Kobe now a picture of clutch

LOS ANGELES — He was just a kid back then. Proud, eager, nearly invulnerable — or so it seemed to him.

Even in 1997, when yet a teen, Kobe Bryant had the world by the tail. Until that moment in Game 5 of the playoffs in Salt Lake. Waning seconds of regulation, neck-and-neck, frenzied crowd.

And he missed an 18-footer.

The overtime was even worse: He air-balled two more shots down the stretch as the Jazz went on to win the series, four games to one.

But even then, Bryant had composure beyond his years. In the locker room, he gamely faced the microphones and cameras, saying he hoped he would learn from the experience, and that the next time he was in that situation, he would come through.

Eleven years later, and look where he is now. Team leader, scoring titles, championship rings, MVP.

And he's not missing many free throws, either.

The Lakers' guard landed 18 consecutive foul shots Sunday and finished 21 of 23 as L.A. held off the Jazz, 109-98 in their second-round playoff opener.

Asked if he remembered whiffing the jumpers so long ago, Bryant smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "Horrible experience. Thanks for bringing it up again."

But yes, he did learn.

"The thing I took from that is I learned how to prepare myself," said Bryant. "It's such a long season, coming out of high school and playing 30-something games, to playing over 100. I learned how to get my legs ready going into the season."

So in a strange way, he can thank the Jazz and their fans for what happened Sunday.

They taught Bryant how it feels to fail.

Love or hate him, the thing about Bryant is the man's tough. You have to be when you're 19 and tossing blanks, and the opposing crowd is loving it, and the media is replaying it in every excruciating detail.

You learn how to take the bad stuff and put in a place where it hurts just enough to fuel the fire, but not enough to ruin you.

Not that he became MVP overnight. The ride, in fact, has been bumpy. There were three championships with Shaquille O'Neal, but soon to follow was the breakup. The superstars exchanged nasty barbs with one another in the press. For many years, Bryant's reputation was that of a selfish ballhog who cared only about being the alpha dog. Bryant talked about wanting a trade.

Oddly enough, not until he learned to make teammates better did the individual accolades really begin rolling in. Hence, when given his first MVP award, Bryant called it a team honor, not his own.