Now, Bryant Is Christie’s Challenge

Portland’s Ruben Patterson attempted to thwart Kobe Bryant in the opening round and failed. San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen tried to stop Bryant in the conference semifinals and failed.

Now it’s Doug Christie’s turn.

Christie was sensational in the Kings’ five-game victory over the Dallas Mavericks in their conference semifinal. So said Dallas Coach Don Nelson in the wake of his team’s early playoff exit.

“Those guys were sensational,” Nelson told the Sacramento Bee when asked about the Kings. “You could give the MVP on the Kings to any one of six players. My favorite was Doug Christie. He was such a sensational player in this series and my hat is off to him.... I just loved the way he competed in every game. I really like their whole team. They brought it to us and they should really be proud of their team.”

Dallas guard Nick Van Exel played with Christie with the Lakers in the early 1990s. Van Exel believes Christie, 32, is a different player than he was as a young man just off the Pepperdine campus.

“He was out of control when he played with the Lakers,” Van Exel said. “He tried to do too much. Now he’s older and he’s calmer. He’s smarter, more relaxed and he’s a great defender. With age, you get a lot wiser. You can’t just rely on talent all the time. Doug has become a great player.”

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The Kings went back to work Wednesday, a day after what felt like a citywide holiday in celebration of the team’s first appearance in a conference final.

“It’s not just for us or for [Coach Rick Adelman],” center Vlade Divac said. “It’s about the organization, it’s about the fans, it’s about the city. They are so into the life of the team. They really deserve this.”

Added Lawrence Funderburke, the only remaining player from the Kings’ 1997-98 team that won only 27 games:

“I think there was a lot of frustration let out. Sacramento, the city, has always been sort of seen as a doormat franchise for so long. I know my first year, there was no hope of ever winning. We had to wait our time and I know the fans were patient as well for us to get to this point.”

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The Kings lost three of four to the Lakers during the regular season, splitting two games at Arco Arena and dropping two games at Staples Center. Chris Webber played in only one of the four games, a 97-96 King loss at Arco.

Dating to 1984, when the Kings were playing in Kansas City, the Lakers have won all three playoff series against them. The Lakers swept them in three games in the opening round in 1984 and defeated them, 3-2, in the opening round in 2000.

And the Lakers swept the Kings in four games in last season’s conference semifinals.

The Kings have outshot their opponents from the field in seven of their nine playoff games and won them all.... Joe and Gavin Maloof, co-owners of the Kings, are scheduled to appear tonight on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”