Lakers Enjoy Close-Out Sail

Kobe Bryant arrived Wednesday night with time to spare, the Lakers finished the Houston Rockets in about three quarters and now they’re all back to the San Antonio Spurs, about where they left things a year ago.

On another frantic night in which Bryant rushed back from his legal proceedings in Colorado, dozing in the final miles, he had 31 points and 10 assists in 40 minutes, and the Lakers were 97-78 winners at Staples Center, eliminating the Rockets in five games.

Their victory, and the Spurs’ four-game sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, set up a Laker-Spur best-of-seven series, starting Sunday afternoon in San Antonio. The Lakers and Spurs have combined to win the last five NBA championships, the Laker three-peat bracketed in 1999 and 2003 by the Spurs.

The Lakers were eliminated in six games by the Spurs last season in the Western Conference semifinals, which convinced General Manager Mitch Kupchak he needed to overhaul the roster, and Karl Malone and Gary Payton arrived two months later.

“That’s been our focus,� Coach Phil Jackson said. “To be in their bracket, right away in the second round, is a good deal for us. It’s time. We’re ready for them.�

They looked ready in the second half against the Rockets. They scored 50 and held the Rockets to 30, shot 52.6% and held the Rockets to 30.3%.

An hour after the game, Rocket Coach Jeff Van Gundy waited outside Bryant’s news conference, leaning against a wall, a frown on his face. Inside, Bryant was admitting, “I’m very tired.� While his bus waited, Van Gundy stood until Bryant emerged, his tiny daughter in his arms. He stuck out his hand and Bryant took it, and Van Gundy drew him near and whispered something in his ear. Van Gundy nodded and Bryant nodded back.

And then the Rockets were gone, and the Spurs stood where they had.

“You can’t beat them with momentum,� Bryant said of the defending champions. “They’re really steady. You really have to be calculating, beat them possession by possession, be purposeful in your actions and carry it out for 48 minutes.�

On the way to the Spurs, Malone scored 18 points in 32 minutes, providing the only real offensive support Bryant needed. Shaquille O’Neal and Slava Medvedenko each scored 12 points. O’Neal had what Jackson called, “one of the best defensive games I’ve ever seen Shaquille play,� but the Laker center left without comment, other than to say, “It’s not my knee.�

Bryant left the game with about six minutes remaining to a standing ovation.

About 2 1/2 hours before, the tires of Bryant’s white SUV squealed over the smooth concrete beneath the arena and four doors swung open. Bryant stepped down from the passenger side, held his fists over his head and arched his back in a long stretch.

Despite the late hour -- 6:56 p.m. for what was advertised as a 7 p.m. start -- Bryant strolled from the car, through the glare of the headlights that had flickered on in the darkness of the tunnel.

Three bodyguards and an agent trailed behind Bryant, who somewhere between Eagle and Los Angeles had gotten out of his suit and into some blue sweats. A phone cord dangled from Bryant’s right ear.

Near the end of his walk, he passed teammates already dressed in gold. He found his uniform and warmups hanging in his locker, his sneakers beneath them.

While the Lakers warmed up on the floor, Bryant dressed and stretched and, at 7:09 p.m. -- 13 minutes before the tip -- he jogged through the tunnel between two bodyguards, leaving them at the corner of the floor.

He’d done it twice before and, even in the microscope of the postseason, there was a sense of routine to what Bryant had done Wednesday. He awoke before dawn, flew to Eagle, attended his hearings and retraced the route, the television bringing pictures of smiles for courthouse employees he perhaps is beginning to recognize.

Bryant missed his first jump shot, a three-point attempt from the right wing, and his second, a layup in a crowd of Rockets, and his third, on a fastbreak.

Jackson took him out of the game for less than a minute, put him back in as a small forward, and Bryant immediately made a short jumper. After those three early misses, he made eight of his next 10 leading to halftime, by which time he had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds, among the most balanced halves of his season.

“When I get on the basketball court, something just energizes me for the game,� Bryant said. “Because of the circumstances, you kind of force yourself to pick up your energy and pick up the pace a little bit.

“All I have to do is get out there and play, then go to sleep.