Bryant Was Defiant Down Stretch

Fourth quarter. Critical shots. A close playoff game. The very next playoff game.

Even Kobe Bryant couldn’t help but notice. How the Lakers’ previous playoff run ended amid his forever-remembered four airballs in Game 5 at Salt Lake City, one to close regulation and three in what became the overtime loss and second-round elimination, and how their 1998 postseason started with him back in the spotlight down the stretch.

“I’m not going to lie and say it didn’t cross my mind, because it did cross my mind,” he said after practice Saturday. “But also all the close games that we had this past season. I tried to recall those games that I came through for us, whether on the free-throw line or a rebound or a shot. That kind of gets your confidence going.”

Going all the way to a degree of redemption. Though it was Nick Van Exel who made the biggest shot Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, a three-point basket for a 100-95 lead with 32.5 seconds left, Bryant made several that were big enough, going three of four from the field and four of seven from the line as the Lakers took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series with a 104-102 victory.

It was a good game for Bryant, who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and 15 in all. It was an especially good game because of what happened 49 weeks earlier against the Jazz.

“For myself, yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I wanted to be successful in the fourth quarter. I wanted to come out with a good fourth quarter because I wanted to win the basketball game. So after the buzzer went off and we had a two-point lead, I was like, ‘Aaah. Good job, man. Good job. Now you can sleep tonight.’ ”

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Eddie Jones got the “Ed-die! Ed-die!” chants from the fans before Game 1 had even started. Isaiah Rider got booed nearly every time he touched the ball or had his name announced.

Welcome to the showdown.

Rider generated it with his comments regarding the matchup at shooting guard, as he did a year earlier in the same first-round series, then did his best to make his words stand up. He made 10 of 19 shots and scored a team-high 25 points for the Trail Blazers, a nice game offset only in that he committed six of Portland’s 22 turnovers.

“I guess I’m in a situation where I have to back up what I’ve been saying,” Rider said. “I was only saying that I would have my way with him in the post. I wasn’t downplaying anyone, I was stating facts.

“I’m going to work. I’m just doing what I do. Once the crowd started chanting ‘Ed-die, Ed-die,’ that’s my way of shutting the crowd up and not letting them get going.”

Jones went two of nine and was able to save a decent offensive showing--14 points--by making all 10 free throws. But he still made a major contribution in the close victory with seven rebounds and a career-high six blocks.

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Shaquille O’Neal had only one rebound in the first half, “which is embarrassing for a guy like him,” Coach Del Harris said. O’Neal grabbed six in the second half to finish with seven in 41 minutes. . . . He wasn’t alone: Practically all the Lakers started slow, showing the effects of the long layoff and an inability to feed off the crowd’s energy. “I had a comment at halftime,” Rick Fox said. “I just thought we were playing as if we were defending the championship as opposed to going out and getting one.” . . . The back injury that forced Bryant to miss a day of practice earlier in the week proved far less a problem in Game 1 than the groin injury he has been battling since March 31 at Toronto. It was sore as he played 27 minutes and when he woke up Saturday morning.

SERIES SCHEDULE

(Lakers lead best-of-five series, 1-0)

* Game 1: Lakers 104, Portland 102

* Today: at Lakers, noon

* Tuesday: at Portland, 7:30

* Thursday: at Portland, TBA-x

* Saturday: at Lakers, TBA-x

x-if necessary