More Elbow Room

You know, maybe this is what “happily ever after” looks like.

It’s Kobe Bryant and an utterly seamless 25 points, three turnovers in two playoff games, a wide smile for every assist, a fist clenched for every three-point shot knocked down by Rick Fox.

It’s Shaquille O’Neal and a brutish 32 points, 32 rebounds in two playoff games, an unpracticed grin for his buddy Kobe, a wrist hinged for the technical free throw he made in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

It’s consecutive blowouts of the emotionally taut Portland Trail Blazers, who have tried to stick out a foot as the Lakers rush past, only to bruise their own shin.

The facts of a 2-0 lead have the Lakers taking 35 more shots and 25 more rebounds, and Derek Fisher going 74 minutes without a turnover, and O’Neal operating with only moderate resistance. That, and the Trail Blazers’ failure to bottle their tempers.

But the face that best typifies “happily ever after” in Lakerland might very well be Bryant’s. Friday afternoon it was tucked under a blue do-rag pulled to the top of a diamond stud in his left ear. The goatee was 22-year-old wispy. He wore a heavy, oversized gray sweatshirt, affecting an Allen Iverson-gone-good look, a bit odd on Bryant, given the contrast of the cream-colored Gatsby suit that hung off him the night before, when he left Staples Center with his tie tucked in his coat pocket and his shirt unbuttoned to his belt.

His game has changed looks too. Bryant said it happened gradually, growing from about the all-star break, from a place of total trust in his game to a progressive confidence in his teammates.

“That was not a knock on my teammates at all,” he said. “I worked so many hours, working on my basketball skills and on my jump shot, I had more confidence in myself. That’s not to say my confidence in my teammates was low. I had high confidence in my teammates. You guys watching the games, I think you know that.”

It led, finally, to Thursday night’s game, in which he took 11 shots and the Lakers scored 106 points and won by 18. Bryant hadn’t taken such few shots in a full game since Halloween night. But he had seven assists, as many as he had in Game 1.

In six games since he returned from tendinitis in his left ankle, Bryant has 39 assists and eight turnovers. In two playoff games he is 17 for 31 from the floor and has five steals. Despite the fewer attempts, he’s averaging 26.5 points, only two off his regular-season average.

Coach Phil Jackson recently equated Bryant’s on-court personality to his off-court growth in a season that was trying, to say the least. In the worst moments of his duel with O’Neal, the fanatical fringe called for Bryant to be traded. Privately, O’Neal joined them. The injuries came one after another, so Bryant really didn’t have a moment to breathe.

“I’ve had to grow a lot,” said Bryant, who was married last week. “I’ve been through so much this season, things you guys have no idea about. It was a difficult season. But, it has helped me grow a lot as an individual and I think I’m a better person for it, on and off the court.”

From Feb. 20 to April 10, Bryant sat out all or parts of 15 of the Lakers’ 26 games. While Jackson believed differently at the time, he now believes Bryant came to better appreciate his teammates and their work ethic. For that reason, Jackson said, Bryant is finding as much satisfaction in a swing pass to an open Fisher as he once found in his signature fade-away.

“Once Kobe saw how well Fish and Rick were shooting the basketball, and some of their decision-making, and the effort they’re putting into the game, he really rewarded that,” Jackson said. “I think a lot of it came from the success we had [when Bryant was injured]: ‘These guys are working together. There are real good shooters on this team and when I come back I’m going to make that a positive thing.’ That’s happened for us and for him.”

Jackson and Bryant haven’t had a long conversation about it.

“He’s told me I’m playing well, aside from being too unselfish at times,” Bryant said.

He paused and grinned. Imagine that.

“Can y’all?” he said, laughing. “But I’m still being aggressive. It’s just important for me to do whatever this team needs me to do. If they need me to go out there and score, to have a 15-point quarter or something like that, then I’ll do that. But I’ll let the game come to me.

“It definitely changes from team to team. You have to read the defense. The Blazers are trying to stop me from penetrating to the basket. As a result, I’ve had to have confidence in my teammates to knock down shots and make them pay for that.”

Asked to describe his game, as it stands, Bryant said, “Solid.”

Just solid. Not spectacular. Not flashy.

“I’ve always wanted a solid game,” he said, “despite all the lob passes or between-the-legs dribbles.”

Solid’s not too boring, he said, grinning. Solid is peaceful.

INSIDE

LOSS OF DEPTH: Dale Davis, a key to the Trail Blazers’ defense against Shaquille O’Neal, was suspended for Game 3, as was Stacey Augmon. D8

CHECK-OUT TIME? Lakers need one victory in Portland to advance, but they’re supposed to be packing enough for two games in three days. D8

CHARLOTTE 94, MIAMI 79: The Hornets completed a resounding sweep of the Heat, as Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn each scored 21 points. D8