Lakers have answers so far, but that's only the half of it

SALT LAKE CITY -- Halfway there.

A season that began in histrionics is halfway to history.

A season that began in tiny torn pieces is halfway toward becoming one eye-popping, jaw-dropping quilt.

A dreamcoat, it would be.

Eight more wins, it would take.

The Lakers on Friday reached the midway point of their patchwork journey toward a previously unimaginable NBA title in typical many-colored fashion.

They turned out the lights on the league's best home court.

They put out the fire in the league's most consistently intense team.

In the Western Conference semifinals, they won their clinching Game 6 in Utah, and the 108-105 victory had nothing to do with Jazz.

It was hard rock, as the Lakers scored the first seven points of the game, the last six points of the first half, took a 19-point lead, came out flying against the strangely plodding Jazz.

It was a little country, as the EnergySolutions Arena fans whined and cursed and cried, yelling at the officials when they should have been yelling at the Kirilenkos and Boozers.

In the end, it was a lot of soul, the Lakers hanging on against a final push by a desperate team seemingly unbeatable on its home court.

The Jazz somehow closed it to three points in the final seconds, but Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams each missed three-point attempts.

In both cases, Lakers were charging the shooter, Sasha Vujacic rushing Okur, Bryant harassing Williams, the hotshots always hustling.

Game, Set, Wasatch.

"A real solid performance by our players," said a clearly relieved Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.

"We just got lost in what we were doing," said a clearly weary Utah Coach Jerry Sloan.

It was only the sixth time in 47 games here that the visitors have triumphed -- with two of those wins owned by the Lakers.

Denver done, Utah used, two series gone, two more to go, the Lakers now set to enjoy home-court advantage in the conference finals against the winner of Monday's semifinal Game 7 between New Orleans and San Antonio.

The Lakers will be watching that game.