court for a while and I wanted him to get it back on our home court and give us that sustained effort that he can do."

Jackson on an article in The New York Times Magazine recently about Shane Battier's fine defensive play against Bryant over the years: "I gave that article to Kobe because I thought it was important for him not so much about Shane ... but about his penchant for taking on guys and at times making it mano a mano at times. It takes us out of our game and he was particularly good in the last game against Houston (37 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter). Now, this game, they didn't put (Ron) Artest on him. It was Shane who guarded him. He does a good job. Kobe measured it a lot this game and I thought did a great job of just playing the game that had to be played and playing within himself."

The gift basket arrived early Friday afternoon, even as the Lakers were still finding their way back to their home locker room inside Staples Center.

Two weeks on the road, zig-zaging through dusty Midwestern cities with stopovers in Charlotte, New Jersey and Atlanta mixed in for kicks, had left them weary, worn and wondering whether pushing so hard for the best record in the NBA all season had been worth it when the Cleveland Cavaliers snuck up and nosed by them in the standings.

But just as they were making their way into the arena for Friday's 93-81win over the Houston Rockets, the welcome-home basket, stuffed with a new set of carrots, was being broadcast on the big screen television inside their locker room.

The Cavaliers were getting dismantled by Orlando, on their way to a second straight loss, which meant the race for the best record, and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, was still very much alive.

Out on the court, another happy surprise was waiting for them. Andrew Bynum, their young center whose rehabilitation from a late January knee injury had been quietly progressing until he made headlines by being photographed giving piggyback rides at the Playboy mansion, was on the court going through pregame warm-ups.

Bynum wore a brace on his left knee, but seemed comfortable and uninhibited in his movements. He ran off the court soaked in sweat.

Despite the encouraging signs before the game, it took a while for the Lakers to get their legs under them.

``The end of the season is the fatigue time for teams,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``Players' legs are weary, they've worked real hard, they let up, an injury might happen and fatigue the bench players. So, you have to play them out.

``It's not easy to come back from a road trip and have the energy you want to have, and Houston is no slouch.''

After jumping out to a 10-2 lead, the Lakers fell flat, shooting just 39.5 percent in the first half.

Houston rallied to a 44-44 tie at halftime behind 11 points each from Ron Artest, Yao Ming and Luis Scola.

Though the Lakers had dominated the season series with the Rockets, only one of the previous three victories had come easily. The last time out, the Lakers had to rally from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat Houston on March 11.

In the second half, they made sure that didn't happen. Midway though the third quarter the Lakers went on an 11-2 run capped by Derek Fisher's 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 31 seconds to go to stretch their lead to 65-55.

The Friday night crowd, which had been a bit subdued earlier in the night, exploded.

Pau Gasol scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Fisher finished with 15 points and five steals. Kobe Bryant added 20 points and seven assists.

Along the baseline sat most of the familiar faces --Jack Nicolson, Dyan Cannon, Penny Marshall -- and a few different ones too. Former governor Gray Davis ... former 90210 actress Tori Spelling ... teen star Zac Efron...

All of which meant the Lakers really had been away for a while, and, that it was getting close to that time of year when all sorts of famous faces started making appearances at the Staples Center.

After Friday's win, their 60th of the season, the Lakers have six more game remaining. They trail the Cavs (61-15) by a single game in the standings, but are just two games up on Boston (58-19) for the second-best record.

Their next game is Sunday against the Clippers, who will likely be missing Marcus Camby (ankle), Al Thornton (foot) and Mardy Collins (plantar fasciitis).

OK, that was a little misleading. But we all need the web hits these days. Anyway, Andrew Bynum was in uniform, out on the Staples Center court before tonight's game against the Rockets doing just about everything we remembered him being able to do before his knee injury on January 31: running, cutting, dunking, shooting, even trying a half-court shot. By the end of the session, he was soaked in sweat.

He ran off the court with just a passing comment to reporters: ``It felt good,'' he said.

In this case actions spoke louder than words.

