Bryant May Be a Little Bit Late

It is not routine, though it might appear to be, Kobe Bryant arriving from Colorado and stretching and then scoring 42 points against the San Antonio Spurs and 31 against the Houston Rockets.

It is not comfortable, though it might seem to be, up until fluids are being pumped into him intravenously and he’s clutching a paper bag to his face, Bryant recovering in San Antonio from the demands of his trips to court and back.

For the third time since the postseason began nearly six weeks ago, Bryant tonight will try to attend his felony sexual assault hearing by day and engage in basketball by night. The Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves at 6 p.m. at Staples Center in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Bryant said, “When I get here, if I get back in time, I’ll be ready to play.”

As for whether he might be late, given the early start time and the volatility of a day in court, Bryant nearly whispered, “I don’t know,” and a team official demanded, “Let’s keep the questions to basketball please.”

The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one. Bryant has played well in all three games, Tuesday night with composure and selflessness, a two-shot, no-point first half facilitating an offense that ultimately would make 51.5% of its shots and assist on 29 of 34 field goals.

On Wednesday, Coach Phil Jackson handed Bryant a tape of Game 3. In the last month, he has come to rely on Bryant to manage the games from the floor. He said Bryant aligns the Lakers on defense and often manages the offense until the final minutes of the game, when Jackson resumes command.

So Jackson asked Bryant to study the tape on the flight from Colorado, two hours Bryant has spent removing himself from the courtroom and stepping back into his other life on four other occasions.

It is in that time, teammate Gary Payton said, that Bryant probably comes to recognize the place basketball has in his life, and probably explains his uncanny play in those games.

“I can’t tell you that situation because I’m not in that situation,” Payton said. “But if I was in the situation, what I would be thinking? Yes, I have the possibility of going to jail for the rest of my life. I’m going to something I love to do, and it might be taken away from me. When I go out there, yeah, I want to play as hard as I can so people will remember me as that great basketball player. Yes, I would be thinking that. It’s hard, you know?

“You have to understand, you’re going to go to a trial, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You might go to jail, you might not. That’s a bad feeling for a guy that’s 25 years old, especially with the life he has had and the celebrity he is right now. And there’s an opportunity -- or a possibility -- of him going to jail. I hope he’s thinking positive that he’s not [going to jail] and just keep positive and keep praying that he won’t go to jail. And I hope he will keep playing basketball for many years.”

Bryant has not publicly expressed such thoughts. He hasn’t had to. The difficult days come and go, and Bryant’s emotions rise and flatten with them. On Wednesday afternoon, he spoke softly. Told Karl Malone had observed a more lighthearted Bryant in recent weeks, he smirked, as if to say Malone could not know. And he considers Malone a friend.

Payton agreed with Malone. Bryant, he said, has laughed more lately than he has all season. The team holds a lead in the conference finals, Bryant explained, and that is all.

“He’s going to be fine,” Payton insisted. “He’s not worried about it. I think he plays a little bit better when he comes off of court dates and he comes in before the games, because he gets more focused. I think his mind-set gets to where he’s very tired and he knows he has to come out here and play well and not have excuses for anything. I like him when he comes off these court dates. He’s more aggressive, and he’s having more fun.

“When he comes around us, [he has to] have fun, be relaxed. That’s good, because once these court dates get close, he starts to get a little funky about his attitude.”

Jackson said last week Bryant told him to expect him by game time, but the coach said Wednesday he could not know.

“We have no indication how long it will be,” Jackson said, “but we’re hopeful.”

If Bryant is delayed, Kareem Rush will start in his place. In December, Bryant missed the first quarter of a game against the Denver Nuggets, played erratically for a time, then made a game-winning jump shot at the horn.

“As best as possible, under the circumstances, it’s turned out in our favor,” Jackson said. “That’s a hard thing to put in those terms, but we’ve had success and he’s had success. Sometimes the day after has been difficult or two days after that has been difficult for him. We can’t rely on that. We have to come to play. Kobe has his instructions from me ... to get his mind focused on it when he has an opportunity to get back to basketball, get his mind back on basketball.”