John Walters

LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant may have back problems, but the Los Angeles Lakers have a spine.

Los Angeles found itself tied with the Utah Jazz, a team whose confidence grows nightly, twice in the fourth quarter Wednesday. The Lakers led by just one with one minute to play, but they never backed down, winning 111-104 and taking a 3-2 series edge in this Western Conference semifinal.

This was a must-win for the wounded Lakers, as Utah, led by point guard Deron Williams, is an entirely different ballclub, in terms of temerity, than it was before Game 1. The Jazz is no longer star-struck by the likes of L.A. fans David Beckham or Jack Nicholson, nor dumbstruck by the brilliance of Kobe. The former is a product of experience, the latter a result of a sore back that kept Bryant from practicing between Games 4 and 5.

Bryant did not have to perform like the NBA’s MVP on Wednesday — just the Lakers’ MVP. He scored a team-high 26 points for Los Angeles despite being unable to dunk and attempting just 10 shots. Ten shots. Five other Lakers took more shots than Bryant. When is the last time Kobe played 41 minutes in a game, as he did in Game 5, and finish sixth in the field-goals attempted category?

If he was not the best player on the court this evening (that would be Utah point guard Deron Williams), Kobe was the wisest. He began the game intent on demonstrating, to his teammates as well as the Jazz, that he was healthy. He spent the third quarter exploiting the referees — and Matt Harpring — and then in the final moments he played the role of decoy with aplomb.

It all began with the opening tip. Channeling Willis Reed, Bryant took a pass from Pau Gasol on the Lakers’ first possession and drained a 3-pointer, his only one of the game. On Los Angeles' next opportunity, he hit a fall away jumper from the right elbow. Staples Center erupted while Bryant’s teammates calmed down.

After a 13-point first half, Bryant scored 10 of the Lakers’ 20 third-quarter points. Unable to finish drives in his usual fashion, Bryant was brilliant in creating contact against his defender (normally Harpring) and seducing, if not intimidating, the officials into blowing their whistles. Bryant attempted nine free throws in the third quarter — one more than the Jazz — and surely he welcomed the chance to attempt a shot where the importance of jumping is negligent.

At the end of three quarters, Utah and Los Angeles were all square at 81. Memorable number. That integer also denotes Bryant’s career high, which he scored two seasons ago against Toronto. It’s the second-highest figure ever scored in an NBA contest, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.

It is astounding, really. Bryant, so tortured by back pain that he settled for layups all evening, scored half of the Lakers’ 20 points in the third quarter. Late in the quarter Mr. MVP found an opening on the right wing and, hoping to recreate LeBron’s emphatic dunk in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semis, soared hoopward.

This time, however, Kobe fell slightly short. The ball was pinned against the rim, and only a foul call bailed him out. Kobe missed both ensuing free throws, an occurrence about as rare as him coming up short on a slam.

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