Buddy System OK With Bryant

There was a time when Kobe Bryant might have chafed at the whole Shaq-and-his-little-buddy routine.

That’s when people wanted Bryant to be Shaquille O’Neal’s Boy Wonder, or supporting cast, or little brother, or whatever.

“It’s not important to me,” he said. “What’s important is continuing to do what this team needs me to do.

“I can be his sidekick. I’m fine with that. Shaquille is the most dominant player in the world. As long as he’s here, our offense is going to run through him. Because he’s here and because he plays, that clears me up for easier opportunities that other players in the league might not get.”

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Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins, at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club in Massillon, Ohio on Monday, according to the local paper there: “Phil Jackson may be a pretty good coach, I don’t know. It’s hard for me to tell. The guy never gets up. I’m surprised he gets up at timeouts. He just sits there with his legs crossed.

“I’ve listened to Phil. He’s got a lot of answers. But I’m not sure if Tim Floyd wouldn’t have been a good coach if he’d have had Michael Jordan. When Michael Jordan left, Phil Jackson kind of quit, took a year off, go to Wyoming. I don’t know what Phil does. He used to go off into the woods and eat berries and stuff like that. And then he just happens to get a job with Kobe Bryant and Shaq. I know this, when I’ve had really good teams with really good players, at the end of the game, you usually throw them the ball. I don’t know how smart you have to be to do that.”

So uncalled for: He goes to Montana.

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After playing 18 minutes in the previous six games, Lindsey Hunter played 10 in Game 4 and nine in Game 5, and played well enough against rookie Tony Parker that he could get more time against a quick guard such as Sacramento’s Bobby Jackson.

“I’ve always had a great deal of faith in Lindsey’s ability to get out and defend,” Jackson said. “The counterpoint is it’s tough to play four guards in a playoff situation when you’re trying to keep everybody in rhythm.”

Hunter has taken only seven shots in the playoffs, making two, including a three-pointer against the Spurs on Tuesday.

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O’Neal, who said he’d undergo a secret treatment on his ailing ankles before Game 5, changed his mind and went with the usual therapy.... Derek Fisher, who bruised his knee in Game 4, received physical therapy for two days and was not hindered in Game 5. “There’s no problem at all,” Fisher said early Tuesday.