Going gets tough for Lakers

SALT LAKE CITY -- Cakewalk ends here.

Unfortunately for the Utah Jazz, you have to come here to see them at their real deal. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they did have to come here and saw their unbeaten postseason run come to an end in Friday night's 104-99 loss.

Before Friday the postseason had been a lark for the Lakers, who were 6-0, winning five of the games by double figures while averaging 115 points.

Now it's more like a postseason, going into Sunday's game here in which the Jazz will try to make this into a competitive series.

The Lakers went into this game 28-5 with Pau Gasol in the lineup. They came out of it 1-7 in playoff games here, 0-1 in this series and, for the first time since the playoffs started, with something to be concerned about.

Of course, between now and Sunday, local fans may want to rethink their strategy of booing Kobe Bryant.

Not only did they boo old favorite Derek Fisher, they booed Bryant's every move. While they booed, Bryant scored 26 of his 34 points in a furious second-half rally as the Lakers cut an 11-point deficit to three.

The Lakers had made the most of their home-court advantage in the first two games, taking big early leads, shooting 89 free throws to Utah's 46.

No Jazz player or official complained but there are suspicions this was no accident.

In Utah's first-round series, Houston General Manager Daryl Morey sent video to the league office, presumably showing Jazz players doing all sorts of violent things to Rockets players without getting called for them.

So, it wouldn't have been at all out of character for the league to tell the crews refereeing the first two games to watch contact closely, as the officials working those games did.

Friday, the whistles evened out, at least for the first half when each team shot only three free throws and, for the first time, the Jazz didn't find itself trailing by double figures.

It's better that way but, you could ask the Jazz, it didn't come easily.

mark.heisler@latimes.com