Here are some interesting comments and observations from Sasha Vujacic on his play and the play of the second unit. He doesn't seem to be trying to sugarcoat anything with his words. He's not happy about his play or the play of the Bench Mob. Anyway, here's what he had to say in his own words the other night in Milwaukee:

"I can't relax. I'm trying to get my rhythm on the floor and stay within the offense. Lately, I've been forcing shots because they're not coming. I've got to wait for the right shots and the right moment. I think we know if we want to win the championship, our second unit must click every game like we did last year, and even better. Last year, we were clicking amazingly and we were not able to win. This year, we've got to give the starters that rest and extend the lead every time.

"When I go on the floor, when we go on the floor, I have it in my mind, 'OK, we're three down, let's give them some cushion, five points up or whatever.' But it's been no secret, we're not doing that. I think we are capable of doing that, but we've got to do better.

"I think I've proved myself. I just want to be on the floor doing the right things, and it starts on defense. I'm going to be trying be a defensive stopper or whatever on the floor who takes the opportunity. People know I can score, so I can be a threat out there. Personally, I don't care (about scoring). That's what I was doing for a long time and you were asking me, 'What's going on? You're not shooting?' I don't really care, as long as we play the right way.

"We're going to have guys playing five minutes or 30 minutes. It changes. It's going to be frustrating, but we're going to have to get used to it. That's the way it is. Sometimes I'm going to have two or three shots a game and sometimes I'm going to have 10 or 15. Last year, I would miss my first three or four shots and hit the next six or seven. Now, I'm thinking four and I'm done, so whatever. No excuses. We're not playing the right way. If we play as a team, we're going to win."

MILWAUKEE -- The Lakers' longest trip of the season is history. They went 5-2 during their seven-game trek to play Chicago, Oklahoma City, Detroit, New Jersey, Atlanta, Charlotte and Milwaukee. They have seven regular-season games remaining and a lengthy to-do list to check off before starting the playoffs later this month.

First, they must recapture the style of play that carried them to the best record in the Western Conference. It was on display only in brief spurts during the trip. it disappeared entirely at other times, including during their losses to Atlanta and Charlotte. They moved the ball better and played better defense tonight, but they're still a work in progress.

Second, they must find some time to rest before the playoffs begin. Coach Phil Jackson said he was undecided about when to give his starters a break. Pau Gasol, in particular, has been logging heavy minutes since Andrew Bynum injured his knee Jan. 31. Gasol played almost 43 minutes tonight. He's averaging a team-leading 37:07.

Third, they must get Bynum back on the practice court and then into a few games before the end of the regular season April 14. Bynum could be the key to their success in the postseason. He might not be a starter, as Jackson suggested a few weeks ago, but he adds another weapon whenever he's on the floor.

Fourth, Jackson wants the Lakers to reach 60 wins. He was hoping it would happen during the trip, but they only got as far as 59. He also wants them to finish the regular season with the league's best road record. The Lakers improved to 28-11 with tonight's 104-98 victory over Milwaukee. They have two road games remaining.

MILWAUKEE -- The Lakers' offense clicked as needed tonight and they edged the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-98, and ended their two-game losing streak. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points on 10-for-19 shooting and added eight rebounds. Lamar Odom had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 15 points. Richardson Jefferson led Milwaukee with 29 points and Ramon Sessions had a triple-double with 16 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. The Lakers ended their seven-game trip with a 5-2 record.

MILWAUKEE -- The Lakers played their best first half in three games, but still trailed the Milwaukee Bucks at halftime tonight. The Lakers' offensive rhythm was much improved. They passed the ball much better and shot it better, too. Kobe Bryant had 15 points in the first half. Lamar Odom had 11 and Sasha Vujacic led the Bench Mob with 10. Richard Jefferson led the Bucks with 14. The Lakers shot 55 percent; the Bucks shot 56 percent.

MILWAUKEE -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson gave this update on 7-foot center Andrew Bynum before tonight's game against the Milwaukee Bucks: "We anticipate he'll be playing multi-player games or practice tomorrow. You know, two-on-two or something like that, so there's some traffic but he's not ready for 5-on-5, and to be honest with you we won't have that type of practice tomorrow. I'll probably ask a couple of guys come in tomorrow."

Bynum has been playing 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 games back in Southern California while the team has been touring North America, Belgium and the sub continent for the last two weeks. He has been sidelined by a torn MCL in his right knee since Jan. 31.