The Sky’s the Limit, Again, for Lakers

The Lakers do chaos so often, their heart rates hardly change.

In the one-day break between Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference semifinals, Kobe Bryant went to Colorado to defend himself against a felony sexual assault charge with a game tape under his arm, Kareem Rush ran with the first team, and the pressing questions had to do with ... momentum.

For the fourth time this season, this time with the Lakers halfway back from two 10-point losses in San Antonio, Bryant will run from dawn to late night, from Los Angeles to Eagle, Colo., and back, if he holds to his usual plan of returning home after each day in court.

Bryant and Phil Jackson had a brief talk Sunday night, after the Lakers’ 24-point win at Staples Center, Jackson suggesting the tape. The coach did not expect to converse with his All-Star, All-NBA swingman again until minutes before tonight’s game, assuming the schedules of pretrial hearings, weather and traffic unite to bring Bryant to him by the opening tip at 7:30.

By that time, the Lakers will have held a practice, a shoot-around and a few meetings, and Bryant, perhaps, will have entered a formal plea, the contrast of which often strikes teammates and coaches in mid-sentence.

They’ve done this before, though. Three times, Bryant has left in a suit and returned to find his uniform hanging in his locker, teammates dressed and ready to go, or having gone on without him. He has missed a total of one quarter because of it, not counting the game he skipped entirely in Atlanta, has often played well, and the Lakers have won all three times.

So there is at least familiarity in Bryant’s unusual circumstances, if not comfort, and the Lakers are careful to maintain the perspective of his situation and their game, no matter the time of year.

“He’s been able to do that extremely well,” Karl Malone said. “Still, knowing who he is, knowing what he’s going through, doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

Bryant did not miss much Monday, Malone said.

“We went over the same stuff we applied to the game [Sunday],” he said, adding later, “We have to be prepared as though maybe he doesn’t make it.”

No matter how it goes today, then tonight, Bryant will return to Eagle on Wednesday, unless proceedings are concluded today. Club officials are unsure of his schedule, but the assumption is, Bryant will meet the team in San Antonio on Wednesday night or, possibly, Thursday morning for Game 5 Thursday night.

After a deliberate, made-for-television start, the series bunches considerably this week. From Sunday to Saturday, if the Lakers can force a Game 6 on Saturday, the teams will have played four times. The Lakers are older than the Spurs and Bryant will be in the air a lot, so they could be vulnerable by the weekend.

“[Bryant] hasn’t shown a great deal of difficulty coming back from those kinds of trips and playing that game,” Jackson said. “The difficulty falls the day after and two days after those trips are over. Obviously, we’re concerned. It’s a critical part of the year. We’re just going to have to deal with it and accept what we get from him [and] we’ll be thankful for [it].”

The last time Bryant maneuvered through such a day, April 29, he played 41 minutes, scored 31 points and the Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets in Game 5. He sat afterward with his daughter on his lap and admitted he was as tired as he’d ever been after a basketball game.

After Bryant had started erratically, Jackson benched him briefly in the first quarter. Bryant caught his breath, returned to the game and played solidly thereafter.

“A lot of times, I talk to him about the minutes he wants to play, how he feels about it, just about the assignment he’s got,” Jackson said. “We’ll specifically be watching that [tonight].

“We’re going to have to have a very potent Kobe to win a game.”

Bryant was particularly effective on defense in Game 3, saving his offense for the three-point arc. By Sunday, the Lakers had turned to Shaquille O’Neal, whose 28-point, 15-rebound, eight-block game was among the finest of his career, and meant he’d averaged 30 points and 15 rebounds in two games.

“I had a lot of opportunities,” O’Neal said. “I’ve been feeling pretty good. Legs feeling like I have a lot of energy. I urge my teammates to keep me involved. If they keep me involved, I’ll lead us. I sure will.”

On a day like today, Bryant might not mind the help.

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Busy Days

A look at how Kobe Bryant has fared in games he has played the same day he has had a court hearing in Eagle, Colo.

*--* Date Result Min FG-FGA FT-FTA Reb Ast Pts Dec. 19 at Lakers 101, 31 5-14 3-4 3 5 13 Denver 99 March 24 at Lakers 115, 37 11-23 12-12 6 6 36 Sacramento 91 April 28 at Lakers 97, 41 12-21 6-6 6 10 31 Houston 78 Playoff 36.3 43.1% 95.5% 5.0 7.0 26.7 averages : Season 37.6 43.8% 85.2% 5.5 5.1 24.0 averages :

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