End Could Be the Start of New Era

SALT LAKE CITY — Who would have thought? Who could have dreamed?

Kobe Bryant met Jeff Hornacek at midcourt before the overtime period in Monday’s second-round playoff game.

Bryant’s team, the Lakers, had rebounded from a 13-point third quarter deficit. They had come within his jump shot of handing the Utah Jazz only its fourth loss in 46 games at the Delta Center.

Hornacek’s team was the Jazz.

The score was tied, the Lakers season was in the balance.

“Man,” Bryant told Hornacek, “don’t you dream about games like this?”

“Man,” Hornacek said, “all I’m dreaming about is retiring.”

Who would have written it? Who would have been so silly?

The Laker season ended last night, but it didn’t go quietly, or easily, or without sweat.

The fighting, underachieving, soon-to-be-punished team left their fans exhausted, hoarse at home in front of the TV, hopeful and inspired and in places where they haven’t been in weeks.

The Jazz defeated the Lakers, 98-93 in overtime, to secure a four-games-to-one victory in the series.

But the Lakers didn’t walk away like everyone thought they would. In fact, they didn’t walk away at all.

Their only fights were with the Jazz. Mouths didn’t run, feet did, up and down the floor without Robert Horry, without Byron Scott, eventually without Shaquille O’Neal in the final minute of regulation.

Distractions? At the end, they acted as if they thought those 20,000 screaming fans were cheering for them.

This does not excuse a season of disappointment and underachievement.

But for one night, it ended that season with hope for the next one.

With 5:20 left in the third quarter, I had a story written. You had the game finished.

The Jazz led, 66-53, Horry had been ejected because of fighting with Hornacek, and that was that.

The ribbon was being wrapped on a booby prize of a playoffs, the soggy ending of something that once sparkled.

The Lakers were done, their 1996-97 season finished amid a fight between the coach and the point guard, after a collapse at home in a pivotal playoff game, after enough distractions to turn Del Harris’s hair black.

They were done. This story was done.

Then something happened.

His name is Nick Van Exel.

We thought he had no heart.

Maybe today he doesn’t, after playing it completely dry. He played 51 of 53 possible minutes, yet was still shouting at the end, still chomping the gum and making the pass and suddenly leading a team that really had no leader.

“It was like Nick didn’t want to let them lose,” said the Jazz’s Antoine Carr.

Trade Van Exel? Who said trade him? Somebody said trade him?

On nights like this, maybe you think, put Van Exel in a room with Harris and don’t let them come out until they are treating each other like men.

Perhaps if his attitude can be tamed, it would not be wise to replace Van Exel with Kobe Bryant.

Perhaps it would be wise to play them both, as they teamed up with O’Neal, Jerome Kersey and Eddie Jones on the Lakers’ finishing kick.

The Jazz advantage was cut quickly, with O’Neal dunking and Kersey driving and Van Exel directing.

With 9:24 remaining in the game, Van Exel abused John Stockton, driving around him for a layup that gave the Lakers their first lead since the first quarter.

And back and forth it went.

Crowd chanting “M-V-P” but Karl Malone stifled by Kersey.

Bryant driving and scoring.

Malone missing again and again.

Van Exel’s driving, falling, highlight-film layup tied the score with 4:55 left.

And on and on it went, even when O’Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining.

With 1:13 remaining, the score was still tied when Kersey drove around Greg Ostertag to give the Lakers the lead.

But then Stockton made a layup off a pick and roll to tie it.

Then Ostertag, playing the game of his stiff career, made his ninth block shot a huge one by stuffing Jones inside.

The Jazz got it back for a last try at regulation victory, Malone missed a jump shot, Ostertag grabbed the rebound and . . .

Van Exel stole the ball. Van Exel stole the ball.

But, alas, Bryant threw up an airball, the game was into overtime, and the outmanned Lakers didn’t have a chance.

“We knew it would be tough for them with those guys missing,” Hornacek said.

And so it’s over now.

The Lakers’ season ended about a month short of a championship when, for the fourth time in five games against the Jazz, they were reminded of something that will live with them all summer.

There is still only one Showtime.

But you know, for once in this last week, for a few moments Monday, they got close. It’s the end, but it’s a start.