Unsung Defense Comes Up as Big as Bryant

The Laker defense had been one of the overshadowed elements of this series, much like, um, the San Antonio Spurs.

Just when the Spurs were about to get an attention-grabbing victory and even this Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2 Sunday, the Laker defense beat them to the spot and drew the charge.

Lakers’ ball. Lakers’ game. Lakers take a 3-1 lead with them back to Los Angeles.

“This team is not highly credited for their defense,” Samaki Walker said after the Lakers’ 87-85 victory. “But when you’ve got guys who really want to get after people when it’s time to play, we’re capable of doing it. And we’ve done it several times.”

Most notably in the fourth quarter. The two teams have played four fourth quarters--a whole game’s worth--and in those 48 minutes the Spurs have scored 62 points.

What little attention the Spurs had received in the past week focused on their inability to finish off their opponent in the fourth quarter. The lowest of the low came in Game 4 Sunday, when they hung a 10 on the board. That’s great for gymnastics, but it’s an embarrassingly weak, Eastern Conference-worthy number in the NBA.

It was the Laker defense that gave Kobe Bryant the chance to put another picture on his crowded shelf of postseason moments by scoring eight points in the last three minutes.

“It starts with the defense,” Rick Fox said. “If we can hold a team to 10 points in a quarter, very rarely are you going to see [the Lakers] score fewer than 15 points in a quarter, or 20.”

The Spurs made only three of 18 shots in the quarter. The Spurs scored one point in the final 6:14, which allowed the Lakers to overcome a 10-point deficit.

The Lakers took the ball out of Tim Duncan’s hands, dared anyone else on the roster to beat them. And the rest of the Spurs weren’t up to the task. The guys who hit the biggest shots of the Spurs’ 1999 championship run, Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson, aren’t playing for them anymore.

Here’s what they have: Tony Parker’s a 19-year-old rookie. Bruce Bowen is a defensive specialist. Steve Smith is one of the culprits in Portland’s Game 7 meltdown two years ago and is having a terrible series. Danny Ferry’s right wrist is wrapped up like a mummy’s.

None of them looked as if they wanted to shoot when it mattered most. And Duncan couldn’t, because the Lakers decided that the fourth quarter was going to be the time that they swarmed him.

Duncan, who had been so aggressive against mostly single coverage throughout the game and had 30 points to show for his efforts, managed only two shots in the fourth. He missed both, including a desperation shot at the buzzer.

He also missed three of his six free throws. And he committed a costly charging foul, when Fox stepped in front of him on a fastbreak in the final minute.

That’s the type of little stuff Fox and the Lakers did throughout the game. They outrebounded San Antonio, 48-38, including a total of 11 from the unlikely sources of Fox and Derek Fisher.

Two of the most memorable plays were offensive rebounds, and both came on the Lakers’ final offensive sequence.

First, Shaquille O’Neal went high to grab a missed jump shot by Robert Horry. O’Neal said his ailing ankles and toe weren’t much better, so that wasn’t what allowed him to soar above rim level for the first time in weeks.

It probably was a combination of things. The urgency of the moment. The embarrassment of having one shot swatted by David Robinson and a point-blank dunk blocked by Duncan. And maybe even the mind games of Phil Jackson, who in his latest bit of odd psychological work compared O’Neal to both Dennis Rodman and Deputy Dawg during a pregame media session.

“I knew I had to get it,” O’Neal said. “I didn’t feel like hearing Phil’s mouth.”

He had answered Jackson’s criticisms earlier in the game by being more active on defense and blocking three shots. And that last board was his 11th of the game.

With the second chance, Fisher took a jump shot that missed. But Bryant soared through the air to grab the ball with his left hand, then bounced back up for a layup around Robinson to give the Lakers the lead.

“We’ve known him to be a playmaker, a scorer,” Fox said of Bryant. “Now you can add big-time offensive rebounder to the list.”

As much as the Lakers have had to grind out their victories this postseason, they wouldn’t even have gotten the opportunity if their defense hadn’t kept them in games. And they’ve been pretty consistent on that end of the court--at least more than they were during the regular season.

The Lakers finished first in the fewest points allowed (94.1 a game) and tied for ninth in opponents’ field-goal percentage (42.4%). But they still allowed 100 or more points 21 times--more than a fourth of their games--and lost 14 of those.

They have yet to give up 100 points in seven playoff games. The Spurs shot 40% Sunday, which is about where they are for the series.

“We still aren’t playing great defense, to be honest with you, but we’re being competitive,” assistant coach Jim Cleamons said. “Our defense has gotten better during the playoffs. I think that’s because guys are able to focus and pay closer attention to the matchups, what their assignments are.

“It’s getting better, but we can’t pat ourselves on the back just yet.”

That’s not the way they’ve been operating. And if you’ll notice, they haven’t done too much celebrating after baskets, either. No flexing from Kobe, few exaggerated stomps downcourt by Shaq.

They’re just getting back on defense.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com.